American Elections Matter and the System is Open
Ziad Asali
October 25, 2012
Al Hayat
For the Arabic text please go to:
http://alhayat.com/Details/447235
The silly season, the protracted multibillion dollar period of
escalating frenzy leading up to US national elections, is coming to a
close. All that is said or done in this season is fair if it is deemed
legal. The game ends with one winner while two parties share the uneven
pie of diffuse power across the nation.
The United States and its elections matter. What other countries do
not know about the US system, including elections, cost them.
There is an increasing awareness of foreign countries, and
enterprises, of the impact of the outcome of elections on their lives,
interests and well being. Foreign policy remains largely the domain of
the Executive branch, headed by the President, while the Congress
wields control over the budget strings. The Supreme Court, with its
over-arching power, passes decisions that have monumental impact on the
outcome of close elections, which is what happened with its decision on
Bush / Gore in the year 2000. In January 2010, the Supreme Court ruled,
precedent to the contrary, that the First Amendment about freedom of
speech gives corporations and unions the power to spend as much of
their general treasuries as they care to influence candidate elections
subject to certain stipulations. This landmark decision was noticed by
the alert Americans and foreigners who watch Washington to take full
advantage of its decisions. In theory and in practice, corporations and
organizations can legally buy influence in the United States. Those who
decry and lament policies made in America would do better by
understanding its system.
Campaign financing, and lobbying, are legal. Failing to obey the
law, if uncovered, is costly while mastering its details, and knowing
those who write, uphold and implement the law, is a good investment of
time and money.
The economic and financial crisis of the past few years has shifted
more power to Washington over financial and economic matters. Wall
Street, although not completely humbled, is cut down to size by the
creeping oversight of Washington. The American system, which was
designed to be lobbied, is swarmihttp://
alhayat.com/Details/447235ng
with lobbyists who will have serious influence for a long time. They
will thrive as long as they deliver results to their clients, foreign
and domestic.
One often hears the refrain how come the Arabs, or Arab Americans,
have so little influence in America? A fair point, but what influence
do the Arabs want or need to have?
The Arabs used to have a cause in the past, which is Palestine.
People still talk about it incessantly. It nominally unites them, but
opinions differ as to how seriously have the Arabs defended this cause
in the last couple of decades. The truth is that Arab countries have
many causes and interests which they have been defining and pursuing
independently. This should be acknowledged and dealt with forthrightly
as we assess the impact of “the Arabs” in America. Palestinians, like
all others, have to compete for political impact.
The American system is generally based on meritocracy. The more able
and qualified you are to compete the more likely you are to succeed.
The American political game is a competitive team sport open to all.
Examples of the impressive returns of investing in, and building, an
effective team are evident for all to see.
Arab countries, and others, have serious interests in the outcome of
decisions made in America. Some are more aware than others of the
complexities and subtleties of the American political system. Impact
cannot just be outsourced to lobbyists. There is an element of racism
that works against Arabs and Muslims, at least in taking their easy
money without offering them a fair service, but this is a challenge
that must be met by a serious engagement of the countries themselves
and their own teams.
Having a strategic partnership with the United States, and imparting
a sense of it to the American people, is the single most effective way
for a country, a movement or a leader to have influence here. Barring
that, the opposite is true.
Elections offer an opportunity for new policies and strategies.
Candidates are needy. The incumbent is approachable because he wants to
correct his course and to establish his own legacy. He will look for
people who can help him achieve his goals. The challenger would like to
set himself apart from the “failed policy” of his predecessor. If
elected, he would look for allies and dependable partners who share his
vision and mutual objectives. The period of transition after elections
presents an opportunity to pursue shared interests, and demonstrate
like-mindedness, both of which are at a premium to the occupant of the
White House.
Of course there is always the option to stay out of America and its
political game, to dismiss it as a spent force, its elections as a
charade, and to look elsewhere for the future. This is legitimate. But
what other country comes close to having the mix of economic, military,
technological and cultural achievements combined with the soft power of
America? Until then, perhaps investing in impacting decision-making in
the USA would be prudent.
Born in Jerusalem,
Ziad J. Asali, M.D., is the President and founder of the American Task
Force on Palestine, a 501(c) 3 non-profit, non-partisan organization
established in 2003 and based in Washington, DC.
ATFP works primarily in Washington, DC, and seeks to build strong
working relationships with government departments and agencies, think
tanks and NGOs and the media. It has developed lines of communication
with the US, Palestinian, Israeli and Jordanian governments in order to
pursue its policy advocacy goals. ATFP has also engaged in humanitarian
fundraising to support health and education causes in the occupied
Palestinian territories.
Help
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