American Oligarchy, American Religion
A Quick Thought on Biden's Farewell Address
I’m no cheerleader of US presidents. Never was. Not even for Obama. Yet, I must underscore something Biden said in his farewell address to the nation a few moments ago.
I never thought I’d hear a president say these words: “An oligarchy is taking shape in America . . .” A US president just said the word “oligarchy” — out loud.
American oligarchy emerged with the support of, and even as an expression of, American religion. Arguably, religion in America—especially evangelicalism as an electoral force—contributed to the rise of the oligarchy.
Well, actually, Biden’s claim needs to be tweaked a bit. The oligarchy has been present for a long time. It was established with the plantation founding of the nation and the settler theft of the land. Since the nation's inception, we’ve been struggling against that legacy —an oligarchic legacy based on the near indistinction between money and politics, money and power, capitalism and (or as) politics.
On the way out the door, Biden, a US president, spoke a word of truth. But alas, I cannot help but think that perhaps it’s too late. Or to invoke something Du Bois somewhere in Souls of Black Folk: I’m marked by “a hope not hopeless yet unhopeful.”