I admit I haven’t been paying very close attention, but American elections confuse me. I don’t think I’m easily confused, but what are they on about, apart from mud-slinging?
Nathan asked who I’d vote for, if I was an American. Had to say I don’t know, apart from a Democrat. The Republicans terrify me.
US feminist bloggers are rooting for Clinton, and making a big thing about the possibility of having the first woman president. We had Thatcher, and what good did that do for women?
Obama’s supporters talk about him bringing out the black vote, but isn’t that racist? Would anyone be so keen to talk about bringing out the white vote? His critics comment about the personality cult he’s developed. To be honest, that’s partly what worries me too. He’s a glamour boy, and I can’t quite trust him. He makes lots of the right noises, but …
From over here, most of the reports seem to be about who’s won what on the campaign trail, not about what he or she will do if they actually get elected. It’s all hoo-ha, and not much substance.
The gender and race of the candidates should be irrelevant. It would be so much more interesting if they had an openly atheist candidate, or someone who demonstrated that he or she was less ignorant about what goes on in the rest of the world, but I suppose pigs will fly first.
The BBC's guide to the US elections, for the bewildered.
Unscientific America: still useless
32 minutes ago
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2 comments:
What rarely gets reported in the news is how many Americans don't vote at all- because our choices are so limited and our government officials have practically zero accountability.
It might be the same in Britian, but I can tell you first hand that I know a lot of people who can barely tolerate any of the presidential candidates from Clinton to Obama to John McCain. And right now I know of no one, Republican or Democrat who doesn't think that George W. Bush is the worst president we've had since the colonies broke away from the UK in 1776.
Just an FYI from a little Yankee pee-on from a poor state known as West Virginia.
What you write doesn't surprise me. I know that many British people are similarly disillusioned. I think modern electioneering, with all the spin and hoo-ha, seems like some mad game. As for government officials; people I know who've had anything to do with the civil service report appalling incompetence. However, the frequent policy changes that government ministers dream up don't help.
American elections are in a different league from ours. I don't think we'd even consider a loony like Huckabee. It's scary, considering how much influence the US has in the world.
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