Obama and Octavian

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When I started writing this text on March 1st, it seemed prescient.  But now many take for granted the idea that President Obama is making a massive power grab.   I have seen Newt Gingrich claim that Obama is staking a “dictatorial” claim on the American government and economy.  The radio pundits have revealed many of Obama’s tactics and objectives, but  I start to wonder if such claims can really be true.

So I root myself in what I know: Roman history.   

I go back to Ronald Syme’s The Roman Revolution, a book which documents the amazing rise to power of the political unknown Octavianus, and his eventual domination at the end of the Roman Republic.  President Obama displays striking similarities.

A few points of comparison:

1. A regime devoted to war on the rich: Though I am not rich, and I feel no great sympathy for the economic demise of the rich due to proper market corrections on greed, i.e. recession and depression, the way in which the present administration seeks to vilify and punish the wealthy seems consistent with the actions of Octavian.

2. The institution of ridiculous taxes and levies: among his more ludicrous ideas were the tax directed specifically against wealthy women (a battle he lost: his attempt to divest these women of their money created what might be the first recorded women’s political march in history) and his levy against the equestrian class of a year’s salary. 

3. The elevation of the lower class against the status quo: In Octavian’s day, the freedman enjoyed new opportunities at social, political, and economic advancement, mostly after the proscription, murder, and exile of entrenched political opponents.  The war that Octavian waged on the nobles lead to a redistribution of wealth and power.  The new nobles, completely dependent upon Octavian for their power and wealth, sycophantically did their master’s bidding.  I believe that the class war that Obama intimates regularly, suggests that he may be willing to move in this direction. 

4. Octavian was willing to cannibalize his nation’s wealth to increase his grasp on power: Wealth redistribution is a redistribution of political power.  Bailouts under Obama do not come without strings attached, as under Bush.  The economic elite accepted the cookies that Obama baked so that he could lure them as stupid, fat children into the fire of his oven.  Now the corporate Hansel’s and Gretel’s are beginning to realize the cost of doing business with this administration. 

5. Octavian was of the far left and from this left wing came the people who wished to rule Rome as demagogues.  The Gracchi started the opposition to rule by the “nobiles”, though nobles themselves. They had the benefit of an education in radical Greek ideology, but they failed to muster a power base beyond that of the mob.  For this error they died.  Is Obama more of a Gracchus than an Octavian?  I think so, but in this era of advanced weaponry and technology, perhaps a Gracchus can become an Octavian in a short time. 

These are just five points of comparison between the current President and the man who finally eviscerated the Roman Republic, though there are a couple of glaring differences between the men as well:

1. Octavian produced moral legislation. He was in favor of procreation to the extent that he discouraged abortion and birth control by law.  Obama is in favor of unlimited abortion, so much so, as per his voting record, that those who deliver a living child during an attempted abortion are under no obligation to support the life of that child. 

2. Octavian had military experience.  Our commander-in-chief can make no such claim. 

Let us hope that we are not abandoning freedom to a kindly dictator as did the ancient Romans.  In defense of the Romans, their abdication of freedom followed 100 years of civil and foreign war, political turmoil, and social upheaval.  If we abdicate freedom due to a year of economic instability, we will have proved that this generation was not worthy of freedom in the first place.