What makes America great?
SO what makes America Great? For now let’s just assume it is. Some might say despite Trump and MAGA.
I read a book a long time ago by Tocqueville, called “Democracy in America”. It was published in two volumes 1835 and 1840.
In it, he basically says that America is Democratic because, by and large, the vast majority of Americans – from all sorts of backgrounds and nations – believe the same things. Not religious, not aristocratic and not top down. They all believe a poor boy from a dirt farm in the middle of nowhere can become president one day.
In this they were enormously helped by the fact that when the Founding Fathers landed, they were all of one religion, one ethnic background and one social class.
They were homogenous. As a result they never had to contend with the aristocracy looking down on them in the New World, nor bending rules and laws to suit themselves, and they believed – with absolute certainty – that they could do it, whatever it was.
As time went by, new arrivals very quickly adapted to the slightly iconoclastic mores of the land, and they believed they had a right to make the best of themselves.
This was not by climbing up a hierarchy and seeking preferment from those above, but rather by earning respect and riches by hard work and by respecting those around you. They were all in the same boat, and there never was an upper echelon that had entrenched positions to maintain.
As a result, what grew up was totally different to the Old World’s system. People were free to prosper and innovate without fear or favour.
Time of course has moved on and there is in fact now an upper class in America. It is, however, not based on birth but on education. Of course, in many cases the birth and nurture provides the desired educational outcome.
It’s worth noting at this point that Tocqueville recognised the difference between the North and the South, which, of course, had its basis in the fact of Southern Slavery. He noted that people both in North and South pretty much had little or no differences to contend with, apart from what slavery created and twisted.
What he was really saying was that there was a necessity for people to feel included and once they did they were staunch upholders of the democratic system. We are used to talking of the “Haves” and “Have Nots”, which in the UK leads to resentment and strife.
Of course, we talk of Left and Right politically, though these lines are somewhat blurred now with millionaire leftists and poverty stricken rightists (if there is such a word).
In America, whilst there is an element of resentment here and there, in general people who “get on” and make a success of their lives are applauded. I would have to say the same applies to Australia, except they have the “tall poppy” syndrome to contend with.
Here in the UK we are somewhat wary of clever or successful people. Our attitude is more “What have they got that I haven’t which got them where they are?”. There are many answers to that, not least is an open mind and what I would describe as the “lucky break”.
I wonder whether rich men buying football clubs is an attempt to deflect dislike. After all, if you are a Manchester United fan and Jim Ratcliffe comes along and does his best to make them great again, you are much more certain to applaud him rather than revile him.
Maybe the same applies today in America. If the incumbent president says he is going to make America great again you are much more likely to go with him rather than the party that gave away so much. Especially if that person has scotched the other side’s desire to tax all and sundry.
All political parties need to learn the harsh lesson again that only low taxes and easy regulation makes economies grow, not high taxes and increasing regulation.
America, as ever, is ahead of the curve again. The UK and Europe have fallen into the stagflation trap that bowing to financial orthodoxy has consigned them to, and which for sure will haunt liberal politicians for a generation.
