Saturday, March 19, 2016

Obama, Trump and the lessons for PM Modi

For admirers of the might US of A (and I consider myself one) understanding the rise of Trump has been an exercise in futility.  But few have even come close.

Perhaps Bill Maher said it best "This is the backlash against decades of political correctness".  

In my opinion it is surely about political correctness but there's more to it.  It is the unabashed double standard displayed by liberals which has opened up space for a Trump to rise from seemingly no where to take the political market place by storm.

Western liberals never miss a chance to stick to Christianity.  Surely Christianity has done some evil stuff in the past and in parts of the world lacking a strong social alternative, it still imposes a regressive version more suitable for the dark ages.

But the liberal anti-Christian celebration is in stark contrast to their aversion to openly discuss anything related to Islam.  A combination of fear and genuine love for all enemies of America lies at the heart of this convoluted political correctness masquerading as 'tolerance'.

The same liberal women, for instance, who miss no opportunity to attack and confront Christian gender bigotry seem to curl up in a fetal position at the mere mention of 'hijab' or 'burqua' or 'FGM'.

This blatant, in your face hypocrisy is one key reason for the rise of Trump and what has now become a 'Screw it' election.

Trump supporters seem to have decided that no matter what the world says about him "Screw it" they will support Trump.

Trump's support base seems to be like an iceberg.  A much larger percentage is hidden below the surface.  Few want to be seen as openly supporting Trump.

Trump is playing a classic marketing game to perfection.  Something similar to what Raj Thackeray did in Mumbai - Attack migrants to gain media coverage and then consolidate that position.

The problem with RajT was that he did not have massive public anger behind him and lacked a credible 'Act 2'.

Trump's support seems to have surged when he called for a temporary ban on Muslims after the San Berdandino attacks.

That was his act two.  Also, unlike RajT, Trump hasnt resorted to calling for violence against migrants or muslims, instead he has channelized public anger into a viable political movement.

Some Indian political pundits have taken to comparing the rise of Trump with the triumph of PM Modi.

Not only is this argument a sham but PM Modi's rise to India's highest office, has more in common with that of President Obama.

None expected a black man to occupy the Presidency.  Despite all his stellar qualifications - Harvard being one of them - Sen Obama had a fight on his hands.  First against the Clinton machine and then against war hero McCain.

It was President Bush's complete failure on every front from wars to the economy that helped propel Obama to the Presidency.

PM Modi was similarly, able to ride a wave of discontent to defeat the empire and win a stunning victory in 2014.

To his credit, President Obama has delivered on his liberal agenda.  From Obamacare to Gay rights, the past 8 years have instituted permanent and irreversible changes within America's socio-economic landscape.

Liberals have mistaken this success for a deeper social change and have worked ceaselessly to further their agenda.

In doing so their hypocrisy vis-a-vis political correctness has yielded a political vacuum which has been swiftly filled by a bombastic, over the top Trump.

Trump's past liberal positions have shielded him against accusations of being the 4th Reich, and allowed moderate/independent voters to join his bandwagon without feeling of guilt.

PM Modi has done a remarkable job with ensuring that his post-2014 actions do not engender a similar backlash.  But his party and Sonia's evil empire have conspired to ensure that moderate/independent Indian voters view him with jaundiced eyes.

Come 2019 he may find himself caught between a rock and a hard place.  His Hindu supporters unhappy with his failure to openly espouse Hindu causes (murder of BJP workers in Kerala being the latest) and non-Hindu voters upset for his unflinching march toward dismantling the Chrislamist ecosystem that has ruled India through sickular proxies.

The twin challenges of handling a desperate opposition uniting against BJP, and a possible backlash against BJP's Hindu agenda must be addressed deftly.  He still has time.  The last thing he should do is end up falling between two stools.

This is perhaps his greatest political challenge.  Bring it on.

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