New dynamics
   Date :23-Jan-2025

editorial
 
 
THE opting out of Mr. Vivek Ramaswamy as the joint chief of the newly-established Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) by President Mr. Donald Trump, points to a new dynamics of domestic American politics. Mr. Ramaswamy has stated clearly that he may run for governorship of the State of Ohio. In other words, Mr. Ramaswamy -- who had pulled out of the race for presidential nomination of the Republican Party a few months ago -- appears to be getting ready for another try at US presidency four years later. For the 39-year-old Indian-origin entrepreneur-turned politician, the move could be a major -- and risky -- step in an ambitious career in public affairs.
 
Obviously, in the next some time, Mr. Vivek Ramaswamy will remain in public glare for each of his moves. When the race for the Republican nomination got hotter, Mr. Vivek Ramaswamy was being given a serious consideration by the party’s eco-system as well as common American voting public of which Indian diaspora forms an important segment. Realising that Mr. Donald Trump’s claim was a way stronger than his own, Mr. Vivek Ramaswamy had chosen to step aside in Mr. Trump’s favour. He then became one of the strongest votaries of Mr. Trump’s presidency and campaigned relentlessly for its fruition. All that contribution did bring Mr. Ramaswamy closer than ever to the Trump camp, in the process winning for him the top position in the conceptual DOGE. Those who analysed Mr. Ramaswamy’s personality, however, were conscious that he would never be the man sitting quietly and waiting for his next chance. For, Mr. Vivek Ramaswamy’s entrepreneurial spirit could never allow him just to wait and watch. Instead, he has now taken a proactive plunge into the uncharted territory of gubernatorial race. This is truly beginning a campaign unimaginably well in advance. But three years ago, when the Republican nominations were in consideration, Mr. Vivek Ramaswamy was already an old hand at an early campaign -- barely in his mid-thirties.
 
In spite of the fact that Mr. Donald Trump, too, was building his own campaign, Mr. Ramaswamy kept his flags up and fully unfurled -- attracting international attention because of the nerve and verve he demonstrated. A similar trajectory appears to be taking shape even now as Mr. Ramaswamy has opted out of the spotlight of the new idea of DOGE and taking to a rather uncertain race for governorship of Ohio. Changing political thought-process about political demography may help Mr. Ramaswamy in his new mission. For, as President Mr. Donald Trump talks of a remake of policies of acceptance of people from different nationalities into American citizenship domain, a large segment of the Indian diaspora, too, may find itself unsteadily perched in the US society. That segment may become a votary of somebody as fierce and independent as Mr. Vivek Ramaswamy as their face or voice. This certainly does not suggest that Mr. Ramaswamy opted out of the new Trump administration on account of differences on an issue. Yet, in Mr. Ramaswamy’s political calculus, this dimension may have got factored. There is no doubt that Mr. Donald Trump is all set to change the internal political dynamics of the united States.
 
In the process, he may create an altogether different narrative -- and Mr. Vivek Ramaswamy may turn out to be a beneficiary of that new wave of politics. There is no doubt that he has taken a calculated risk in his other rising political career trajectory. But then, his courage of conviction and willingness to take risks may become his winning points. There is, therefore, enough reason to expect the rise of new Indian-origin superstar on American political horizon in the times to come. In America’s new socio-political demography, he may have a more than bright chance of a good show.