American Election Snapshot

Warning!

If you are an American who is driven up the wall when people from other nations air their (often simplistic and ignorant) views on your country's political affairs, you'd better stop reading NOW.

(I know how irritated I get when people think they can come up with easy solutions to SA problems; or think they "get" this complicated country)

But I DO want to have my five cents worth of input about USA politics today - even if I am simplistic and ignorant.

Its my blog and I'll write what I want to, ok?

OK then

Through my eyes:

Sheesh, you gotta feel for the Americans!

As if their financial difficulties were not enough, they have

THE ELECTIONS to deal with.

I mean, look at their choices!

Its must be just about impossible to choose bewtween these two pairs!

Its almost as though the two 'main manne' just chose their running mates as compensatory types:

Obama and Biden.

Obama is different

He is African-American

He is young

He is sharp and a wonderful orator

He is street smart

He offfers real CHANGE from the grey heads of the past.

But Obama is seen as young and inexperienced

so he picks Joe Biden -

who has the experience, for sure, but seems (from the coverage of US politics we get here anyway) to be so colourless that its hard to remember his name.

Let alone anything he has said.

Of course, Obama is so charismatic that anyone would be overshadowed by him, I guess.

In fact, his very charisma may be a problem - it can blind people.

Then there the MacCain/Palin duo.

Mrs, that is - not the TV travelling man.

And they seem the exact switch around.

This time MacCain is the 'grey man' who doesn't seem to be offering anything.

His tactic seems to be reminding everyone of his illustrious past in the armed service.

And attacking the reputation of his opponent.

His strength seems to lie in his years of service and the 'family values' flavour of his campaign.

He has picked Palin as his running mate.

Who is colourful (check)

Young and prettty (check)

Who is an outspoken Christian (check)

Who is a woman (check)

Who has a lot of personal baggage she can confide to the nation thus making LOTS of people feel they can relate to her (check).

But who is also inexperienced.

What she lacks in experience she makes up for in zeal and pizzazz (mmm, shades of Obama, no?)

It seems that Miz Palin is something of a loose cannon

Which, I gather, is causing the advisors in her own party to sprout new grey hairs -

There is a lot to be said for speaking your mind

(a rarity in politics)

but it gets "interesting" when she runs counter to what her (senior) running mate has put out there.

Which has happened.

I think she gets a lot of media attention because:

a) she is very pretty

b) there is always the chance that she will say or do something SO off the wall - irresistable to the newshounds :-)

Then there is the added complication for the Americans who are Jesus-followers.

This new(ish) thing has crept into US politics that one party is the "Christian" party.

And that if you think of yourself as a Christian, you need to vote for that party.

The guilt and confusion and straight up anger in some of them at being put into that postion . . . .

You gotta feel for them all . . .

Having said that - lets face it -

they know how to put on a show!

Whether its their elections; their hurricanes; their film stars - whatever. . .

Its a big colourful intriguing show.

So - who else is waiting with bated breath for

THE DAY?!

PS: I am ready to throw something! The b*****y spacing!

Blogger will NOT let me space the way I want to.

I am having SERIOUS control issues here

So

I am sorry you have to read this squished up format

I hate it too

But I tried

Really I did