Channeling Reality

Freshly minted President Obama's main contribution this week to global politics, society and well-being would, in my opinion, be the re-implementation of reality and evidence in developing and executing public policy.

The Chinese didn't think much of it, but it was long overdue and the lack of a frank and balanced appraisal of reality in US policy, in particular, has been a major contributing factor to many of the difficulties we face today in finance, economics and security.

Would undisciplined and poorly regulated finance markets deliver endless prosperity? The claim was made that it would. The reality, as 'The Economist' observes in a special report, is that it doesn't.

Obama: "Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched, but this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control - and that a nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous."

Economic policy for much of the past 30 years has been dominated by the faith-based ideology that apparently no longer fits the real world, if it ever did. For the past 10 years, real investment has lagged well behind speculative, short investment thanks to mountains of money from oil-rich countries, China and a few others, looking for what they thought was a safe haven in, mainly, US financial markets. It wasn't sustainable.

Obama: "...But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions — that time has surely passed. [...] The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act — not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age." [...]

"What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them — that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply. The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works — whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end. And those of us who manage the public's dollars will be held to account — to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day — because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government."

Well......Yeah! Surely the bottom line for any initiative must be whether or not something - large or small - actually works! It's a matter of some considerable head scratching that something so obvious hasn't been the status quo for the past 30 years (at least) - through both Democratic and Republican administrations. But it wasn't. All manner of irrational, faith-based (whether in markets, deities, libertarian theorising or ignorant prejudice) misapprehensions have been allowed to creep into and define public policy in America.

But what about the mis-named "War on Terror"? It would be more correct to call it a "War against Blowback", terrorsm against the US being, in large part, the consequence of 60 years or more of flawed foreign policy in the Middle East. Is America able - finally - to frankly appreciate the role it has played in contributing to - and exacerbating - its own security and foreign policy difficulties in recent years?

Obama: "As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our Founding Fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake. And so to all other peoples and governments who are watching today [...] : Know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and that we are ready to lead once more."

"Recall that earlier generations [...] understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use; our security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint."

It sounds like America - at least in euphemism - can be honest with itself once again. Obama gives voice to simple, obvious social principles that govern human relations from homes, wokrplaces and school yards to the United Nations. Bullies can't win. The arrogant and callous will ultimately not only be defeated, but risk being punished, too, by those who have suffered at their hands. The rewards go those who are liked and admired and emulated.

Bush and his people thought themselves exempt from these rules of human behaviour. In almost every area, their view of the world was flawed to the point where it simply wasn't a valid view any longer. They thought they could dictate reality. Clearly, they failed.

Obama's election is a sign that, at least for now, America is prepared to embrace the real again. That could change. Reality can be unpleasant. But I hope it doesn't. As we have seen, over time, denying reality tends to extend, enhance and compound the consequences of doing so.

Obama is channelling reality for many in the US for whom it had become a strange and unfamiliar place. Policies based on invalid assumptions wren't working. But were supposed to anyway. Obama will have to be careful untangling the myth from reality, the consequences of past propaganda from plans for the future. People (anywhere) tend to react angrily when faced with things they would prefer not to face or something that contradicts a strongly held belief......valid or not.