There is wall-to-wall coverage of the election in the United States. Photo / Eric Lee, The New York Times
THREE KEY FACTS:
Bruce Cotterill is a professional director and adviser to business leaders. He is the author of the book, The Best Leaders Don’t Shout, and host of the podcast, Leaders Getting Coffee.
OPINION
I’ve just spent 10 days in the United States. Most of my time has been spent in the Southern states. Think Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana.
It’s clear that the world’s last remaining superpower has many of the problems that we have and plenty more on top of that.
I’ve had a lot of opportunity to speak to the locals about everything from their music to their politics. In this part of the world, the music is pretty straightforward. You’re either country, blues or jazz. But the politics is less straightforward.
My visit coincided with the first presidential debate of 2024. You’ve no doubt heard the results from that evening and you’ve possibly heard the ongoing downstream implications from the result. It’s wall-to-wall coverage here. Turn on a TV channel or flip open a newspaper and there it is.
At the heart of the coverage are two men. One is 81 years of age. The other is 78. One is the current President of the US. The other is a former President. Both have served just one of their possible two terms. They are contesting the election against each other for the second consecutive time.
Joe Biden, the 81-year-old current President, appears to be struggling with the ravages of age. The prospect of another four-year term is looking more distant than it was just a few months ago, to the public at least. His performance in the debate was referred to as “devastating” by the New York Times. His Democratic successor is not obvious.
In the other corner is career businessman turned politician Donald Trump, aged 78. He is variously described as a criminal, a bully and a liar, to name just a few of the applied labels. Many were surprised by his respectful nature during the debate. He could see that Biden was struggling and it appeared, at least, that he backed off from his usual bombastic self.
In a hotel lobby discussion earlier this week I heard someone say that there’s not a lot of difference between two capable people aged 48 and 51. But there can be a huge difference between 78 and 81. I think that’s right. I’ve learned that I am not alone in my amazement that a country of 330 million people can’t find a couple of younger candidates who might be better suited to the job.
As I talk to people, one of the surprising aspects of this election is the similarity of many of the issues to what we have in New Zealand.
Education is a big topic here. Just like us, the people on the ground and politicians alike are worried about educational achievement. But they’re also more aware of, and extremely concerned about, the combination of the political left and the teachers’ unions pushing agendas through the school system that many parents don’t want. We have something similar brewing in New Zealand, although it hasn’t hit the public consciousness to the same extent at home.
Of course, being America, they’re worried about healthcare. Americans always are. Just walk around the streets away from the main thoroughfares and you can see the health problems playing out before your eyes. Obesity, mental health and drug use, in those cities where it’s now legal, are all obvious and difficult to watch. They’re also vigorously debating rising crime rates and in particular, the part that illegal immigration is playing in criminal behaviour, a problem that fortunately we don’t have to deal with.
And then, again like us, Americans are concerned about the economy. Inflation, interest rates and the national debt are just as much in the headlines here as they are for us. And if you think our Government debt is bad, spare a thought for the US. The current national debt is approaching US$35 trillion ($57.2t) and they’re borrowing an additional US$1t every 100 days. The annual interest bill alone is now over US$1t. That’s more than the annual defence budget. And it’s getting worse. As a result, government spending is very much in the spotlight in Washington as well as Wellington.
Observers from the man in the street to the media commentators agree the debt can never be repaid. Some say it will only be sorted out when the economy suffers the financial market crash that they all say is coming. To the outside observer, it’s interesting that despite the booming equity markets, primarily driven by the big technology companies, and the huge banking sector that leverages off the world’s reserve currency, such an economic mess exists.
The sheer scale of the US and its global interests means that they have plenty of challenges that we, fortunately, don’t have to think about. Abortion rights, long settled in other parts of the world continue to play be a political football here. Trump has already said that he will let the individual states decide their own position.
That status as the world’s currency is also under threat and it’s a big concern here. Both China and the Saudis are now doing business in other currencies. That’s a big threat to the US financial machinery.
The wars in Ukraine and the Middle East loom large in the American psyche. Having had their butts kicked in both Afghanistan and Iraq over the last 20 years, there is a real reluctance on the part of the American voter to get involved with boots on the ground in another war.
And so as America recovers from the first debate between a couple of ageing candidates, there is genuine wonder at how either of these men are going to deal with such a wide range of very difficult issues. Even putting age to one side, neither is perfect. Both have been victims of what is now being called “lawfare”, where political candidates are using legal manoeuvring to distract and discredit opponents. As we know, Trump has been convicted of a wide range of crimes. Joe Biden’s son has also been recently convicted. There are plenty of claims about the behaviour of Biden himself, although they haven’t reached the courtroom. That courtroom incidentally, is under fire too, as many Americans regard their judiciary as politically partisan at best and corrupt at worst.
And so, while New Zealand has plenty of problems at home, the good news is that we’re not the only ones. In fact, the challenges elsewhere are substantially greater. We should be grateful for that.
However, there are many things that America continues to do better than us. As I’ve driven over 1000km, I can’t help but notice their roads. They handle immense volumes of traffic, and yet everything continues to flow. And, with New Zealand’s “cone-laden” roading network as my gauge, you can’t help but be impressed by how little disruption is caused by workers going about the process of keeping those roads functional. Traffic can speed by without cones or interruption for the most part. People are sensible and considerate and everything just works.
And then there’s the people. The man or woman on the street. The people going about their lives. No matter how frustrated they might be about their political situation, they don’t even hesitate to maintain a sense of pride in the country that I can only wish we could capture.
I’ve attended three major events while I’ve been here. Massive numbers of people in each case. Such settings generate displays of national pride that we Kiwis can only dream of. The respect for the national anthem is such that the people in the line at the hotdog stand, as well as those serving, will stop what they’re doing while the anthem is played. They don’t sing along to their anthem like we do, the reason being the respect for the performance. The “good ol’ US” is alive and well in the hearts and minds of the people from the business conference to the sports stadium.
Then there is the respect for and celebration of their national service men and women. We do it once a year on Anzac Day. They do it every day. At every event. They announce them and introduce them and wheel them out in their wheelchairs to the centre of the arena or the middle of the stage. They provide discounts for both veterans and those currently serving as members of the military at shopping centres. In the country that has often filled the role of global policeman, they are highly respectful of the men and women who’ve done that job on behalf of the nation.
They fly the nation’s flag at municipal buildings in even the smallest of towns. The stars and stripes fly at every school, every stadium and even in the town square. The current adult community at least, the education system has presented a consistent and positive story of the nation’s history. The flag is respected and celebrated.
And so, as I prepare for the flight back to New Zealand, I just checked the headlines back home. Of course, not much has changed in a couple of weeks. But one thing is clear. Our problems aren’t as great as you will observe elsewhere.
But equally, we have much to learn.
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