"Democracies at Risk?"

Sydney M. Williams

Thought of the Day

“Democracies at Risk?”

July 27, 2011

The debt-deficit situation in the United States and the debt-bailout scenario in Europe have accelerated the political drive toward extremism. The Press, instead of reporting on these shenanigans in an impartial manner, has taken sides, thereby inflaming a dangerous environment. Who, then, is left to defend the precepts of democracy?

The reaction of the Press, both here and abroad, to the horrific events in Norway last Friday manifest the deep divide that separates right from left. In this country, the Wall Street Journal’s instinctive and immediate reaction (though very quickly rescinded) was that Muslim terrorists had to be involved. (Indicative of the perversity of such organizations, two or three Islamic terrorists groups quickly – and erroneously – claimed responsibility.) In contrast, the New York Times’ front page article on Saturday spoke of Anders Behring Breiyik’s association with right wing Christian fundamentalism and anti-multiculturalists, with no mention of his neo Nazi-like background. Nor did they feel that it was fit to print that the maximum jail sentence for a cold blood killing of seventy-six Norwegians was twenty-one years!

In Washington, our two parties have become so polarized that they seemingly would risk sinking the ship of state, rather than have the other side sail away at the helm. Perhaps some miracle will occur – and the markets seem to be betting that it will – but there is less than a week remaining, and the two sides continue to battle. One has to be concerned. Boehner’s situation in the House is typical and telling. His plan, which he claims is bi-partisan, is at risk of failing because he is unable to garner Tea Party votes. Yet not one Democrat has agreed to vote for the proposal.

In the U.S., our increasing partisanship can perhaps be blamed on two factors: the primary system that encourages ideology over consensus, and gerrymandering, which has evolved into Congressional districts that have become increasingly unassailable. Our primaries end up nominating extremists and most Congressional elections are no longer competitive across party lines. True compromise and mainstream political leaders who can work across the aisle seem like relics of another age.

In Europe, different factors are at work, but the consequences are similar. An influx of non-European immigrants, especially Muslims, into countries less open than ours has created tensions. Foes of multiculturalism claim that their states’ tolerance of intolerant Muslim radicals leaves it intolerant of political conservatives.

The economic downturn has exacerbated the situation, providing leverage to right-wing opponents of traditional, liberal multicultural West Europeans. People’s attention becomes galvanized, when jobs are at risk. In fact, David Cameron in the UK, Nicolas Sarkozy in France and Angela Merkel in Germany have recently and notably spoken out against multiculturalism. Even more extreme elements, people like Geert Wilders (Holland), Marine Le Pen (France) and Timo Soini (Finland,) have become incorporated into the mainstream of political parties. In a recent piece, Stratfor points out that, as their more moderate members became part of the traditional political scene, the extreme elements of the right wing have been abandoned, leaving them no restraints on the use of violence. These people are often psychologically damaged and incapable of functioning in normal society. It appears that it was from such a group that Mr. Breiyik sprung.

But to argue that Friday’s attack was purely politically motivated, assumes a level of rationality on the part of Breiyik that begs credibility. In my opinion, it is far more likely that he will be found to be, as Bret Stephens wrote recently in the Wall Street Journal, simply a “right-wing nut job.”

The genesis of the problem facing both Europe and the United States has been the growth of debt, debt that has encouraged people and politicians to live beyond their means. We have reached the point where this historical path is no longer viable. The piper must be paid. Businesses learned that lesson first. The people are now reducing debt and consumption. The last to go has been government, and they are fighting this inevitable change with all their worth, for it erodes their power. The fiscal crisis and economic downturn has made this an impossible problem to ignore.

We have been here before. In the 1930s in Europe, the consequence was the rise of populist nationalism, which morphed into dictatorships. In the United States we had a depression from which we only recovered as the world fell into a world war, and we had a President who assumed unprecedented powers, accepting four terms in office. The situation in both Europe and the United States are pressuring democracies. In the United States, we risk devolving into a stew of anarchy, as extremists on both sides put personal ideology ahead of preservation of the Union.

The last chapter in Paul Johnson’s 2010 book, Humorists, is on Noël Coward. Mr. Johnson writes: “Democracy doesn’t really seem to work, and people are insufficiently dismayed at its impotence.” He concludes with a few lines from Noël Coward, written during the 1930s:

“There are bad times just around the corner.

We can all look forward to despair.

It’s as clear as crystal

From Birmingham to Bristol

That we can’t save democracy

And we don’t much care.”

I am not so negative; I believe commonsense will prevail. But there is a lot at stake and the future is in no way certain. Preserving our democracy should take precedent over ideology. The financial downturn has made us all more vulnerable to political upheaval, whether from the extreme right or the extreme left. The Twentieth Century saw dictatorships emerge from both ends of the political spectrum – Communism from the left and Fascism from the right. Both were evil incarnate. And both had their origins in populist movements, movements that initially gave hope to their followers. It is why we should fear the polarization in Washington, and the conditions in Europe that are driving those like Anders Behring Breiyik.