UP Ibalon Bicol: The US Presidential Elections

The US Presidential Elections

9/05/2008 | Posted by myty555 | Edit Post

Every time the US presidential elections draw near, I yawn. I do not even think it is a newsworthy event but since the US media lords it over the international networks it will seem to many that it is a big event. Hell, US presidential elections are not even good to the world.

I chuckle at the thought that when the great former German Chancellor Kohl was nominated he was ridiculed for his relative lack of education and sophistication as compared to his predecessors and to other major Western European leaders. But he turned out later to be well-educated and a deep thinker.

US presidential and vice-presidential candidates will pale if compared to Western European leaders. But that is just okey for the US electorate since its elections campaigns mainly consist of negative personal attacks unlike in Europe where it is a battle of political parties and party platforms. In the US candidates will "smooth over" their positions so they can garner more votes. It is normal for them to cater to interest groups and vested interests.

It is the Republican party that brought down US elections to the gutter. They even hire specialists in negative campaigning and they spend a good amount in research to bring up dirt on their opponents and to place in the media malicious innuendoes. Mondale was "mush", Kerry a "fake war hero" are examples of this. One will have to go back to Old Ike to find a Republican candidate that did not use negative campaigning (but with his popularity then he need not to).

I wonder what the Republicans will do to Obama this time (no, I'm not sympathetic to him; I think he's too raw). And McCain is the type that will use negative campaigning just to get elected.

I don't like McCain either. I think he is another warmonger in the mold of Bush jr. Can't the US two-party system produce better candidates than these two?

While Western Europe in the last 35 years has resolved so many historical and social problems and has moved to a higher level of cooperation and understanding the US did not move forward from the Vietnam-era type of world "engagement" (maybe confrontation is the more accurate word). Even historical enemies with long-standing disputes like Russia and China are now more able to shelve animosities and cooperate for their mutual interests.

Oh, maybe it won't matter in the long run. Anyway, this century won't no longer be the American Century like the last. With the continuing rise of China and India and the further resurgence of Europe and Japan being a constant, I think this century will be more multi-polar. And with it probably US elections will just be as "interesting" as German, British, Japanese or Russian elections.

Labels: US presidential elections