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Political Dynasties Are Thriving by Steve Sailer UPI, December 7, 2000 |
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It's been a good week for America's growing assortment of political dynasties. The Governor of Missouri appointed Jean Carnahan to fill the U.S. Senate seat won on Nov. 7 by her late husband Mel Carnahan. First Lady Hillary Clinton drew hordes of photographers when she showed up on Capitol Hill to undergo the orientation for new Senators. George W. Bush, grandson of a Senator, brother of a Governor, and son of a President, moved closer to the White House. Even Congresswoman Mary Bono, the widow of singer / politician Sonny Bono, is being mentioned as a possible Republican candidate for governor of California. One might think that dynasties would have disappeared along with hereditary monarchies. Of course, the urge to found a dynasty lives on in these democratic times. More surprisingly, however, the public seems to increasingly want their leaders to be members of famous clans. Why? This urge is not restricted to the U.S. It's vividly alive in a broad swath of southern Asia running from Pakistan, through India, Sri Lanka, and Indonesia, to the Philippines. In each, voters have chosen widows or daughters to carry on from their deceased men folk the family business of running the country. Most of these women entered politics to avenge their husband's or father's removal or murder by right-wingers. For example, Corazon Aquino became president of the Philippines following her husband's assassination by dictator Ferdinand Marcos's goon squad. Benazir Bhutto became Prime Minister of Pakistan after the downfall of General Mohammad Zia, who had earlier overthrown and hanged her father. Indonesian Vice President Megawati Sukarnoputri, who shares many duties with the ailing President, is the daughter of former leftist ruler Achmad Sukarno. Her father was overthrown by General Suharto in 1965. That former strongman is now awaiting trial by Megawati's government on corruption charges. If Al Gore loses, perhaps one day his daughter Karenna Gore Schiff will follow these precedents and run for President to vindicate her father's memory. In India, the once-dominant Congress Party is increasingly pinning its hopes on young Priyanka Gandhi. This 29-year-old half-Italian woman is a direct descendent of three Indian Prime Ministers. She appears the best hope of extending the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty that began with when her great-grandfather Jawaharlal Nehru became independent India's first prime minister in 1947. That's because her mother Sonia Gandhi, widow of assassinated Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, has lost popularity after leading Congress to merely a second place finish in the recent election. Runner-up is considered a disgraceful performance for anyone bearing the magic name of "Gandhi." The high hopes invested in Sonia were testimony to the glamour of the dynasty. Without the Gandhi name, Sonia -- a Roman Catholic Italian from near Turin, who doesn't speak a single Indian language terribly well -- would have been just about the least likely person to become head of a major Indian party. Hereditary monarchy would not have been so popular for so long if it did not did not offer at least some advantages to the ruled. The common folk benefit because the opportunity to pass their dominions down to their offspring encourages their rulers to think about the long term. Rather than laying waste to their realms, the dynastic system gives kings incentive to cultivate their realms so their children can inherit a prosperous and content land. Dynasts are particularly inclined to build impressive civic monuments. Consider Chicago, where popular Mayor Richard M. Daley is halfway to equaling his legendary father Richard J. Daley's six terms. When Daleys are not in power, tax dollars in Chicago often disappear into well-connected pockets without leaving a trace. In contrast, Hizzoner Richard II has seen to it that at least some of public's money gets spent on a long list of beautification projects inspired by his visits to Paris and other regal cities. If future generations of Daleys wish to run for mayor, these elegant works will serve to remind voters of the benevolent splendor of the name "Daley." One problem with dynasties, though, is that they generally decline in talent and energy over the generations. On the other hand, they can simultaneously grow in popularity. That's because later generations are often kinder and than more public-spirited than their hungry and ruthless self-made ancestors. For example, the Kennedy line declined in vigor and ambition from Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. to John Kennedy Jr. Yet, it also grew in graciousness. Finally, political dynasties are popular because they are so interesting to follow. In Evelyn Waugh's classic 1937 novel "Scoop," the fictional country of Ishmaelia had been run for three generation by the Jackson clan. Then, in one busy day, the Jacksons are overthrown and immediately restored in a counter-coup. The assembled Ishmaelite crowds cheer both events equally. "They had been agreeably surprised to learn that the Jacksons had that morning all been sent to prison; now, it would be a treat to see them all again. As long as something, good or ill, was happening to the Jacksons, the Ishmaelites felt an intelligent interest in politics." The same is true in America. For four decades, something, good or ill, has always been happening to the Kennedys. Following their fortunes has been far more compelling than reading up on Social Security reform. Similarly, Bill and Hillary Clinton have allowed Americans, under the guise of maintaining an intelligent interest in Presidential politics, to indulge in the guilty pleasures associated with watching "The Jerry Springer Show." Still, for pure entertainment value, our political dynasties have yet to match Pakistan's Bhutto family for lurid dysfunctionality. Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto's own mother actively opposed her being Prime Minister. This matriarch of Pakistan's richest feudal landowning family publicly argued that Benazir's erratic brother Murtaza should have inherited the job instead. Murtaza eventually left his sister's party and began denouncing her for corruption. Finally, in 1996, Murtaza died in a gun battle with police forces ultimately reporting to his sister. Steve Sailer (www.iSteve.com) is a columnist for VDARE.com and the film critic for The American Conservative.
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