A lot has changed since I was last on business in Washington. Its imposing classic architecture and urban landscape had got me imagining what it must have been like to stroll through ancient Rome at the height of its imperial glory. Who would have thought then that the Western world’s mightiest economic and military power was on a path from great republic to imperial oligarchy, and ultimately to inglorious decline and fall? A decade later that’s not so hard to imagine.
The thing about political decline is that it often happens slowly, barely noticeable from month to month or even year to year. In the case of ancient Rome it took nearly four centuries. But while rumours, conspiracy theories and “fake news” were as much part of the social landscape then as now, plebeian Romans had to rely on gossip and graffiti. They didn’t have the luxury of surrendering their critical thinking to algorithms, instantaneously viral trolling and ill-qualified influencers monetizing “clicks”, the more outrageous the more lucrative.
Wealthy elites and pliant Senators certainly empowered the transition to autocracy and personality cult, at first through legitimate legislative means (prompting worrying thoughts of the current President’s campaign promise to his “beautiful Christians”). Nonetheless, the Roman poet Juvenal attributed responsibility to all citizens who abdicated their civic responsibilities, remaining complacently passive as long as they could enjoy “bread and circuses” (in modern terms, physical comfort and mindless entertainment).
Personality or Policy?
When a crude, bombastic businessman/politician hosting the Prime Minister of Canada to dinner at his private Florida mansion refers to him as “Governor” and suggests that the country should become just another American state, that could be dismissed as a rude joke in bad taste. But when that same individual is President – head of state and head of government – and says the same thing in a formal speech to an international audience like the World Economic Forum it becomes a statement of national policy and should be treated as such.
To the best of my knowledge, the USA is still a functioning representative democracy, at least on paper. Its President enjoys absolute fealty from the executive branch which he appoints, the consent of half the voting population and elected legislature and, to a certain extent, the judiciary. Why, then, do we persist in fuelling the ego of a demonstrably narcissistic individual while letting his more than 77 million admirers and sycophants off the hook? It seems to me that it’s time to stop using phrases like “Trump demands” or “to satisfy Trump”. Friendly, likeable Americans may assure Canadian friends that we are still valued friends and allies, but that is not the position of their new government.
A Bully in the “Bully Pulpit”
When Theodore Roosevelt described the presidency of the United States as a “bully pulpit‘ he meant it in the sense of a splendid platform for expounding his views to a wide audience. He didn’t mean a platform for bullies. I don’t know about you but I learned in the schoolyard and from 20th Century history that appeasing bullies never works and simply makes the problem worse. At the World Economic Forum in Davos the President of the United States stated that “Canada has been very tough to deal with over the years.” Good! Bullies sniff weakness but fear resolute opposition.
I would hope that the US Ambassador in Ottawa (or at least the Chargé d’Affaires until the new appointee arrives) has been summoned to clarify the US position on Canadian sovereignty. As a NATO partner and member of the Organization of American States I would hope that we are seeking formal clarification of its refusal to rule out military force in acquiring Greenland and control over the Panama Canal. The new Commander-in-Chief of a military that consumes almost 40% of the entire world’s military budgets said in his inaugural address that his government intends to expand US territory, and invoked the 19th Century ideology of American “manifest destiny”. The rest of us need to know exactly what that means. The world isn’t a real estate investment opportunity in New York or Florida (or Moscow for that matter) .
Home Truths
Free citizens who want to live in resilient democracies might want to reflect on Juvenal’s “bread and circuses” lesson. Let’s not allow ambitious politicians to get away with avoiding straight answers to straight questions, repeating simplistic “bumper sticker” slogans, or tediously blaming all ills on their predecessors while promising vaguely and without evidence that they will be so much wiser and effective.
Our message to such individuals should be this: if you want to become CEO of our country then you’d better respect our intelligence, present specific proposals, explain how they will be financed, and never forget that we are the ones who hire, pay and fire you.
Photos:
Feature photo: Memorial to the respected Republican President, Abraham Lincoln. The presidential helicopter (“Marine One” can be seen airborne beyond.
Above: Statue of Andrew Jackson saluting the White House and Washington Monument beyond. Notwithstanding many virtues not shared by the current President, he was a slave-owning, racist, vengeful, anti-establishment populist who questioned election results and favoured a dictatorial style. His portrait now overlooks the President’s desk in Oval Office.
