Obama and the Republicans, Jonathan and the north

Diaspora By Ekerete Udoh

I was at a popular Nigerian hangout spot the
other day in Brooklyn, New York and as usual,
the issue that was discussed centered on the
2015 presidential elections, the realignment
that is taking place in the polity, the zero-sum
machinations at play and the war-like
metaphors that are being employed by the
contending interests and the tendency for
those machinations to spiral out of control,
thus jeopardizing the corporate integrity of
the nation itself.
Someone made a very interesting observation
which today forms the basis of this column.
The gentleman- an attorney who practices in
Downtown Brooklyn had likened what is going
on today in Nigeria-especially the fratricidal
war currently ravaging the ruling party-PDP to
the same zero-sum tendencies employed by
the Republicans to stymie Obama's
administration capacity and ability to change
the texture of governance form strict
individualism of the last Republicans
administration of George W. Bush to a
governance philosophy embedded in the
Democratic Platform which believes that the
little man should be rescued and protected
from the rampaging forces of capitalism and
rugged individualism and that government has
a scared obligation to help create a level
playing field so that the gulf of income
disparity could and should not be too wide
enough to engender social tension and
dislocation.
The Republicans apart from harking unto their
ideological platform, seems to be motivated by
another impulse- the impulse of racism and
intolerance. Even though no one has come out
to say the reason Obama has been blocked
from carrying out most of his campaign
promises is based on WHO he is and NOT what
he proposes to do, those who have read
between the lines have since concluded that
racism is the central issues at play.
The Republican Party has always seen and
regarded itself as the elder brother of the two
party system in America. They have always
prided itself as being the custodians of the
founding principles of America and that
conserving those principle is a task that all
must be sworn to upholding. In the
management of the economy, they have always
harkened back to the Hamiltonian concept of
using the mercantilist class as the engine of
economic growth- they resent anything
remotely resembling government's regulation.
If someone had a patent right to a product
that would help lift the generality of the
people to a more secure economic or cultural
platform, such an inventor should be allowed
to monopolize the market and attache prices
for its products no matter how outrageous,
because he had used his God's given talents to
develop such a product.
To the Republicans, the Constitution of the
United States should be strictly interpreted
according to the way and manner the founding
fathers had envisioned it. Even though society
has since evolved from the days of the
founding fathers, Republicans can't stand those
Democrats who view the constitution as a
living document given to changes and
evolution. They pejoratively call those who
hold that view judicial activists. In matters of
defense they see and regard the Democrats as
being weak on national security because they
fail to recognize the awesome power of
American power and its creed of
exceptionalism.
While they were respectful of the office of the
presidency when other white Democrats held
the office, they have been completely unhinged
in the manner they have treated Obama. A
large swath of the Republican constituency
especially those who get their information
from the talk radio circuit do not believe
Obama is a legitimate president. They have
called him such names as 'the alien in the
White House" a man who once "pallied around
with terrorists" a man who fundamentally do
not understand how America works, someone
who is too 'other' and is determined to turn
America into a third world country like the "
country of his birth'-Kenya. To some of these
elements the title "president" should never be
attached to Obama, he is simply to be called
'Obama' and the age-long tradition of calling
presidents, after their administration-like the
Bush administration, Reagan administration is
not to be accorded Obama, to them Obama is
not running an administration, but a 'regime'.
Elected members from the Republican Party
both in the Congress and the Senate have
openly disrespected the president with a
Congressman from North Carolina- four years
ago openly calling the president a liar at the
State of the Union Address.
Every achievements that the Obama
administration has achieved has been
dismissed as inconsequential, even though
President Obama has killed more terrorists and
helped decimate terrorists all over the world
far more than George . W Bush did in his eight
years in the White House, even though Obama
succeeded in passing the Affordable Care Act
that presidents from Theodore Roosevelt had
tried since 1904 to pass, even though Obama
has beaten down the unemployment that was
going out of control due to the recklessness
laiser-faire policies of the Bush
administration , even though the stock
exchange has been bearish in most of the
Obama years, the Republicans have continued
to define him as a bad manager of economy.
Most of these resentments are based on the
optics than in substance. The main base of the
Republican Party is the white population.
Within this demographics are some who even
though America has recorded huge successes
in race relations have refused to change their
mindsets. They still regard America as
essentially being a white society with the white
given the eternal right to rule and dominate
the space. Even though there is a browning of
America currently going on, and which may
completely turn the country from a majority
white to a majority brown in the next 50 years,
these elements have refused to buy into these
rainbow of colors about America.
To them, the very notion of having a black
man with an exotic name in their 'own White
House' is nothing but a great affront, hence
their campaign battle cry and slogan of 2011
which was slyly termed' Taking back the White
House" as if someone had stolen the house
while they were away. Of course the subliminal
message was not lost on dispassionate
Americans-Obama had taken over their house
and he must be disgraced, chased out and a
strong statement made so that others of his ilk
may never attempt to run for president again.
Thank God their plans did not succeed.
In spite of the insults and disrespect, Obama
won a decisive second term and is working to
redefine America both in domestic and foreign
policies, and to build a more inclusive society.
Now, fast forward to Nigeria-the question
becomes: is the north giving President
Jonathan the Republican treatment? I will delve
into this next week. Keep a date
Nigerian airspace, VIP activities and safety
Last Thursday, I was aboard the Aero flight that
took off from Lagos at 2:05 to Abuja and we
had such a lovely flight until close to landing
when the captain informed us that due to a
"VIP Activity" they have been asked to hold
midair until the VIP activity was over. For the
next almost 25 minutes, we hovered midair,
waiting for the VIP to either land or take-off
so that the 'unwashed; the flotsam and the
jetsam would have no contact with the
potentates.
As passengers hurled insults and frustrations at
the VIP in question, I couldn't help but
wonder why such a callous and shocking
policy should have a place in today's Nigeria.
Why should the safety of one individual be
more valuable than the lives of over a
hundred passengers, some of whom like Kalu
Nwankwo who was on the flight that have given
their all for this country. I have traveled all
over the world, and especially in the United
States and have seen many VIPs at airports
handle their luggage themselves, and the
airport was not closed to traffic because such
a VIP was about to take off. Obama goes to
every party of America and in New York, JFK
airport has never been closed to traffic
because Obama was visiting New York. Mayor
Bloomberg, who runs the largest city in the
united States-New York whose size of economy
is bigger than most countries in Europe takes
the Number 6 Train to work and I have seen
him many times standing with just one aid,
holding his own bag and refusing to take a seat
when offered by a commuter, standing there
like every other commuter. Why are we doing
these kinds of things that make us a laughing
stock to the world? Please this policy should
be reversed. The lives of every Nigerian should
count the same way as that of any VIP.