Varför en Tea Party-rörelse?
Man behöver inte tveka om att genomsnittsamerikanen känner att han eller hon har fått mindre pengar att röra sig med under senare decennier. Granskar man siffrorna närmare kan man konstatera att sedan mitten av 1970-talet, och fram till idag har hushållsinkomsterna efter skatt för det stora flertalet amerikaner utvecklats svagt i reala termer, för väldigt många har inkomsterna sjunkit. Och ju längre ner på inkomststegen, desto mer har inkomsterna sjunkit.
Det är något historiskt nytt för amerikanen. Enligt Benjamin M. Friedman, nationalekonomiprofessor vid Harvard, är det första gången på 150 år som medelklassamerikanen under en så lång period har fått se sin standard sjunka, eller i varje fall inte stiga som den regelmässigt gjort tidigare i USA:s moderna historia. Apropå det nya i situationen skriver han så här sammanfattningsvis i sin bok Den ekonomiska tillväxtens moraliska konsekvenser:
”Den jämnt fördelade ekonomiska tillväxten i Förenta staterna var ingen myt. Det är inte heller sant att den tillväxt amerikanerna fick del av under efterkrigstidens första decennier [1950-70] bara var en villfarelse, men som vi blev vana vid. Levnadsstandardens ökningstakt under dessa år var inte mycket högre än vad den i genomsnitt varit under de föregående hundrafemtio åren. Det är i stället vår egen tid, från 1970-talets början och framåt, som är exceptionell. En stigande levnadsstandard för den stora majoriteten medborgare har faktiskt varit normen i Förenta staterna, och det är vi som i dag inte lyckas nå upp till den.” (s 437)
Att medelklassamerikanens inkomster har sjunkit sedan 1970-talets början är tankeväckande eftersom det enligt Benjamin Friedmans mening finns ett klart samband mellan en någorlunda jämt fördelad tillväxt och sociala framsteg. Det kan handla om mer öppenhet i samhället, ökad tolerans till exempel mot invandrare eller icke-vita, ökad rörlighet, mer ekonomisk rättvisa och ökad demokrati. I själva verket visar han i boken, trovärdigt tycker jag, att över historien har de perioder där medelklassmedborgaren fått det bättre ekonomiskt, kort sagt fått ökad levnadsstandard, sammanfallit med de perioder då politikerna fattat progressiva beslut. Talar vi om USA kan man säga att den senaste av dessa politiskt progressiva perioder var efterkrigstidens första decennier, säg från senare delen av 1950-talet och fram till 1970. Under denna period fattades en mängd beslut om sådant som rörde utbildning, förbättrat boende, arbetslöshetsförsäkring, fri sjukvård för äldre (Medicare) och fattiga (Medcaid), miljö (Clean Air Act) etc. Och intressant nog, både demokratiska presidenter (Truman, Kennedy, Johnson) och republikanska (Eisenhower, Nixon) var med och fattade dessa beslut. Friedman visar att under framstegsvänliga perioder (i USA:s fall, räknat från efter inbördeskriget, ungefär perioderna 1870-1885, 1900-1920, 1933-1940, 1950-1970) råder en förvånansvärt stor samstämmighet över partigränserna, alla vill på sitt sätt bidra till de sociala framstegen. Det är i sin tur en spegling av att medborgaren i gemen, och det innefattar medelklassmedborgaren, känner att han eller hon har fått det ekonomiskt bättre och att det är tid att underlätta för dem som inte är lika lyckligt lottade.
Det Benjamin Friedman också visar i sin bok är att perioder av svag eller negativ tillväxt, och vi talar inte här om konjunkturella svängningar, kännetecknas av politiska låsningar, politisk inskränkthet och populism. I själva verket spelade ”The Populists Party”, arketypen för populistiska partier, en politisk roll i USA under några år på 1890-talet, mitt under den period, 1800-talets två sista decennier, som enligt Friedman kännetecknades av svag produktivitetsutveckling och låga eller inga reallöneökningar för medelklassen. Det är inte utan att det känns som om 1890-talets populister går igen genom dagens Tea Party-rörelse. Och det finns gott om andra paralleller mellan situationen i Washington idag och för lite över hundra år sedan. De hårda orden och oresonligheten över partigränserna, blockeringar av till och med enkla beslut, och med en som det tycks nästan total oförmåga att komma överens i de lite större frågorna (som just nu en långsiktig plan för att åtgärda statsskulden). Det positiva i allt det dystra är att situationen kan ändras mycket snabbt. Det var vad som skedde kring förra sekelskiftet. Populisterna gick, bildligt talat, upp i rök och under det första årtiondet av 1900-talet las grunden för en period med sociala framsteg.
Litteratur:
Friedman, B. M., 2007, Den ekonomiska tillväxtens moraliska konsekvenser, SNS Förlag, Stockholm;
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