The run up to the nomination of the Presidential candidates in the upcoming elections later this year in the United States is turning out to be interesting. While there maybe history in the making on the Democratic side with either a Barack Obama or a Hillary Clinton likely to get the nomination it is the battle on the Republican side which is more interesting to those to the Right of Center in India.
We in India having already taken the lead in electing/nominating women and minorities to the post of Head of State and Head of Government there is neither novelty nor any lessons to be learnt from the all too familiar battle on the Left between the first African American nominee and the first female nominee.
The battle on the Right while lacking in glamour or gender/ethnic diversity (for all the major candidates are rich, old, white guys) it is the diversity in their ideological persuasion that makes the race very interesting. From the outside this diversity may not be very apparent to those in India. To best appreciate the divide consider this. Of the two leading candidates in yesterday’s primary in South Carolina, the winner John Mccain is a decorated hero and a National Security hawk yet he draws the ire of right wing conservatives like Talk Radio legend Rush Limbaugh. Similarly the runner-up and former Arkansas Governor Mike Hucakbee was a Baptist Minister yet he draws the ire of other right wing conservatives who have come to symbolize the Republican Party’s establishment.
How does one explain a security hawk and a christian conservative drawing the ire of the opinion makers within the establishment to the point where some have even called it the end of the Republican Party ?
At the heart of this divide is the coming apart of the coalition that Ronal Reagan was able to put together overs two decades ago. This coalition brought together Fiscal Conservatives, Social Conservatives and National Security Conservatives on a common platform. Such a common platform has remained elusive in this election with no single candidate being able to succesfully triangulate the three planks of conservatism.
The Republican dilemma is similar to what we had been witnessing in India with Center Right politics. On the one hand you had the BJP and its associated sister organisations in the Sangh Parivar like the RSS and the VHP representing the Socio-Religious Right and while being mostly Right on National Security issues. On the other hand you did not have a viable political force to the Right on Economic issues with the BJP resorting populism and competitive politics of entitlement in the states whenever it suits it. The BJP’s sister organizations like the RSS as well have not exuded intellectual clarity when it comes to economic issues while resorting to protectionist stances in the name of “Swadeshi”.
In this context the platform on which Narendra Modi rode to victory in Gujarat is very unique. Much like Ronald Reagan, Modi was able to succesfuly triangulate the three planks to the Right by combining a tough National Security stance and socio-cultural values with a model of Governance that was anything but statist. Prof Mukul Asher wrote a fantastic piece in the DNA on the model of Governance in Gujarat explaining why this is more relevant to 21st century India. Modi reiterarted this triangulation in his speech at the BJP rally in Shivaji Park, Mumbai organized to felicitate him saying
?I can say with certainty that good governance and development politics will determine the fate of the governments. I am here to break the established traditions of Congress ? equating good governance with bad politics.?
Offstumped Bottomline: As the Republican Nominees debate who is the heir to Reagan legacy or if the Reagan era ended as declared by Newt Gingrich it is clear that the battle for the Soul of the Right is far from settled. Across the globe in India however Narendra Modi might just be scripting a new era for the Soul of the Indian Right if the BJP manages to succesfully triangulate the three planks of Center Right Politics to create a common platform for the next general elections.
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[...] unknown wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerptWhile there maybe history in the making on the Democratic side with either a Barack Obama or a Hillary Clinton likely to get the nomination it is the battle on the Republican side which is more interesting to those to the Right of … Read the rest of this great post here Posted by [...]
[...] Offstumped created an interesting post today on The battle for the Soul of the RightHere’s a short outline [...]
[...] Offstumped wrote an interesting post today on The battle for the Soul of the RightHere’s a quick excerptWhile there maybe history in the making on the Democratic side with either a Barack Obama or a Hillary Clinton likely to get the nomination it is the battle on the R… [...]
[...] Offstumped added an interesting post on The battle for the Soul of the RightHere’s a small excerpt [...]
[...] Offstumped wrote an interesting post today on The battle for the Soul of the RightHere’s a quick excerpt The run up to the nomination of the Presidential candidates in the upcoming elections later this year in the United States is turning out to be interesting. While there maybe history in the making on the Democratic side with either a Barack Obama or a Hillary Clinton likely to get the nomination it is the battle on the Republican side which is more interesting to those to the Right of Center in India. We in India having already taken the lead in electing/nominating women and minorities to the [...]
[...] Offstumped wrote an interesting post today on The battle for the Soul of the RightHere’s a quick excerpt The run up to the nomination of the Presidential candidates in the upcoming elections later this year in the United States is turning out to be interesting. While there maybe history in the making on the Democratic side with either a Barack Obama or a Hillary Clinton likely to get the nomination it is the battle on the Republican side which is more interesting to those to the Right of Center in India. We in India having already taken the lead in electing/nominating women and minorities to the [...]
[...] Here’s another interesting post I read today by Offstumped [...]
Narendra Modi is the future of India, bharat ka bhavishya hai. I just hope the middle class realises this and votes in larger numbers and also vote like gujarat.
The dharma yudh begins and its only right that the move starts from Gujarat, for after all that is where Dwarka is .
Modi’s speech did not make many headlines…why? Because all he did was talk about national security and economics. I think his victory has sent the media into a tailspin with the theories about why he won and more importantly, why he can’t repeat his formula elsewhere becoming more and more bizarre by the day. (which is really shame, since one would think the media would support administrative laziness across India getting a good kick in the pants) I think the BJP is structuring a solid coalition of national security/nationalism-”Indianized” fiscal conservatism/infrastracture-focused, etc.-and social conservatism which has likewise changed from Ayodhya to general values.
Offstuped has given an nteresting piece, but has slipped too.
May I ask what is the RELIGIOUS policy of various parties?? Does BJP has any such policy at all?
Congress and BJP have nearly congruent policies in economic affairs. Both are right of centre in this regard. In fact it is Congress which indulges in populism, particulary for the minorities. Why else would Man Mohan declare that muslims have the FIRST right on the resources of India?? Which resouces, pray tell us?? Ecnomic?? Political?? Which, which, which???
It was a VP Singh, steeped in Congress who introduced caste based quotas, and now talks of religion based quotas. These religion based quots are EXACTLY the demand of Jinnah which Congress had rejected in 45-46. Is Congress belatedly implementing the Jinnah’s and Muslim Leagues’ agenda??
As an NRI living in the US for over twenty years, I am a libertarian who will be voting for Ron Paul – whether he is a republican or becomes a libertarian.
The battle for the soul of the right in the US has been lost. The right in its real sense does not exist and has been hijacked by the neo-cons for their geo-political games.
Reagan failed the “right” in many ways, enough for people like Paul to step away from the Republican party temporarily.
Rather than compare Modi to Reagan, I would advise the Libertarians in the US to learn from the lessons of India’s right… that evolved from near nothing in its infancy to a dominant power today ready to neutralize liberal hypocrisy.
The libertarian party is about 36 years old… there are plenty of lessons that India can teach them, so that Americans can learn from India – what freedom *really* can mean. India itself is making its own journey towards it…
A little problem with the India-America comparison. American middle class is very highly involved in the electoral process while the american poor are not. Exactly the opposite is true for India.
Modi’s ‘reagan coalition’ is definitely there, but will they show up to the polls come election day, bucking past trends ? They did in gujurat, but gujurat is not India.
Do the 80 odd percent of Indians, whose politics is confined to bread and butter, find good governance, strong national defense, and economic growth appealing ? the people of Bihar, have proven that even the poorest have an appetite for bijli-sadak-paani appeal.
hopefully 2009′ is the YEAR OF THE MODI.
BJP had gathered people on a pavement like a Madaari Jugglar do. The show has a little life and the Madaari calls for some donations in the end for the Maamool who is lying on dusty ground covered with the white cloth as if a corpse is lying. But the Maamool is hypnotised before the gathering and certain questions from the crowd are asked and the blind folded Mamool answers correctly to the numbers of the notes held by the Madaari who claims to be an Aamil (a learned personality) and Maamool is a commoner. Hence the Tamasha or the Show lasts about a quarter of an hour. So the Madaari L.K. Adwani has done his best run the show and to let the Gentleman Prime Minister Atal Behari Bajpai prove that he is a visionary. His efforts during the last six years have given India a status and on the sound footing in the worlds politics. Now if Narendra Modi does his best to show his worth the time is ripe and the history of US can repeat in India. He certainly can be a Ronald Reagan of India provided Advani leaves the stage for him.
Ravinder Nath Watts Richmond Californial.
Republican party candidates are scary and clueless. Except for Ron Paul – he has a stance on many positions I agree with. It’s too early – let’s wait and see if Bloomberg throws his hat in the ring and injects some life in the proceedings.
[...] 21st January 2008 Offstumped had penned a piece titled “The battle for the Soul of the Right“. The specific subject of the post was not related to India but it explored the 3 way split [...]
Hindus Fleeing Pakistan , a news item published by Rediff.
All the Hindus in world are now put to a test after 1947when millions of Hindus crossed Wagha Border and came to India with a hope. Now four families from Peshawar Pakistan reached Amritsar and need asylum. The Government of India filled with corrupt people who are KAFAN CHOR, KHUSHAMADI, OPPORTUNIST POLITICIANS at the high posts and most of the skinsaver administrating machinery of this misfortunate country will not be able to help those people from Pakistan because all of them belong to Brahmin caste. They have to take shelter in Durgiana Mandir in Amritsar.
So far as their plight is concerned without the Government’s interference or help they will not be able to live in India peacefully. Now the time of test for the real Hindus has arrived during this election only those people should be sent to the parliament who understand this plight of migration from Pakistan. Other non=political organisations whether they are Hindus or Sikhs or Muslim should come forward to save these four families and let them be settled in India. Today I understand that the “Undivided India ,#Akhand Bharat,” was not a wrong slogan raised during British India.
This Slogan when 70 years ago I heard in India . The scars of division are still not filled blood is oozing from Bharat Mata. Let us come forward and do
within the gamut of Dharma to save these souls.
RAVINDER NATH WATTS (Pandit Vats)