I have to be completely honest and say that my disgust is not about the election per se; it’s about our entire method of choosing candidates (presidential and to some extent congressional): the whole Image thing, the whole PR thing, the “grooming” of candidates by Managers, the restrictions by others on what they should say and to whom they should say it – not to mention the obscene domination of money in this sphere: All of it works against finding the most suitable representative of each party, not to mention the most suitable candidates apart from party identity.
There are Democrats more experienced than Mr. Obama, and Republicans more broadly appealing than Mr. Romney.
Being manipulated affects the people who are manipulated. It affects their attitudes, their belief in their government, their desire to participate.
I’m also discouraged (again!) by the level of gullibility, the level of outright ignorance in too many cases – not so much with regard to campaign slogans and promises (and their generalities), but with regard to an understanding of the complexiities of both politics and economics. Obama is neither “responsible” (solely) for our accumulated economic problems, nor would Romney be able to magically fix them, let alone quickly. the US ecnomy is a many-faceted system which has many factors influencing it – some domestic, some foreign, some short-term, some long-term.
I happen to adhere more to Romney’s understanding of conditions for job growth, but I find his economic vision somewhat lacking, and the best possible economic leader for the country would still be impotent to fix the job market singlehandedly and ensure prosperity. A wise president would lead with policies which incentivize private enterprise while also incentivizing employment. In short (i.m.o.), as citizens we still rely too much on presidential candidates to “fix” far too much – fix what is beyond their power.
And then there’s the whole cultural disintegration thing: disintegration of traditional values which have in previous eras supported the social fabric. And the cynic in me, knowing many Obama voters, does not attribute Obama votes, overall, to a concern for the poor. Rather, among the rich who vote for Obama, it is about being trendy, and about supporting a licence to indulge ultimate lack of restrictions, a kind of personal libertarianism disguised as Democratic Party values.
I truly grieve the lack of a sense of community (as a nation) which I perceive us to have.
I also think it’s time for a Coalition Style of governent – only because it would help prevent the monopolizing of the country by a single party, and might encourage less “extreme” positions on the part of individual parties, given the practical need to woo votes.
Pardon my negativity.
