Monday, 03 November 2008

• Election Time

  I can't believe another season of my favourite TV show is about to come to an end. Soon, I will experience that deep empty feeling when the familiar characters and story lines come to an end, and I have to find some new form of daily entertainment. And this season has been truly spectacular indeed! Tomorrow, I'm going to stay up all night to watch the last episode.
  
  I am talking of course, about the US elections. I'm not even an American, but I have followed every event in the finest detail: I've read every quote, followed every scandal, studied every poll and I've read every editorial (and concluded that most editorial writers are morons).
  
  As people soon head to the polls, here are a few concluding thoughts. First of all, I'm sure it was traumatic to have an election that lasted well over a year. But I have to congratulate the American people on taking their elections so seriously. This election has been fiercely (sometimes brutally) contested, and while that is sometimes a little unpleasant it also means that democracy is working. Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of flaws in the American electoral system, the candidates, the issues and the policies, but the world's oldest democracy remains an example for the rest, at least so far as how passionately people feel about it.
  
  Secondly, do go and vote and take your vote seriously. American elections are often decided by razor thin margins, and the result *will* have an impact on your (and my) life. Even if you don't live in a swing state, your vote will add to your candidate's victory and the mandate he has to govern is all the stronger. Neither candidate is an idiot or a force of evil, regardless of what many people think. I see some serious merits and flaws in both the personality and policies of both candidates, but both candidates also have some excellent strengths and ideas. More importantly each candidate presents a very different view of what the world should be like, and how that should be implemented. Ultimately you will have to vote for the candidate that best represents your view.
  
  That said, I am firmly of the opinion that Obama is the better candidate, at least as far as non-Americans are concerned. Firstly, Obama is widely adored across the world, especially in Europe and in Africa. Republicans have had nothing but contempt for Obama's international popularity. Seriously guys, how is being popular in other countries a bad thing? Those hundreds of thousands of cheering Germans, and other Obama supporters worldwide are a good thing. It means they are more likely to support American issues and less likely to strap explosives to themselves. The world supports Obama not because he is a celebrity, but because he offers intelligent, well-thought out, moderate foreign policy.
  
  I'm not sure if I agree with Mr.Obama's economic policy (another aspect that has an important impact on the rest of the world). But Mr.McCain is offering tired old Republican economic orthodoxy, which as events of recent months have shown, is rapidly becoming obsolete. Americans and the World need a new way of thinking about economics, and while I don't entirely agree with Mr.Obama, at least he is proposing something different.
  
  On other issues, well, they have no effect on me and so Americans need to make their decisions about that on their own. Good luck!
  
  
  
  Much love,
  François
  (This will be the endorsement that seals the election. Soon world domination will be mine! Mwuahaha!)
  
  

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