Monday 22 September 2008

The End Result

I am endlessly fascinated (I think that's my phrase of the month) by the politics (and history) of the United States of America. The BBC has a great article on what would happen in a hung election. We all remember the 2000 election debacle, I pray, whichever way the election falls we get a more clear cut result this time.

On a similar note the Obama-Biden ticket is now the one I'm rooting for. I was sort of okay with McCain but Sarah Palin seems to be an unreformed cavewoman harking back to the Reagan Republicans and now, despite my own misgivings with Obama, I've got my fingers crossed for a Democratic victory.

Obama is not a new type of politician. He engaged in the usual political machinations. There's nothing exactly wrong with that but I think he's being built up to be something greater than he is. I found this BBC Documentary very enlightening and fair, showing that he's certainly ruffled some feathers in his time. Again I'm not saying that's a bad thing, some of his Democratic critics sound like they are just a little bit bitter and jealous of his success and are thus more than happy to throw some dirt at him.

3 comments:

Miladysa said...

I would be upset if that was all the choice we had during an election. It seems to me that the British media has been giving far too much coverage for far too long.

Jae Kay said...

Yes, I'm pleased we get a lot more of a choice, and that even the more maverick candidates for Parliament have at least a chance of election (however slim!).

I disagree with what you say about the British media giving too much coverage to the US election. I think the problem is that they give too little coverage to other important elections and political events. If they did that, perhaps we might better understand why some countries do certain things. But I know what you were trying to say, the coverage does dominate far too much... roll on November when hopefully it's all over with.

Ken Summers said...

In the beginning, I backed Hillary Clinton, but switched to Obama as that became an impossibility. Politics tend to be a "lesser of two evils" decision worldwide, but with the past 8 nightmarish years in America I welcome any type of severe change. Not that I expect it. More often than not, I call myself an American with great reticence.

Palin is very worrisome. And what's more frightening is the "herd mentality" of the general American public, liking her because "the McCain campaign says she did wonderful things". I have a certain fear that McCain will end up being elected into office. Yet I worry more about one of two scenarios, depending on who ends up in office: Obama being assassinated or McCain dropping dead before his 4 years are finished.

Just be glad you're watching BBC news on the subject. American media has difficulty seeing the forest through the trees. And who knows, you might be watching history in the making. The utter destruction and demise of America, that is...