The flag has been raised, the gun has fired and the horn has blown. The race has begun to elect the next President of the United States and for an outsider looking in from across the pond it is all rather baffling.
First is of all it isn’t really a race more of a slow trundle as the Republican Party decide who they will elect as their challenger to Barack Obama. This involves an endless series of what are titled debates between the challengers as they travel from State to State canvassing votes from Republican voters. It would appear to be an almost perfect form of democracy as every member of the Party gets to decide whomever they wish to challenge for the top job. They get to listen to the policies and ideals of each of the candidates and then make a reasoned decision.
I could not be more wrong.
Maybe our American readership could prove me wrong here but from this distance I have yet to hear a single policy uttered from any of the candidates and I am not just singling out the Republican Party on this, in the last US election the Democrats were just as single of favouring a witty soundbite and a cheery wave over admitting what they actually stand for.
When I listen and watch the speeches they are surrounded by a bunch of people who seemed to have suffered from an attack of that gas used by the Joker in the Batman film that makes people smile inanely, indeed there seems to be a direct correlation between the number of people grinning in the background and the complete lack of policies being announced.
How do Americans make their decision when faced with a choice of soundbites? I know religion rears its ugly head from time to time. This isn’t a knock on religion by the way I just do not understand how it can be a factor when deciding who should lead the most powerful nation on earth. I saw one chap in the Deep South admit that people he knew would struggle to vote for Mitt Romney because he is a Mormon and who could forget the issues Barack Obama had during the last election when he was accused of being a Muslim? By the way since when can anyone be “accused” of being of a particular faith? It is a faith and not a crime.
I like America. I like Americans. I hope that they elect somebody this year who will prove to be a wise and decent President it is just their way of electing people I found peculiar. I wonder what they would make of our General Elections here in the UK , I imagine they would look as if they have stumbled across the annual Over-80’s Stitching Group’s party in comparison as our Party leaders stumble and stutter their way through debates looking awkwardly at the television cameras while trying to look cool and instead coming across as Ralph Malph rather than The Fonz.
Not everything about US elctions are bad though. Their live TV debates, albeit lacking in any policy detail, can in their own way provide some memorable moments. For example during the 1988 US election there was a debate between the propsective Vice-Presidents and the Democratic candidate, Senator Bentsen, delivered this withering put down of the Republican, (at the time) Senator Quayes, by saying. “Senator, I served with Jack Kennedy, I knew Jack Kennedy, Jack Kennedy was friend of mine. Senator, you’re no Jack Kennedy.”
The result of that election? Bush and Quayle won by a margin of 8% of the popular vote. Hmm, maybe it is about more than the soundbite over there.
