Anger and Fear Influencing Americans

Between January 2000 and November 2008, the majority of Europeans lived in apprehension of the United States. The societies of the Old Continent have never gotten on well with the personality and politics of George W. Bush. The apprehension and fear faded away in the morning hours of Nov. 5, 2008, when Barack Obama was elected president of the United States.

That night, Europe felt that its America had returned. Obama promised to be an inspiring president, capable of uniting and galvanizing Americans. And alas, anesthetized by an historic election, we no longer worry about the United States. After all, what could go wrong in a country led by a man with the education and talent of Obama? What could go wrong with the Democrats in control of the House of Representatives and the Senate?

The answer is a lot. The U.S. is a continental country with a political culture very different from European social democracies. Examples? The majority of Americans do not agree with Obama’s choices in terms of the economy, health, budget deficit and immigration. Historically, his approval ratings have been very low. More than half of Americans believe that Barack Obama is “socialist.” Contrary to what happens in Portugal, the connotation of socialism is the quickest way to be discredited politically and defeated electorally in the U.S.

Part of Obama’s political problem has to do with the economic situation and unemployment. Another part has to do with the difficulty the president has experienced in establishing an emotional relationship with the American electorate. On the way to the White House, Obama wrote eloquently about himself, his family and his dreams for America. His books “Dreams from My Father” and “The Audacity of Hope” are the best examples of his efforts to introduce himself to the U.S. and the world. But practically two years after his election, the president continues to be a mystery to Americans. No one seems to know exactly what Obama believes or wants. The controversy over the Islamic cultural center in downtown Manhattan is the latest example of this kind of problem.

These two points, however, do not explain everything. There is something more profound, and much stronger from a political point of view, happening in America. The best way to see this is to pay more attention to what is happening outside of Washington. What attracted my attention were things like anger and fear.

The anger has to do with the divergence between the political elite and American society with regard to public policies in the areas of health and immigration, as well as the choices that were made by the Bush and Obama administrations during the financial crisis and the recession. The best example of this anger was Rich Santelli’s long tirade: the editor of the CNBC Business News station expressed opposition to the Obama administration at the Chicago Stock Exchange on Feb. 19, 2009. At the base of this well-known tirade are ideas like the primacy of the individual over the government, budgetary responsibility and a constitutionally limited government.

The tea party movement is shaking American politics and the Republican primaries. It is the best sign of a revolt on the part of the electorate against the political elite at the state and federal levels.

The fear is connected to pessimism regarding the future. On this side of the Atlantic, we associate America with optimism. But as Peggy Noonan called to our attention in the Wall Street Journal at the beginning of the month, the great political change over the last few years has led Americans to believe that their children will not have a better future than their own. For a country with a history and political culture like the U.S., this is a huge change. Where is Barack Obama? Where are the political elites capable of reinventing the American dream?

The time to start paying attention to what is happening in American society and politics is now.