As my train passed Washington National Airport at dusk the day before 9/11, I was overcome by a sudden spell of warmth and fuzziness. I had just finished my second stint of voter registration in Fairfax county — in Northern Virginia — and was enjoying reading Jeffrey Toobin’s The Nine, an absorbing tale of the personalities that populate the US Supreme Court. But, as always, I allowed my odd fascination with airports and airplanes to get the better of me. And there, waiting on the tarmac, was Barack Obama’s jet.
That was a week ago, when Obama was trailing McCain in the polls and panicked Democrats were thinking of fleeing to Canada. Now, in the wake of the financial turmoil that has engulfed Wall Street, things are looking somewhat better for the Jews. Obama is in the lead nationally, his narrow lead in some light blue states is widening, and a few key red states — already looking somewhere between pink and purple (lesbian lavender?) — are in serious danger of crossing over. We’ve still got an agonising six weeks to go, so I’m not counting any unhatched chickens quite yet.
But it does look good, or at least much better. The same, unfortunately, cannot be said for South Africa. Or at least that’s how it seems from this side of the Atlantic. Granted, media coverage of anything other than the US election — what Jon Stewart refers to as Indecision ’08 — is somewhat scant. Even that sparsely populated and somewhat quirky country to the north, which holds its own elections in less than a month, receives next to no airtime. The islands of the Caribbean feature only in weather reports. Mexico doesn’t even exist.
So what’s up down south?
Getting rid of the president without passing a motion of no confidence or dissolving Parliament? Still not prepared to hold him to account for serious violations of the Constitution and misconduct? (I assume he’s still able to perform the functions of office, albeit problematically.) I guess not. Instead, the ANC “acknowledge[s] with deep admiration all the great strides our country has made under the stewardship of President Mbeki”. In the movement’s view, he remains a “loyal cadre”. Sounds like the spin-doctors are working overtime.
Maybe it’s the distance. Or maybe my mind’s been poisoned by the whiff of change in the air. (Maybe it’s just the start of the fall.) But try as I might, the more I look, the more the ANC seems to learn from the GOP. Consider the following. McCain is desperately trying to distance himself from his president, but still refuses to abandon the Republican mantra of tax cuts. Zuma, the anti-Mbeki, assures big business that economic policy will not change. Populism aside, both men are pushing policies that mean more of the same for poor people.
And there’s more.
Zuma, like Mbeki, believes in executive control over “independent” institutions. So too do the Republicans. And now the reds are whining because the head of the Securities and Exchange Commission was too weak on the financial sector. Similarly, the ANC is now up in arms about Mbeki’s alleged interference with the National Prosecuting Authority. But no such concerns were raised when the Auditor General and the Public Protector, also guaranteed independence by the Constitution, whitewashed the executive’s role in quashing Scopa’s investigation of the arms deal.
As always, I could go on and on and on. But I won’t. I’m tired. I’m bored. The Daily Show is about to begin.
Ja, I think the air “state side” is poisoning your intellect.
haha. Im sorry. is this even a blog post??
It seems more like an angry liberal rabbling on about Bush… and whats so bad about tax cuts???haha, lower taxes = more stable economy.
And how are the ANC like the GOP??.. I quite like the republicans.. well they are better than the democrats anyway.. yes George W Bush has been somewhat incompetent as pres. that doesnt ‘down’ the whole party though. Hay, I love jon stewart as much as the next bloke but you’re not supposed to take him seriously!!!
What utter nonsense. This piece displays a poor understanding of the USA, US politics, of South Africa and of the ANC. A US acquaintance heading a large USA foundation has a term for such ramblings – he calls it ‘white noise’ (whoooa, no race conotations intended). I’ve done the same train journey a few times, but never felt the fuzziness nor been inspired to share political pearls of wisdom of this type. Could be something in those train snacks.
I’m no GOP supporter and I have 37 years under my belt in the ANC as a critical member, former full-time cadre and now veteran supporter. The present situation in the ANC is quite complex and is in a great state of flux. The present moment (the resignation of the State President) is a watershed moment, but not nearly as dramatic as some would have. Ructions are not unique in ANC history nor are changes of helmsmen in other countries – Tony Blair/Brown and the present case in Israel albeit based on different issues. Popular media analysis unfortunately has as its centrepoint the Jacob Zuma issue and track events that start with his removal as deputy President.
There is a manic besottedness with untested allegations about Zuma that smothers deeper intelligent analysis. The court of public opinion found him guilty long ago. Most people are unaware of many pieces of the jigsaw that contributes to the events that have just taken place, including the antics of a highly disgruntled Walter Mitty type ‘Spy’ who as part of a campaign of vengeance, concocted huge dossiers of ‘impeccable information’ that was regularly leaked to fuel the ‘case’ in the public arena or how this person became very wealthy doing so. The Media and analysts have just not done their jobs well enough at a range of levels. Judge Nicholson’s judgement also exposed how particular questions were just not being asked by civil society. We may well be having a different public discourse if media pundits and analysts had asked the right questions. Jonathan your approach from this perspective is not too different under the circumstances.
A deeper analysis will show a much older thread to the present scenario which spans more than 20 years (rather than the last
and in recent times exploded onto the political landscape when Cyril Ramaphosa, Tokyo Sexwale and Matthews Phosa were publically accused of being counter-revolutionaries and Jeremy Cronin was vilified. Only one small media article made a more accurate reference to the ‘Alliance of the Aggrieved’. Amongst the many faces of the aggrieved (once face and issue being Zuma)there are many different opinions and ideological streams. The ANC still remains a broad church (which has its difficulties) with a consensus platform which is largely social democratic – a far cry from the GOP.
You mix too many wildly plucked ingredients and end up making a stew. One foot in SA and one foot in the USA, the little head appendage is pickled in the salt water of the sea. Try using the larger head when analyising.
Lower taxes + greater spending = waking up one morning to notice that your country is owned by someone else.
It seems to me that there is more at play than your aversion to Bush-style tax policy…
Owned by someone else… Like the Mexicans perhaps? What’s your position on replacement immigration, Jon?
Patric,
Please read my piece carefully. I did not say that the ANC is becoming the GOP. I can tell my left from my right, even if I am trying to straddle two continents. What I did try to identify were various examples of where the ANC “seems to learn from the GOP”.
I could give you many more: its ongoing “war” on evidence-based medicine (AIDS denialism is far from dead); its failure to acknowledge that there is anything wrong with existing policies (it’s not only their implementation that’s problematic!); its obsession with deploying cadres to senior positions in the bureaucracy solely on the basis of party loyalty (no need to look any further than the DGs of health and justice); and so on and so on.
Jonathan
Once again, your confused thinking comes to the fore. Part of the reason that many in the ANC rejected Mbeki was his AIDS denialism. (I’m one of those that held such a critique) The ANC as such was not AIDS denialist. Go and have a look at its policies and practitioners. I for one, over the 2007, managed one of the largest and aggressive ART programmes across the country. Many ANC supporters were involved in that programme and were highly critical of denialist views. You should stop making wild statements if this is your area of research. Mbeki and Manto were denialists and touters of ‘wacky medicine’ not the bulk of the ANC as you may imply. (yes denialism is not dead, but it is on the run mate) You clearly have no idea about what the internal struggles in the ANC have been about – re: alternative views to those held on education, crime, unemployment, health etc etc. This lack of grasping SA political dynamics is how you land up talking about the ‘republicanisation’ or ‘GOP-isation’ of the ANC. While I have no admiration of the GOP, I certainly did not know that the GOP is AIDS-denialist. Somebody ought to tell the PEPFAR programme. And the ANC learnt this from the GOP? I think I read your piece carefully enough and that the spin in the second paragraph of your reply just has nothing to do with your previous argument.
Jonathan,
As the say in the states: What Kool aid have you been drinking? Patric hit it right on the nail. The GOP never recalled Bush before the end of his term and will never do so. The ANC approval ratings as expressed in the history of voting in South Africa are high and would remain that way until the second coming – unless an alternative party is bone. DA, IFP, ID etc live in parallel universe created by the media and analysts that is out of touch with the experiences and perceptions of ordinary South Africans. Just like Mccain, the media, opposition parties and analysts do not get it.
You can only draw the parallels between the GOP and ANC if and only if you are smoking something. I suppose next you will draw parallels between KKK and ANC.
Hi Patric,
Re: Part of the reason that many in the ANC rejected Mbeki was his AIDS denialism.
Yes, but very few held him to account over the years – certainly only a very small handful of senior ANC members in public. Pregs Govender, Andrew Feinstein, Nozizwe Madlala-Routledge … A lot of good people remained deathly silent over too many years.
Re: The ANC as such was not AIDS denialist. Go and have a look at its policies and practitioners.
I have, over and over again. A bit of a mixed back in terms of policies, many of which were adopted only after huge civil society pressure (with the strong support of a number of very decent people within the DoH).
Re: You should stop making wild statements if this is your area of research.
Which ones in particular? While the express AIDS denialism may be in retreat, there are still a number worrying anti-science positions in play in various ANC and/or government circles: for example, read the PMG minutes on the Medicines Amendment Bill and the Substance Abuse Bill
Re: denialism is not dead, but it is on the run
I agree – but still very strong in places like KZN under the MEC’s iron fist
Re: You clearly have no idea about what the internal struggles in the ANC have been about – re: alternative views to those held on education, crime, unemployment, health etc etc.
Maybe true in relation to some of these (in respect of which I do not make public pronouncements), but certainly not on health. I’m quite up to speed with internal struggles on health (particularly on the current NHI process).
Re: I certainly did not know that the GOP is AIDS-denialist. Somebody ought to tell the PEPFAR programme.
Did I say the GOP was a denialist party? I said that they were anti-science on many issues – creationism, global warning, economic deregulation, late-term abortions, environmental protection, morning-after pill … On PEPFAR: the abstinence-only provisions, the anti-prostitution pledge, total opposition to needle exchange programmes – all anti-science positions. Thank goodness some of these hard-line positions have been softened by the Democrats in the recent Congressional reauthorisation of the programme.
Re: the spin in the second paragraph of your reply just has nothing to do with your previous argument.
I beg to differ. Just an expansion on the ideas initially raised.
Maybe one day we can sit down over a coffee or tea or whatever to thrash these things out? I think we’re probably more on the same page than our current exchanges may suggest.
Regards,
Jonathan
Madoda,
Re: The GOP never recalled Bush before the end of his term and will never do so.
For a number of reasons. First, the US presidential system is very different from ours. Direct presidential elections make that option harder. Second, the GOP largely agrees with Bush’s policies. Third, if they were to get rid of him they would surely lose the next election. I’m sure there are others. Their difficulty lies in sufficiently distancing themselves to attract independents whilst simultaneously not abandoning their conservative base.
Re: The ANC approval ratings as expressed in the history of voting in South Africa are high and would remain that way until the second coming
Some people would say the Messiah has yet to come! Seriously, parties of liberation continue to do well for way too long – ZANU-PF in Zim, Congress in India, etc. Eventually, credible opposition does arise. In our case, that too will happen.
Re: You can only draw the parallels between the GOP and ANC if and only if you are smoking something.
I’m a non-smoker. Don’t let the GOP’s crazy conservatism cloud your judgment. Focus on the issues I’ve highlighted and you’ll see how the comparisons are possible.
Re:I suppose next you will draw parallels between KKK and ANC.
No comment.
JB
Jonathan, I thought you’d like to know that after Kgalema Motlanthe was sworn in as new President he announced the new unity cabinet. We now have a new Health Minister – Barbara Hogan. This is a clear manifestation of the ascendency of a different way of thinking ushered into government and reflective of the mood in the ANC as a whole.
This is possibly the best news I have heard in a very long time – it spread like crazy even before our new President had finished his acceptance speech in Parliament. Barbara Hogan represents the very best traditions of the ANC, and her appointment does indeed indicate “the ascendency of a different way of thinking”. Her deputy’s appointment is also to be welcomed. Now the really hard work starts!