Future of Politics on Display
Brandon Sun, January 12, 2008 - David McConkey
Regardless of who is elected American President this November, their
current political campaign offers a fascinating glimpse into the
future. And not just the future for the U.S., but for all of us.
As much as we Canadians don’t like to concede the superiority
of anything American, we have to admit that their democratic system is
really something. The American Revolution predated the French, the
Russian and other revolutions and experiments in government. The
American model has proved to be durable, adaptable, and inspiring.
Of course, their democracy is imperfect. So is ours. And we should
remember how far we all have come to embrace universal opportunity. My
grandmothers couldn’t vote when they became adults
– they had to wait until women were granted the vote. First
Nations Canadians were not allowed to vote until the 1960s.
Current American Presidential hopefuls continue to break barriers.
The Republican tent is expanded by Mitt Romney, a Mormon; and John
McCain, who, at age 72 would be the oldest person ever elected
President. As well as by Rudy Giuliani, a divorced Roman Catholic who
is pro-choice and favors gun control.
Democratic contenders include a woman (Hillary Clinton), an
African-American (Barack Obama), and a Hispanic (Bill Richardson).
Surprising and noteworthy today, such diversity will be commonplace in
the future.
Democrat Barack Obama symbolizes not only America’s future,
but also the world’s. His father was from Africa, his mother
from the United States. As a child, he lived for several years in
Indonesia.
Obama is the person more and more of us everywhere are going to be:
global in background and of mixed racial heritage.
His election as President would inspire people from Boston to Botswana
to Brandon. After all, just a few decades ago, even inter-racial
marriage in the U.S. was widely considered shocking, dangerous, even
against the law.
Republican Ron Paul also epitomizes the future. A libertarian, he
attracts support from the far right to the far left. He dares to oppose
the war in Iraq, the Patriot Act, the death penalty, and the War on
Drugs. He advocates dismantling the CIA and - in his words - the
American “empire” in the Middle East.
Paul has mobilized a vast following on the Internet. He raised more
money in one day than anyone else, ever. Paul’s campaign
shows how the Internet increasingly will develop whole new political
realities.
Republican Mike Huckabee is a socially conservative, evangelical
Christian who is pro-life and believes in creationism – not
in evolution. He represents the future.
Fundamentalist religious societies are the future, commentator Mark
Steyn says. That is the thesis of his recent book America Alone: The
End of the World as We Know It. The reason? Demographics.
Societies in Canada and Europe – secular, pro-choice, welfare
states – are not sustainable. Families are in decline and
birth rates are very low.
Growing populations, on the other hand, are religious and conservative.
These include Muslims in Europe and Christians in the U.S.
Steyn shows how today’s marriage and birth rates forecast
what lies ahead.
Canada’s marriage rate is 6.8 per 1,000; America’s
rate is 11.7.
Our birth rate is only 1.48 – an all time low and well below
replacement level.
In the U.S., the birth rate is a much more robust 2.11.
An aging Canada and a more youthful United States will have different
futures. This disparity, Steyn says, is much more revealing
“than any of the stuff (socialized health care, fewer
handguns, more UN peacekeepers, etc.) that Canucks usually brag
about.”
The population is also changing within the U.S. itself. States that
voted for George W. Bush have birth rates 12% higher than states that
voted for the Democrats.
So, Huckabee speaks for an increasingly religious and conservative
America. Mormon Mitt Romney is also a harbinger of the future. Mormons
in Utah, Steyn points out, have one of the highest birth rates in the
entire world.
Americans in 2008 choose their President for the next four years. As
well, all of us are seeing trends today that will play out over decades
into the future.
See also:
Religion and Values in the Public Square
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