Bush's phoney "political capital"
Bob Briton It did not take long for the election-night platitudes to stop. On Wednesday last week George W Bush was sweet-talking frustrated Democrat voters: "To make this nation stronger and better I will need your support, and I will work to earn it. I will do all I can to deserve your trust." The very next day, the posture in front of the TV cameras had changed completely. "You asked do I feel free? Let me put it to you this way: I earned capital in the campaign, political capital, and now I intend to spend it. It is my style." Like his junior Australian partner John Howard, the re-elected US President is ignoring the fact of a narrow victory to claim overwhelming support for more attacks on the health, education and security of ordinary Americans while furthering advantaging the wealthy and pressing ahead with more military adventures. Bush got no such ringing endorsement. Out of a vote of around 114 million, George W Bush managed to get just three million more than the Democrat candidate John Kerry. To put it another way: if just over one and a half million people had reconsidered their decision to rally around the post 9/11 "war-time" leader, the vote would have gone the other way. While the religious right was successfully mobilised once more in support of the Republicans at the polls, the other big news of the elections was the strong turnout of the country's youth. The usual mass media sources played down the significance of the youth vote, however the 51.6 per cent turnout of 18-29 year-olds was the highest since 18-year-olds were given the vote in 1972. Young people voted 54 per cent for Kerry and just 44 per cent for Bush. Thankfully, the future is in this group's hands. The US People's Weekly World noted other positive aspects of the campaign. Unions turned out about 27 million people to vote. New means of reaching people through entertainment and over the internet came into their own: "While the results were a setback, a magnificent, progressive, grassroots electoral movement has been born. With the labor movement as its backbone, it encompasses women, African Americans, young people, Latinos, environmentalists, Native Americans, civil rights groups, Asian and Arab Americans, seniors, religious people, Internet activists, artists and first- time voters. They came together to wrest our country back from the grip of a small group of far-right extremists. This new grassroots movement did heroic work. It couldn't win yet against the fear, racism, sexism, homophobia, terrorism and corporate power the powerful far right group wields, which influenced significant numbers of people." The fact remains that the results, however close, are indeed a serious setback. In the same way that Howard has wasted no time pressing ahead with anti-people policies, Bush will set about implementing his "Plan for A Safer World & More Hopeful America". Even some of the language used to sell the Bush second term agenda would sound familiar to Australians. For example, Bush will push for: * Tax reform — "to make the tax code simpler for taxpayers, encourage saving and investment and improve the economy's ability to create jobs and raise wages". Encouraging savings and investment actually means tax cuts for the rich and corporate sector. Creating jobs means lower wages. Bush's first term record show that he cares little for creating jobs, and less for raising wages. * Health care — "President Bush will call for a community health center in every poor county in America." Nobody may answer but you can bet there will be plenty more poor counties by 2008 if Bush gets his way. * Welfare reform — Bush wants to build on the success of previous "reform", "strengthening families and helping more welfare recipients achieve independence through work". He wants to create "Opportunity Zones, which will encourage public and private investment and provide priority consideration for Federal benefits to communities that are under economic hardship." The same old story — kick more people off social security and onto the resources of struggling families or into pitifully low-paying jobs. Faith-based charities will get a bigger share of the welfare action once Bush has ensured they can participate "without discrimination". * Judges — "President Bush will continue to appoint to the Federal Courts well-qualified judges who share his commitment to strictly interpret the law". Bush is set to stack the Supreme Court with right-wingers, not only to enshrine his "hang 'em high" policies but also to get support for more unpopular legislation. High on the list are outlawing abortion, gay marriages and stem cell research and possibly the introduction of conscription. * Intelligence Reform — Bush will appoint a new National Intelligence Director to coordinate the Administration's "anti- terror" intelligence gathering. Howard actually got in before Bush with introducing this one. * "Defending American Lives and Liberty" — "President Bush will continue to lead a worldwide coalition to fight terrorists abroad so we do not have to face them here at home." (GOP Agenda) There will be no let up in the US-led drive to secure resources and markets for favoured transnational corporations. Bush is not dissuaded by the mounting US death toll in Iraq or the appalling cost in Iraqi civilian lives. Nor is he concerned at the record budget deficit and social consequences his wanton policies have produced. The American people have also got a long period of tense struggle ahead of them. There will be pressure on the Democrats to move further to the right to try to steal some of the religious right vote off the Republicans. Support for Kerry and the Democrats from progressive US voters comes about in large part because they are a "less bad" option for workers and other exploited people. The support offered even on this basis would evaporate if the Democrats neglected their interests further to chase the unlikely support of extremist religious voters. The ALP would do well to take note of the parallels with Australia's recent experience.