By Muyiwa Adetiba
I had prepped myself for a two night vigil in order to watch the first two days of the US Democratic National Convention (DNC) knowing a continuous four day vigil would be difficult at my age.
I know I could have recorded the speeches and watch them at my leisure. But there is something about a live broadcast the anticipation, the in the moment excitement, the privilege of watching history as it unfolds that gets to me.
Especially if the broadcast has to do with sports the US Open starts month-end historic events or personality interviews. On this first day, I finally switched off my TV at quarter to five and made it to bed well after five. Michelle Obama was the last speaker and was well worth the wait although my body told me for most of the day, that it was getting too old and worn out for such an abuse.
It is always interesting to follow US campaigns and to see how the home of Presidential Democracy handles its politics. It is amazing how much can be crammed into a ten minute speech with each sentence sending forth its own pungent message. It is intriguing to watch the use of, and play on words as speakers look for that memorable quote which will resonate, which will endure.
Almost every prominent US politician is conscious of history because they know that whatever they say or do in public or office can be used for or against them in decades to come. This makes them guarded; this sees them trying to promote the core values of the society. The flip side of this is that it can lead to cant, hypocrisy and superficiality. There is much of the latter in US politics.
There is a lot wrong with US politics as those who follow avidly will attest to. But the politicians usually try to paper over the cracks by appealing to the higher ideals of humanity and the country. Then, about four years ago, an astute, opportunistic but irreverent politician chose to exploit the cracks and surprisingly found himself in the White House.
Thinking he has found a winning formula, he has exacerbated the cracks by pandering almost exclusively to the interests of his base and going to bed with conspiracy theorists. In the process, the contradiction that had always been there, that was always lurking in the dark, has now been exposed in all its ugliness.
A country of immigrants, the famed American Dream has become the American nightmare for many. It is therefore not surprising that the theme of this Democratic Convention is unity.
A lot of effort has been made to get all the divisions within the party to coalesce behind its Presidential candidate. This hadnt happened in years. A lot of prominent Republicans are also crossing the aisle to openly lend their support in cash and voices to him.
This hasnt happened in recent memory. Starting from the choice of the VP, a lot of effort has been made to strive for inclusion by giving a platform to Women, Latino, Black and Native Americans. This again, is not very usual.
Beyond this call for unity, beyond the call for leadership in handling the two crises of Pandemic and Black Lives Matter, was also the focus on climate change, the relationship between the US and its allies and the dwindling global influence of America.
There were also talks of addressing the partisanship in the Congress. In pushing all these to the front burner, the character and the antecedence of the man who is supposed to make it all happen were also being pushed along with them. Considerable mention was made of his personal losses, his simplicity, his empathy, his compassion, his work ethic, his loyalty and his foreign policy achievements. Whatever his advantages might be in terms of colour, place of birth, wealth or connections; they were not his unique selling points (USP) and they were not highlighted.
There is a lesson in this for us here. But the bigger lesson is what we wish for our children and the efforts we are making to make them come to pass. Michelle Obama said she would wish for an America where her grandchildren could walk the streets freely without fear of being shot.
Some other speakers talked about the inequality in education, health and job opportunities. This week was the hundred year anniversary of women being allowed to vote in America. Some women still talked about inequality and want the final glass ceiling cracked.
The daughter of two immigrants who is now a VP nominee, talked about a country that would work for all its people. In all, speaker after speaker want a strong, united and prosperous America for their children. They want their children to grow up in an America that leads in commerce, technology and medicine; a leader of the free world.
What do we wish for our country and how are we positioning the country for them? What do we wish for our children and what do they learn from us? When a child says he wants to be a politician in Nigeria is he thinking of a life of service or an opportunity to make money?
I have a fair idea of what goes through his mind when he hears the debate at the National Assembly and the oversight functions of the members. The Edo State campaign with its violence and power play will etch in his mind. The revelations at NDDC will stay in his subconscious.
So will the prodigious life style of the political elite. He wont forget that the Presidents wife was flown abroad for treatment while his own mother died in a dingy health centre. The message our politicians are giving out is not about character, integrity or core values. It is not about positioning the country to be the leader in Africa if not the world.
It is about self. It is about money. The message out there is how to take care of self by stealing as much money as possible while paying lip service to development. Some speakers at the Convention spoke glowingly about growing up and the influence of their parents. What will our children say about our influence on them?
Some three decades ago, a leader once said they were giving up their today for the tomorrow of our children. This month was that leaders birthday. We thank God he is still alive to see what that tomorrow has turned out to be for all our children. Happy birthday Sir.
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What do we wish for our children?
