The United States is in the middle of a very difficult time in selecting its next president. There are self-proclaimed voices of “joy” and “decline” about the nation's present and future. Some differences go far beyond typical Republican-Democrat divisions in recent American politics.
Gone are the days when you could deduce where a political party clearly stands on global and national affairs. Republicans generally stood for robust engagement with the world, while Democrats stood for more government action to resolve economic and social issues on the domestic front. The “freedom” reference and the “USA!” chant were typically associated with libertarianism and conservatism.
Today’s Democrats argue that they are the “freedom” party, as in, freedom to make your own choices, freedom to love whom you want, freedom to read books you want. They have co-opted parts of the libertarian agenda to accommodate their social views about women and LGBTQ+. I wonder how many Pacific island governments eagerly accept those perspectives into their own societies.
Under Trump, today’s Republicans believe that climate change is a hoax. They advocate “drill, baby, drill” in terms of fossil fuels. They threaten to apply tariffs on Chinese products coming into the United States, thus advancing a new economic front to the China-U.S. competition in the Indo-Pacific area. At the same time, Trump thinks he can stop Xi Jinping and Kim Jong Un through his great interpersonal and negotiating skills.
Under a Trump administration, do Pacific island leaders expect to be invited to the White House—twice as they had been under Joe Biden's term? Will Pacific island leaders get a chance to demonstrate their own negotiation skills with either Trump or Harris?
Neither party specifically addressed the island Pacific in their platforms or their convention rollouts. The Blue Continent is non-existent in their geographic understanding of the world. The conversation is not real unless you really want to stick your head in the proverbial sand.
The Blue Continent can’t ignore Harris or Trump, even as they participate in regional meetings such as the Pacific Islands Forum during the last week of August.
But I guess the U.S. territories can’t be ignored. They are briefly mentioned in the Republican platform. The section labeled “Government Of, By and For the People” proclaims that the territories “are of vital importance to our national security and we welcome their greater participation in all aspects of the political process.” No more details.
In the Democratic platform, we have more detailed promises under “Strengthening Democracy.” These include support for Puerto Rican political status and “self-determination” for the remaining U.S. territories. They propose a congressional task force to study equal rights and House representation. There is also a pledge to open equal access to federal programs. While specific programs are mentioned, the Supplemental Security Income is still left out. There is a commitment to a “state-of-the-art medical complex in Guam.
The Compacts of Free Association are mentioned in passing, specifically the reinstatement of COFA migrants' eligibility for Medicaid benefits. A commitment is made to reimburse the U.S. territories for the costs of hosting citizens from the freely associated states.
For international affairs, the Republicans talk about Europe and the Middle East. They then write, “Likewise we will champion strong, sovereign and independent nations in the Indo-Pacific, thriving in peace and commerce with others.”
For international relations, the Democrats are much more explicit. They proclaim the U.S. to be an Indo-Pacific nation. They outline their support for the QUAD (Australia, India, United States and Japan), the AUKUS' submarine initiative, and relations with South Korea and the Philippines. In what now seems like a trite phrase, they add, “Promote a free, open, connected, prosperous, secure, resilient Indo-Pacific.”
The Blue Continent maintains that climate change is the greatest challenge facing the islands. The connection to energy consumption is undeniable. The Republicans are seeking to end the electric vehicle “mandates” and what they call “market-distorting restrictions on oil, natural gas and coal.”
The Democrats, on the other hand, vow to take global leadership on the climate change issue. Much of this is directed to needed changes within the United States, but it should have implications for the island Pacific.
The Democratic platform is four times longer than that of the Republicans. In terms of attention to territories, the Democratic effort was at least 10 times larger. But these are just words. Whoever wins the presidential race will still have a long road ahead to implement their ideas.
The role of bureaucracy and entrenched perspectives in the Departments of Defense and State have yet to weigh in. They have always blocked initiatives that affect their interests.
We could include the Department of the Interior in that bureaucratic massaging of policy. However, they are generally seen as a weak sister in the federal bureaucracy.
Interior Secretary Deb Haaland's presence at the recent Democratic National Convention was a token acknowledgment of Native Americans, saying a greeting in a Pueblo language. While her department is in charge of Native Americans and territorial affairs, she didn’t speak to matters concerning those Interior functions. She appears to be simply the spokesperson for climate change issues.
The "roll call" at the conventions is the time for the insular territories to grab attention. American Samoa always provides great color and phrases in Samoan. In the Republican roll call, the Guam delegation gave the obligatory “Hafa Adai” and “I Tano’ CHamoru.” They also mentioned that Guam was home to 20,000 military personnel and their families.
In both roll calls, the Guam delegation proudly proclaimed that Guam is "where America’s day begins." In reality, Guam borrowed this slogan from Wake Island. Maine and the U.S. Virgin Islands also proclaimed that the sun rises first in their respective areas. This claim can be made legitimately by the Northern Marianas Islands. The CNMI is a little east of Guam, therefore, the sun rises there first.
Instead, the CNMI delegation proudly proclaimed they were part of the “blue wave.” Whether they meant the "Blue Continent" or the "Democratic Party," blue is up for analysis. But perhaps, it is time to determine whether Guam is truly part of the U.S. homeland and to figure out if it's really "where America’s Day begins." Apparently, the jury is still out.
Dr. Robert Underwood is the former president of the University of Guam and former member of the U.S. House of Representatives. Send feedback to anacletus2010@gmail.com.
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