Money, US elections and a “humble” Obama

One of the axioms of American politics is that the candidate with the deepest pockets wins the election. Millions spent on negative advertisement often turn out to be more persuasive than a record of accomplishments. Money trumps principles.

That is why the victory (51.6 percent to 43.4 percent) of Democrat Jerry Brown over Republican Meg Whitman in the race for the governor of California made such uplifting news. Billionaire Whitman is the former CEO of eBay, the online auction company. She spent over $140 million of her own money — a record in US history — to defeat Brown, running nasty and blatantly false ads on TV and the Internet right up to the midterm election on November 2. But all her wealth-flaunting came up empty as Californians saw through her deception and dishonesty and handed Brown — whose campaign expenditure amounted to less than $10 million — the reins to lead the Golden State once more. (Brown was the governor of California from 1975-1983. At that time, he was the youngest governor in California's history. This time around, he is the oldest!)

In a time of sky-high home foreclosures and mass layoffs, Whitman's unchecked spending reflected hubris. She sought to buy the trust of Californians rather than earn it. Manipulative media consultants scripted her speeches and she delivered them in an authoritarian and patronising style that turned people off.

Brown was low-key throughout and let his record speak for itself. Besides being a two-term governor, presidential candidate, mayor and attorney general, Brown also volunteered his services in the mid 1980s at Mother Teresa's home for the dying and the destitute in the slums of Kolkata. During the devastating floods of 1988, Brown travelled to Bangladesh as a goodwill ambassador for CARE.

The turning point in the campaign came in September when Whitman's Latino housekeeper of nine years disclosed how her boss cast her away "like a piece of garbage." Nicandra Diaz Santillan was an undocumented Mexican worker hired by Whitman to run her household chores. When her illegal immigration surfaced, Whitman let her go, telling the media that she wasn't aware of Santillan's status. This was an outright lie. "You have never seen me and I've never seen you," Whitman told the maid at the time of firing her, after the former CEO decided that she was going to run for governor.

Whitman refused to appoint an immigration attorney — it would have cost her a few hundred dollars — when Santillan asked her for help. Santillan accused Whitman of cheating her out of years' worth of wages. Originally hired at $28 an hour for 15 hours per week to clean her home, Whitman kept adding more duties to her job without compensating her or increasing her hours.

What is it with a certain class of the mega-rich that they unhesitatingly plunk down millions for a mansion or a private jet but when it comes to paying their maids, servants and drivers, they count their pennies, even going to the extent of cheating them? (Is this true in all countries?)

Overall, however, the midterm election has been a severe setback for President Obama. The Republicans have regained control of Congress (239 to 186), winning 60 seats from the Democrats. Although the Democrats still hold the majority in the Senate (52 to 46), they lost 6 seats to the Republicans. In governorship, California was a rare silver lining for the Democrats; in all, 10 states elected new Republican governors. The victories of Tea Party (antigovernment, rightwing political movement that began in 2009) senatorial candidates like Rand Paul (Kentucky) and Marco Rubio (Florida) will undoubtedly drive the Republicans even farther to the right.

President Obama called the election results "humbling." It is not that the loyal Democrats deserted his party; it is that the young independents who were instrumental in carrying Obama to the presidency two years ago felt ignored by him and kept away from the polls in droves.

Overall, there is the feeling that Obama has been too busy appeasing his critics while neglecting his support base. He has been too cerebral, too much of an ivory-tower resident who failed to connect with his constituency. At a time when unemployment is holding at an unacceptably high 10 percent, the Americans are looking for a doer rather than a thinker in the White House. At least that is the perception but in politics, perception is paramount. Many Americans also feel that Obama hasn't succeeded in communicating his stimulus package, his healthcare bill or his financial reform in words that the common man understands. This has allowed his critics to define him as an uncaring and unconcerned president. "The single most important thing we want to achieve is for President Obama to be a one-term president," declared Republican Senate Minority leader Mitch McConnell.

The President and the Democrats have two years to get their house in order in the wake of this brutal wakeup call. They must be able to absorb this defeat without succumbing to defeatism. Meanwhile, they can draw inspiration from Jerry Brown's gubernatorial win in California. The veteran politician proved that sanity can prevail over money when a campaign is waged with a clear and focused message and in which the basic and urgent needs of people are addressed with sincerity and a commitment to practical action.

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Hasan Zillur Rahim works in Silicon Valley, California as a software engineer, IT director and eLarning specialist. He also teaches mathematics and science at a college.