January 23 2008

Like most Canadians, I take an interest in the elections held by our neighbors to the south and I've been watching the current presidential primaries.  To us Canucks, the seemingly endless American primaries look confusing, complex and seem to have been designed for a single purpose, to screen out any candidates who don't have huge sums of money backing them.

One of the more distressing aspects of these contests is way the American media treat them entirely as horse races. We are told that Hillary is ten percentage points ahead of Obama or vice versa.  It's reported that McCain is leading the Republican race or that Romney is gaining on him. 

Even the terminology is race oriented.  We hear about "the presidential race" or about a specific candidate's "track record".  If someone gets off to a bad start in the campaign, then he or she has "stumbled coming out of the gate".  Et cetera.

What we never read or hear in the media is what each of the candidates stands for or what he or she promises to do, if elected. The candidates themselves play into this by spouting endless bromides about the need for "change" or for "renewal" without ever specifying what needs to be changed or renewed.  Of course, any candidate who is unwise enough to supply specifics will find his opponents pouncing on his ideas immediately, while they remain careful not to reveal any plans of their own.

In a hotly contested horse race, it will be no surprise if some of the jockeys try to unseat the other riders in order to win. When the media grow bored with reporting who is in front or behind, they love to repeat any mud that one candidate has to sling at the others. The media do this because the public eats it up.  Above all, the issues must never be discussed. They're boring and they make bad TV.

The result of all this is that many voters may be swayed to cast their votes for whoever it is who seems to be ahead in the race, while having no idea what that candidate will do, once in office.  After all, we all want to bet on the winning horse, not a losing one. Then, there may be ugly surprises for the voters on the day after the election. Think of the Bush administration and how quickly the "compassionate conservative" became a war monger.

In a better world, the voters would ask themselves these questions about every candidate:

- Why does this person believe that he or she is more qualified to be President than the three hundred million other people in the United States?

- What does he or she promise to do, if elected?

- Is there any evidence that he or she has kept political promises in the past?

- Has this person ever been involved in bribery or other dishonesty that would affect his or ability to govern with integrity?  (Private sexual behaviour doesn't count.)

I expect that the majority of voters will ask themselves these things right around the time that pigs learn to fly.

George

P.S. For some free short stories, come to my website at: www.checkmatefiction.com