King Nothing
Howard Schultz is the Candidate for No One
Part 1- Dead End Road
Howard Schultz is a man without a base, whose run for the Presidency can do no good for America- but could potentially damage the very moderating influences he seeks to enhance.
The former Starbucks CEO has been teasing a Presidential run for several years now. And in recent months appears to be squaring up to actually follow through. His previous political actions, current ‘listening tour’ and slew of interviews have seen him start to outline his platform. Schultz is a strong critic of Donald Trump, skewering him as “despicable”, “not-qualified” to be President and accusing him of inflaming racial tensions in America.
But at the same time Schultz is disturbed by the leftward trend in the Democratic Party. Schultz has dismissed flagship, broadly supported progressive policies such as Medicare-For-All as “non-American” and condemned wealth taxes as “punishment” and “punitive” against success. In Schultz’s view the Democrat’s more assertive leftist push is just as unrealistic and rabble-rousing as the President they seek to unseat. In short, Schultz opposes the brutality of Trump, but is wary of morphing too far left in response to it.
Two Princes
There’s definitely some merit to Schultz’s unease: Americans do appear to be becoming more partisan. And two figures in particular stand out as exemplars of this breakdown. The populist right of Donald Trump and the strident leftism of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Both energise their bases, shake the establishment and forge conversation in their image.
Donald Trump remains as direct and uncompromising as he was during his infamous run for the Presidency. And his hard-right agenda has shown few signs of moderating in office. The “Muslim Ban” is still in effect, America is out of the TPP, trade war with China looms, and the Government shut-down over his wall a fresh memory. Twitter is still his preferred method of diplomacy and direction.
AOC meanwhile, alongside a host of diverse new Congresswoman such as Ilhan Omar and Rashida Harbi Tlaib, is unashamedly pushing the Democrats to the left. AOC’s popularity and media savvy have played a significant role in driving issues such as Medicare-For-All, the Green New Deal and Immigrant Rights to the top of the party agenda. And she has shown a willingness to go further than almost any other Democrat in recent memory- with her proposition of a 70% marginal tax rate incensing Davos but delighting the public.
So in abstract it’s not hard to look at these trends and conclude that yes, it does look like America is become more polarised. It seems people are being driven apart. And that can’t be a good thing surely?
The problem is that in 2019 this trend is both natural and inevitable. And the alternative, smothering genuine political disagreement in gooey unity politics, simply does not work. Howard Schultz, for all his apparent earnestness, is playing by a rulebook which has long since been discarded.
No Labels
The desire for a ‘No Labels’ candidate, a politician who puts Nation before Party, listens to the experts, reaches across the aisle, seeks nuanced perspectives, and urges everyone to work together, is a constant paean in technocratic circles. A problem solver, someone who will just let the people with the answers do their darn jobs. Schultz’ is going right for the gullet in appealing to this mindset, “I wanna see America win. I don’t care if you’re a Democrat, Independent, Libertarian, Republican. Bring me your ideas. And I will be an independent person, who will embrace those ideas. Because I am not, in any way, in bed with a party.”
Using dry (almost academic) logic it’s definitely possible to justify this outlook. And doubly so for those nostalgic for the previous President of the Unites States. Barrack Obama was at heart a compromiser, someone who certainly held strong political ideals- but who repeatedly centred his Presidency on bipartisanship and mutual benefit. So strongly did Obama believe in the power of reaching across the aisle that it was one of the main pillars of his (extremely successful) 2008 Presidential run. Unique Obama-era moments like his controversial ‘Beer Summit’ were driven by this conviction. If we get around the table and talk, we can work through our issues. Whether over minor elements of policy- or Centuries of oppression.
In his DNC nomination acceptance speech, before the battles of election season had even properly begun, he soared, “The times are too serious, the stakes are too high for this same partisan playbook. So let us agree that patriotism has no party. I love this country, and so do you, and so does John McCain.” As exemplified here, Obama’s vaulting, unifying, rhetorical ability was seminal, and his skill at connecting with people, not just in America but all over the world, was remarkable.
He was cool. And while he wasn’t a complete ‘No Labels’ candidate, it’s hard not to, on some level, understand why a portion of America would want their smart, compromising, above all likable, Commander-in-Chief back.
Dead End Road
And yet, looking back at the results of the Obama Presidency, with Guantanamo Bay still open, Obamacare hounded by a Republican congress , racial unrest higher than ever before and Donald Trump in the White House, some cynicism about the Obama mindset seems in order. Trump’s personal dislike of Obama- and his stirring of the racialised conspiracy theory of Birthism adds insult to injury. Not only was Obama, the great unifier, replaced by the most divisive man in modern American history, but that man held a personal vendetta against everything Obama stood for, and set his sights on destroying it.
Despite his vision and breadth of mind, the victories Obama achieved proved to be brittle. Too slim, too passive, and ultimately too reliant on the pretence of bipartisanship. While under the surface viscous disagreements still lingered, waiting for their chance to turn the tables. And turn they did.
The lesson then: unity politics is a luxury of the intellect. It demands too much to permit its vanities. And when it falls, when its opponents catch up to it, when their revenge is due, it is bulldozed underfoot.
Continued in Part 2
