“America is at a crossroads” is an overblown cliché used in every presidential election.
In 2016, it will actually be true. The coming White House race really will determine whether the United States remains a constitutional republic rooted in the concepts of individual rights at home, and firm opposition to expansionist powers abroad.
For the first time since the establishment of the Constitution, the most basic premises of how America’s government and economic system work will be on the table. Several recent news stories highlight how radical a departure has been made from the standard practices since that June day in 1788 when it became the central document of the young nation.
A defining concept of American governance has been the precise definition of how the Republic works under a separation of powers concept, and a sharp delineation and limitation of the federal governments’ powers, strongly expressed in the Bill of Right’s Ninth and Tenth Amendments.
Two recent facts illustrate how the continuation of that concept is in question. The New York Post recently reported that the federal government, under President Obama, has engaged in an “unprecedented collection of sensitive data on Americans by race. The government is prying into our most personal information at the most local levels, all for the purpose of ‘racial and economic justice…Unbeknown to most Americans, Obama’s racial bean counters are furiously mining data on their health, home loans, credit cards, places of work, neighborhoods, even how their kids are disciplined in school — all to document ‘inequalities’ between minorities and whites.”
While racial equality is the overall reason given for the federal government’s extraordinary intrusion into the privacy of its citizenry, this dramatic probe into the most private aspects of life gives Washington extraordinary power, the kind sought after by totalitarian governments of every stripe and description. It also begs the question, what, precisely, will federal agencies do with the data? Will it stop at racial issues, or will it seek to regulate every aspect of private life so that the outcome fits into a social planners’ vision? It will certainly have the capacity to do so. If history is any guide, and considering the tenor of several of the President’s would-be successors, racial equality will not be the sole use of this collection.
Economy
The alteration of the United States from a free market economy to one more closely resembling that of socialist nations is also looming on the horizon.
Consider the surprising early campaign success of Sen. Bernie Sanders, an avowed Socialist. The Boston Globe notes that “Federal reports made public last week show [Senator Sanders] has raised more than $15 million for his campaign, beating every other presidential candidate from either party save Hillary Rodham Clinton …He has gathered the money from an army of small donors that is larger than that of any other presidential candidate.”
Sanders’ success indicates that the extreme left is no longer merely has just a remote potential to capture the White House. If it does so, it will certainly build on the hard-left positions implemented by the Obama Administration since 2009.
IMMIGRATION
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The very makeup of the American population will also be on the table. Several candidates, following the lead of the White House, appear loath to criticize either the unchecked illegal immigration from Latin America, or the dramatic increase in legal immigration from Muslim nations. These two groups will dramatically alter the results of national votes. The combined effect of both will be felt sooner rather than later, particularly considering the lack of adequate scrutiny of illegal voting practices.
SEPARATION OF POWERS
It remains to be seen which candidates will espouse President Obama’s attempts to diminish the role of Congress. The President has made his disdain for the legislative process clear with his comments that he won’t wait or Congress or to act, and his use of the regulatory (as opposed to the lawmaking) process to achieve his goals. His latest move, sending the Iran nuclear deal to the United Nations before gaining Congressional approval, highlights the issue.
FOREIGN AFFAIRS
In many ways, the most dramatic reversals of positions have been in foreign affairs, particularly in the role America has taken since the conclusion of the Second World War.
The President has alienated key allies such as the United Kingdom, Israel, Poland and the Philippines. He has shifted vast funds from defense to social welfare programs. He has provided vast arms concessions to Russia, conceding nuclear superiority to Moscow for the first time in history.
His premature withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq led to the rise of ISIS, his assisting in the ouster of Muammar Gaddafi, his refusal to take firm steps against Boko Haram and his announced departure from Afghanistan all aided the rise in Islamic extremism.
He has taken Cuba off the terror watch list, despite evidence to the contrary, and has not acted to counter growing Russian, Chinese and Iranian influence in Latin America.
AMERICA WILL HAVE TO CHOOSE
Depending on which candidates the parties choose, Americans may face their most meaningful selection since the election of Abraham Lincoln.