To my friends, readers and followers of this blog, I wish to express my best wishes for their welfare on the occasion of celebrating the birth of our savior, I pray God to bless us, will bring us a new year full of peace and prosperity, enlighten the leaders to redouble their efforts on behalf of humanity.

With my cordial greetings and my fraternal embrace.


"CHANGE OF COURSE IN THE UNITED STATES POLITICAL SYSTEM!?

J. A. Morasán (*)

Changing course: that was the verdict of the voters in the midterm elections recently conducted in the United States and were publicized by the opposition as a referendum on the performance of the first two years of government of Mr. Barack Obama.The President and Mr. John Boehner, leader of the Republicans in the House of Representatives, have been interpreted in that sense the message sent by voters. Now, the dilemma is to determine the direction that everyone sees.

Characterization of the preconditions for the election:

On the domestic side, from the President's initiatives and the overwhelming support of Democrats in both Houses of Congress were adopted: the Health System Reform and the funds to rescue the financial sector, the reform of the Act; Recovery Act in the U.S. and Reinvestment Act, designed to stimulate the economy, lost since 2008 in the economic downturn caused by the subprime mortgage crisis and subsequent credit crunch. But it also appears as the balance of his term, high unemployment rate of 9.6%, and the widespread impression that his administration did not address properly the interests of small businesses and millions of workers affected by the crisis, who have lost their homes due to lack of income and bad practices of the bankers, who despite having been bailed out with taxpayers' money have not hesitated to seize their homes, thus continuing the vicious circle of indebtedness to the people, cause the crisis to repossess the property and awarded to new customers until the next round of looting.

At the international level, has taken the actions to fulfill campaign promises, such as withdrawing troops from Iraq, prioritization of diplomacy as a method to resolve conflicts, seeking appeasement in relations with Russia and sending friendly message to the Muslim world.

"The importance of giving Obama foreign policy puts it in the mold of a great strategist,''said Andrea Hatcher, professor of political science at the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee. The scope of what he has done far exceeds what was expected,''he said.

Main players in U.S. politics:

Democratic Party is one of the two major political forces in the United States of America. Founded in the year 1836 following the division promoted by Andrew Jackson in the Democratic Party - Republican, founded by Thomas Jefferson in 1793. During the nineteenth century represented ultra conservative ideals and the promotion and expansion of the slave market in the U.S. In the twentieth century, the party took a major ideological shift and become the major political center-left.

Defined representative of liberalism, understood as opposed to conservatism. In economic policy, shows a centrist position on the Republicans. Just as modern social democrats of Europe, are not opposed to free market economy, but although they believe to market capitalism as the only economic system that can generate growth and prosperity, think the state should intervene to reduce social imbalances , a better distribution of income and ensure equal opportunities by creating a "capitalism with a human face." It is generally attributed to be defenders of the welfare state, but traditionally there has been a division between conservative Democrats, moderates and liberals.

GOP is the most conservative of the two major parties in the country. Ideologically he deemed "secular conservative." His doctrine is the now-turned-liberal economic neoliberalism are staunch defenders of the free market or "Laissez faire, laissez passer" and therefore enemies of the intervention.

At the time of its founding the Republican Party was seen as "progressive" since he was born to fight for the abolition of slavery on blacks, while its rival (the Democratic Party) was seen as "conservative." Although from the beginning emphasized his advocacy of private enterprise, its rejection of state interference in the economy and its frontal opposition to socialism and communism. Like the Democrats, there are three trends in the Republican Party: Conservatives, liberals and moderates.

Options which might be considered in terms of ideology and interests of individual voters.

1. Deepening of capitalism or neoliberalism ideology based on the trajectory and approaches the Republican Party, particularly the ultra conservative wing grouped on the Tea Party, plus the votes of those who vote moved by the propaganda based on fear or political ignorance, it could be the option in mind, taking into account that, as its leaders have expressed, are intended to even reverse the progress made to date by the Democratic administration.

However, it is no longer a secret that capitalism comes from decades in freefall, why, for the purpose of propping and delaying the collapse of the neoliberal model was imposed, resulting from the Washington Consensus, whose effects have logically favored the privileged sectors, with a greater accumulation of wealth at the top of the pyramid - economic, quantitative and qualitative expansion of poverty and extreme poverty. Such statements are based on the findings of respected economists and researchers from different disciplines, consistent with widely publicized predictions prophetic. (For more information I recommend reading this very blog: "It was about the end of capitalism?).

2. Establishment of the Welfare State: the actions taken by the current government assumption of part of the recession crisis, seemed framed within this model, which has been preceded by the policies adopted by the ex - President Roosevelt to overcome the effects of Great Depression of the thirties, which saves a great similarity with the current situation. That prompted Republicans to tear their clothes, so far as to accuse Obama and his party to "bring the country to socialism or communism."

The welfare state has long-standing historical references, but it takes place after the Second World War in Western Europe, turning the mid-seventies, with the 1973 oil crisis. The historian Eric Hobsbawm calls this stage as the "Golden Age", which is when consolidating welfare states. The implementation of economic policies based on theories "Keynesian" results in the expansion of public expenditure during this period, particularly in social spending on education, health, housing, pensions, pensions and benefits for the unemployed, a process in which abandoned in practice some elements of liberal theory, politics aside "non-interventionist", considering it is the responsibility of the State to ensure a situation of full employment, social security system covering the entire population, generation of high consumption and ensuring a minimum standard of living, including the most disadvantaged, the formal recognition of the role of unions in collective bargaining and the formulation of public plans.

The almost thirty year period of this model produced a spectacular balance in terms of growth, full employment and high social protection. "Never in the history of mankind had reached harmoniously and simultaneously, such a high degree of comfort, peace, progress, human and economic development" (Crisis and reform of the welfare state in Europe. Alejandro Cercas).

3. Adoption of the Third Way and Social Democracy: "Many politicians who ruled different nations are associated with the Third Way, Clinton in the United States, Schröder in Germany, Chrétien in Canada, Prodi in Italy, Jospin in France, Kok in the Netherlands, Salinas and Zedillo in Mexico, Cardoso in Brazil, Arias in Costa Rica and Menem in Argentina, although the most emblematic is Tony Blair in the UK, who introduced and developed within the Third Way New Labour English. In April 1999, amid the conflict in Kosovo, met at the White House several leaders, especially in Europe, to discuss the politics of Third Way Soon after, Blair and Schroeder issued a joint manifesto entitled: Europe: the third way / the new center, from the ideas developed by Anthony Guiddens.

"The governing Social Democrats almost all European Union countries. Social democracy has found new acceptance, but only because, while retaining their old values, has embarked on a credible path of renewal of its ideas and its modernization program. Also because it seeks not only social justice but economic dynamism and the unleashing of creativity and innovation.

The brand of this approach is the "new center" in Germany and the "third way" in England. Other social democracies have chosen different terms, consistent with their own national cultures. But if the language and institutions differ, the motivation is the same everywhere. Most people have long abandoned the world view represented by the dogmas of left and right. Social democrats must be able to direct those people. The values of equity and social justice, freedom and equality of opportunity, solidarity and responsibility towards others, are timeless. Social democracy will never sacrifice. Give importance to these values in today's world requires realistic policies and long range, to meet the challenges of the XXI century. "

Several analysts agree that the Clinton administration brought excellent results to the country, prominent among the achievements of his eight years in office for having created more than 22 million jobs, economic growth averaged 4%. The index of economic opening up 5 percentage points, from 21 to 26%. The fiscal balance moved from a deficit inherited from Bush Sr. to 255.000 billion in 1993 to a surplus of 236.000 billion that Clinton bequeathed to his successor George Bush Jr. in 2001. Hence the adoption of this model would be nothing utopian.

Conclusions: The composition of the Senate and House of Representatives resulting from the recent electoral process, does not give either party an absolute majority, so that in the economic - social prevalent, coupled with the collapse of the neoliberal model and the consequences of global financial crisis, it would be unrealistic to believe in the possibility of restructuring the current scheme and still less in depth.

The adoption of one of the alternatives put forward could come, if the trends of both liberal and moderate independents more parties combine their votes, otherwise, only one might expect the polarization of positions and hence the paralysis of major projects suffice it to say the government affairs, in the remainder of the period, with the dire consequences it would bring the nation.

J. A. Morasán, Degree in International Relations. Author of book: Neither neoliberalism nor more death, 'just revolution.’