Hell to the Chief
My friend and fellow blogger Jean Burman (http://www.jeanburman.com/) reports from Australia that their one-month long campaign ended with elections this weekend. One month! Lucky them. A month ago our presidential sweepstakes was almost a year old, and the elections are still a year away. Right now the media is going crazy about who's ahead in the Iowa caucuses set for early January, which is the "official" start of primary season, and the Iowa caucuses aren't even really an election. They're a bunch of 50-and-older well-off white people, less than ten percent of the registered voters, who get together across that state to have coffee and cookies and register their preferences. The media, who still don't know that most people in America are not over-50 and white, keep insisting that the results there will be significant. Meanhile, the candidates are hell-bent on personally shaking hands with everyone who'll vote. What mother would want their child to go through that one day, for the dubious distinction of becoming Liar in Chief?
posted by John M Crowther @ 7:27 AM
9 Comments:
A nightmare indeed! My hat off to Australia though...Rudd seems to be a decent pick, (at least from the outside looking in) I hope he's everything he claims to be and that the U.S.will follow suit in electing a conscientious, environmentally concerned candidate! (It just might be too late before we finally get around to electing him/her...)
All that glitters is not gold unfortunately Mary. We have lost a good government for no good reason... but still... a change will shake things up... and people will have to find out the hard way what WILL do... by first finding out what WON'T do.
This is democracy in full swing... and it's what you get when people don't look deeper than the surface of political issues... and allow themselves to be swayed by absent rhetoric and "the idea" of something. For Australia's sake... I hope it works... but somehow I dunno...! LOL
Oops... John... great cartoon! (dream? sounds like a nightmare to me LOL) and thanks for the mention... it's appreciated.
Have to agree with Jean, Australia may have indeed lost a good government. Ah, well, will probably happen here as well.
Um.... what, Lee?
I think the political processes of the two countries can't really be compared.
Personally... I believe our PM has paid the ultimate price for his close friendship with you know who... and for our very unpopular involvement in the Iraqi conflict.
Not sure his opposite number will have the guts to come up with a solution to that one though... despite making all the right noises and all sorts of promises... when push comes to shove I feel sure he will toe a similar line on just about every issue.
But who really knows? Not the constituents that's for sure! We will not be consulted... and we will be the last to know. That's politics.
My apologies Jean! I really don't have a fair grasp of Australian politics. I have American news media which may or may not be trusted. Politicians are like avocadoes. They look terrific on the outside but you never really know what you are getting on the inside until you peel back the surface...Best of luck to your beloved country!
Mary! Absolutely no apologies necessary... really! And thanks for your good wishes!
You are so right about the media! Unfortunately we are all being steered in the direction they wish us to go. We think we are making up our own minds... but who supplies the information we need in order to do so... yep... the media! Our media is presently "carving up" the outgoing PM... (regardless of politics) this is not appropriate treatment for a man (and a Government) who have achieved much over the past 11 years. They are leaving the country in great financial shape billions of dollars in surplus after inheriting a $10 billion deficit and (clawing back the AAA credit rating we lost during Labor's last disastrous run)
This Govt. didn't get everything right that's for sure... but no Govt. ever will IMO. Our new PM is an unknown quantity... so new he has never even sat as Leader of the Opposition. I hope he can pull a rabbit from the hat... because I think that will be what it will take to maintain at the very least the stability that we enjoy. Who knows... maybe we'll get lucky! LOL
That is a very weird thing, square box with email follow-up comments?
I still feel that we need three parties as both the Rep. and Dem. have little to choose between them. I am sure every die-hard party voter will jump down my throat for saying this. Very disillustioned about the two party system.
In my opinion it will not really matter what party gets in, it will be business as usual.
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