[How about this book] 'Political Mutant' Trump... Perhaps the 'New Normal'

Washington, who limited his own term to 4 years
Lincoln, at the starting point of both Democratic and Republican parties
Trump, key to understanding today's US society
Will the America First strategy work?

In home games of the Washington Nationals, a Major League Baseball (MLB) team, fans can enjoy an interesting mascot race during the fourth inning changeover. The mascots run wearing large masks shaped like the faces of former U.S. presidents, adding excitement to the event. Usually, the competitors are the 1st President George Washington, the 3rd President Thomas Jefferson, the 16th President Abraham Lincoln, and the 26th President Theodore Roosevelt.

Why America? is a book that explains why, among more than 40 U.S. presidents to date, these four in particular compete in the race. The book describes what kind of country the world’s strongest power, the United States, is, because these four presidents shaped the major currents of American history today. While there are many books explaining America, this one’s strength lies in its easy and entertaining storytelling, starting from an interesting subject. Among the four presidents, except Roosevelt, the other three are also figures symbolized on U.S. dollar bills. Washington appears on the $1 bill, Jefferson on the $2 bill, and Lincoln on the $5 bill.

Washington established the modern U.S. presidential system. He was unanimously elected as the first president and then unanimously re-elected, voluntarily stepping down from office to establish the current four-year term with the possibility of re-election. Washington is regarded as the undisputed “Father of the Nation.” Jefferson significantly expanded the nation’s power by purchasing the Louisiana Territory at a bargain price from Napoleon of France, who was preoccupied with war. At that time, Louisiana was not the state we know today but a vast land covering most of the central United States. It was roughly the size of all of Western Europe, and the Louisiana Purchase doubled the size of the U.S. territory.

The American Civil War (1861?1865) was a pivotal event that determined the fate of U.S. history. Lincoln was a central figure in this war. The Civil War decided whether the U.S. would develop as a decentralized, agriculture-based country or as a capitalist nation based on manufacturing. It also marked the beginning of the two-party system with the Democratic and Republican parties. Ultimately, the North’s victory allowed the U.S. to achieve remarkable economic growth as a manufacturing nation. From 1865 to 1895, the U.S. economy grew at an average annual rate of 15%. This was much higher than South Korea’s 10% average annual growth rate during the “Miracle on the Han River” from 1961 to 1981, and also higher than Germany’s 8% during the “Miracle on the Rhine.” For this reason, former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan said there was no moment more important than the North’s victory in the Civil War, which marked America’s acceptance of its destiny as a capitalist republic.

The Democratic and Republican parties have maintained their names for over 150 years since the Civil War, becoming a model of two-party politics. However, their ideologies have changed over time.

Lincoln, who advocated for the abolition of slavery and won the 1860 presidential election, was a Republican. The Civil War ended with the North’s victory, which supported abolition, and the North became a Republican stronghold. Conversely, in the defeated South, the Democratic Party, excluding Black people, effectively became a one-party dictatorship of white people. For a long time after the Civil War, the Republican Party was seen as the Northern party, and the Democratic Party as the Southern party.

The shift of Black voters, who had long supported the Republican Party, to the Democratic Party occurred in the 1960s when the Democrats embraced the civil rights movement advocating voting rights for Black people. As Black voters, a traditional support base, moved to the Democratic Party, the Republicans adopted the so-called Southern strategy to target Southern white voters who supported the Democrats. Through the presidency of Ronald Reagan in the 1980s, the Republican Party clearly strengthened its conservative stance, opposing abortion, restricting immigration, and reviving prayer in public schools.

In recent years, it would not be an exaggeration to say that the most talked-about figure in the U.S. and worldwide is former President Donald Trump. Trump is also a key figure for understanding contemporary American society.

When Trump first announced his candidacy for president, no one really expected him to win, as he sometimes behaved like a mere street brawler. However, he won by appealing to middle-class white men who felt their positions were being taken by people of color. He became the first president to be impeached twice during his term. Yet, American voters seem inclined to choose him again in the presidential election this November. This is because Trump’s election strategy of prioritizing American interests is resonating. In fact, President Joe Biden also prioritizes national interests over the banner of maintaining world peace as a global policeman, aligning with Trump on this point. Therefore, the author explains that Trump, who won the 2017 election, is not a political anomaly but the new normal.

This also connects to America’s long-standing value of “isolationism.” With its vast territory and fewer neighboring countries compared to Europe, the U.S. originally valued isolationism, focusing on its own problems without intervening in international affairs. The author explains that until World War II, the U.S. had a strong tendency to be a “reclusive loner,” avoiding entanglement in the power struggles of the Old World, i.e., Europe. For this reason, the U.S. reluctantly entered World War I late. The same was true for World War II, except that the U.S. territory was directly attacked, which became a turning point for active involvement in international affairs.

As the U.S. shifts back toward focusing on domestic issues, it is time for us to reconsider our perspective on America.

Why America? | Written by Seongdae Lee | Bookie | 312 pages | 19,000 KRW