The Hindu Business Line : Obama poised for historic journey

I hope India’s political class has taken note of an aspect of American democracy that cannot even be imagined in the Indian context: For the past 17 months, two high-profile contenders for the Democratic Party nomination for the US Presidency were going through the ordeal of contesting the primaries in State after State for notching up their respective scores of delegates.

The prize was no less than most powerful elective office of the richest and industrially and technologically the most advanced country in the world. Hence, passions were running high and the pressures were intense.

If the same kind of contest had taken place for the same kind of stakes in India, by now many in opposing camps would have been killed, many places would have been ravaged by riots and extensive destruction of public property would have taken place. But, in the US, the whole campaign by and on behalf of both Ms Hillary Clinton and Mr Barack Obama was conducted with the utmost dignity and civility, and without a single instance of clash between their followers.

When it was clear that Mr Obama has clinched the nomination and it was time for Ms Clinton to make her concession speech, the magnanimous praise each showered on the other was out of this world, and totally unthinkable in the Indian situation.

The working of American democracy and the political system should be made a case study for the training courses through which the Lok Sabha Speaker, Mr Somnath Chatterjee, has been putting the MPs to give them the right orientation in democratic values, conduct of political discourse, behaviour in legislative forums and dealing with political adversaries in a spirit of amity, understanding and co-operation.

The historic first of an African American poised to secure the nomination as a US Presidential candidate truly marks the end of a historic journey which could well presage the beginning of another, with Mr Obama walking through the doors to the Oval Office on January 20, 2009.

Whether he will or not depends on how well he is able to muster the majority of voters on his side between now and the election. For, the mind of the voter in any democracy is notoriously subjected to mood swings, and even a trifling issue, event or statement can cause an unexpected upset.

Mr Obama’s support base among the white working class, women and Hispanics is weak, and he will need all his political skills and capability to reach out to hitherto unsympathetic sections of the population by unfolding a persuasive set of policies that will be at once inclusive and distinctive.

Formidable challenge

By constantly affirming his resolve to bring about a sea-change in the ambience of Washington and the functioning of the government, he has roused enormous expectations. Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter too, to cite just two examples among many, had similarly talked of change, but could not live up to their promise.

With a written Constitution laying down the parameters of running the government and with a rich corpus of rulings by the judiciary further refining it, even the powers of a whole-time executive President like that of the US have to be exercised within the well-ordained regimen of checks and balances.

The US Congress has, over more than two centuries, evolved its own ways of working and forged its own networks of relationships, while the Judiciary has been proudly guarding its independence.

Assuming Mr Obama is able to defeat Mr John McCain, how precisely will he bring about the change which will mark his Administration as unique? Will it be in the form of greater approachability, accountability, transparency and integrity? The challenge that Mr Obama faces in translating his vision into reality is formidable.

B. S. RAGHAVAN

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