Clouds roll over the U.S. Capitol dome in Washington, D.C., U.S., June 9, 2022. /CFP
Editor's note: William Jones, a special commentator on current affairs for CGTN, is a former White House correspondent for Executive Intelligence Review. The article reflects the author's opinions, and not necessarily those of CGTN.
The toppling of the Speaker of the House, Kevin McCarthy, has disrupted the work of this important legislative body with many fearing that the country will again be heading for a government shutdown. The general narrative being touted by the media is that the country is being held hostage to a small group of "renegade" Republicans, who are disgruntled – and many incredulous – about the defeat of former U.S. President Donald Trump in the 2020 election. But the causes of the chaos lie much deeper and their implications are far more long-lasting.
The event on Capital Hill in January 2021, while manipulated by outside forces intent on creating chaos, represented the reaction of a large section of the electorate who were very concerned about the direction the country was heading. While issues of immigration and rising taxes were a concern of many – and these issues were often blown out of proportion by political candidates eager to use any means to gain election – the general malaise that had been setting in among large sections of the electorate, who had gravitated to the alternate message of Donald Trump, were based largely on the concern that the country they had known and loved was moving away from its stated principles.
While "democratic procedures" are still formally adhered to, and every citizen has a right to vote for his or her candidates, the candidates themselves are largely "vetted" by the political establishment, the political parties, the lobby groups, and the all-important military-industrial complex.
As the electoral process proceeds, the choices voters have to make are restricted to those candidates who have proven themselves faithful to the status quo. Donald Trump was an exception to this, using his TV and business notoriety to get around the usual kowtowing to party leaders. Robert Kennedy Jr. is another example, using the Kennedy label to appeal to the voters despite the opposition of the Democratic Party leaders. But these are notable exceptions to the standard procedure and both are being heavily vilified by the compliant media.
Because of the manipulated nature of U.S. elections, many people have simply decided not to go out and vote. Others who do, often feel that they are doing so to pick the lesser of two evils. What has happened in this convoluted situation is that the self-styled political elites have largely neglected the welfare of the people they are supposed to serve.
A protester holding a poster stands in front of the Capitol in Washington D.C., U.S., February 3, 2020. /Xinhua
The notion that the government is responsible for the "general welfare," as stated in the preamble to the Constitution, is no longer seen as the purpose of government. Over the last few decades, the U.S. economy has been transformed from a productive industrial economy to a financial "service economy." The amount of outstanding debt which continues to burgeon concurrently with a declining physical economy, is being financed on the dwindling incomes of the laboring masses. Ultimately the amount of outstanding debt – private and public – now in the system can never be paid by the country's physical production.
Presently, we are also witnessing major strikes, unseen for years, in the auto industry, and now in the health industry. In both, the real wages of the workers are being gutted by the rampant inflation. While U.S. President Joe Biden attempts to go out and show his "solidarity" with workers on the auto assembly line, everyone is aware that the aging president is part of the problem, not part of the solution.
At the moment, there is no end in sight to the increasing chaos in our system. Neither Biden nor Trump offers a real solution to the situation. While positive momentum may result from this present crisis, possibly by calling into question the billions of dollars being spent to wage war with Russia, a real resolution will only be attained to the extent that the ruling paradigm of governance changes and that legislators begin to respond to the real needs of the people rather than to the dictates of the political elites. Among Americans, there is still a sense of our country as a republic, not an empire, a hegemon, or a world policeman.
But the citizenry has to rise to the occasion to pressure the politicians to move in that direction or elect others who are willing to do so. This will not happen overnight. But the dilemmas that have been caused by the reigning paradigm will no doubt result in many more people out on the streets with the auto workers and the hospital workers. Conducting business as usual is no longer an option for political leaders. As the 16th President of the United States Abraham Lincoln so prophetically stated, "A house divided against itself cannot stand." Unless the good of the people is again placed at the center of governance, the nation will not be able to survive the social and political unrest incurred by its absence.
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