This land is your land: Obama stands up for the real America

In my days on the far left of the political spectrum I used to blame the USA for all the ills of this world.    

But as time passed I grew to love many aspects of this great nation; namely its vitality as a melting pot of ethnic groups and cultures. Literature, film and music had an important role in my romance with America and the many things it represents.

Once I used to detest American patriotism as some sort of secular religion based on dogmatic subservience to the capitalist state.

But while still cringing at the kind of patriotism which animates Fox news, I admire a people who express pride in their constitution rather than base their nationalism on racial and cultural exclusivity.

In the healthy form expressed by Obama in his inaugural speech it stands out as a bold example to the rest of the world.  It was a magical moment in which the President listened to Pete Seeger playing the uncensored version of Woody Guthrie’s This Land is your  Land.

And it once again stood out in Obama’s patriotic defense of the right of Muslims to build their community centre next to ground zero. 

It’s true that rabid right wingers are making a lot of noise and polls suggest that Obama has made an unpopular choice.  But that is only to his credit. 

Surely America remains a land of contradictions.

Its social model is still unable to grant something as fundamental as free and universal health care for all, an aspect taken for granted in Europe.  We all know what Obama had to go through to move a few centimeters in that direction. 

It was a million times easier for Ronald Reagan to cut taxes for the super rich than for Obama to ensure private health insurance for the poor .

And its foreign policy is still torn between the defense of universal democratic principles and the sheer defense of powerful political and economic lobbies which defy these same principles.  

Culturally America also remains a land of puritans and pornographers, gun totting rednecks and cosmopolitan urbanites, vigilante militias and courageous civil rights activists.

It was a country founded by puritan zealots and pioneers escaping repression from Europe. Unfortunately some of these remain frozen in time oblivious to the fact that Catholic Mexico City has gone a long way in recognizing gay marriage.

Ultimately America is still fighting its culture wars.  

If it comes to a choice between Barack Obama and Sarah Palin, it will be a clear cut choice between redneck and liberal America. I suspect the Republican Party will be more intelligent than that.  For despite ephemeral popularity, the Republicans will be condemned by sheer demographics.