Political Opposition

I am wondering what “opposition” means. I am thinking of the situation in Bolivia. People declare that they disapprove of what has occurred, but many will not act on their sentiments, nor will they be able to act appropriately even if they do feel negatively about the events.

Many commentators on this issue are not Bolivian. I am not criticizing those who oppose the situation from somewhere other than Bolivia because I approach the issue with the same distance. Nor am I saying that everyone who comments on a political debacle needs to be from a particular place in which events transpire, nor even that they should be of a particular nationality. The natural response to a crisis is to either oppose it or condone it, though I am more interested in what people’s opposition means.

Senator Bernie Sanders has commented on Bolivia. Surely, people should be permitted to state their views on this, but I wonder what action they can realistically take.

It seems to me like armchair politicians probably should not make blanket statements about Bolivia because doing so would make them hypocrites. It must be said that I am an armchair politician, though I am not trying to generalize; and I hope I am not being hypocritical or contradictory.

Senator Sanders is not an armchair politician. It is worth stating that maybe I am misreading what he says. I believe his general idea is that the “coup” should not have taken place or perhaps that the new government should not have allowed the violence to occur. His position is a logical one, in that it condemns state violence against Bolivians.

Senator Sanders suggests some measures that seem unattainable. I believe he will not win the Democratic nomination, but his ideas may permeate into the mainstream political establishment.

I think, in the U.S., we need to work on how we think of intervention in other countries. The hands-off approach endorsed by President Trump is not working. Evidence for this is that parts of the world are erupting into violence and protests against those in power.

If Barack Obama were still president, I wonder how he might react to the political situation. Obama is politically moderate, even now. But, we don’t need a far-left or a far-right politician in the White House beginning in 2021. We need someone who is willing to change the country, but who also can keep checks and balances in order. Many people thought (including me) that Obama would stay in the political sphere after he left office. However, he has distanced himself from the political spotlight (perhaps wisely).

The Trump administration needs to condemn these worldwide antidemocratic regimes sharply. These governments are inflicting harm on their people.