With rumors of reformed Student Governance hovering like a flying pink elephant in the room it’s about time we looked at the world and took some lessons to heart. Unlike India where a myriad of idiotic…I mean ideological views prosper in party guises, the US is a simpleton with a mere two party system; the Democrats (DNC) and the Republicans (GOP). Within their two extremes the last 232 years have witnessed the trial and error outcome of a world super power. It is important to look at their plight and learn whatever lessons we can for our own electoral future.
This year the US witnesses DNC’s Barack Obama and the GOP’s John McCain going head to head. With diverse and rich political portfolios behind them, both candidates have an air of regency. This has obviously left the US divided (as most elections tend to do) with respect to who they think is better fit to run the country.
The first African-American presidential nominee, Sen. Obama is youthful and energetic. His campaign reigned victorious by securing a party nomination against the Woman-Who-Was-Wankered-With - Ms. Bill Clinton or to be more PC, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton. With his wistful charisma and down-to-earth centrist liberal views Obama is a surefire hero of the middle-class, environmental liberals and the intellectual thinker.
In the other corner rests the uncontested war-hero and survivor of a Vietnamese POW camp - Sen. John McCain. He is backed by an unblemished naval and political career with specialties in foreign affairs and domestic finance. An old horse with a solid plan for the future, his down to earth rhetoric and assertive views on tough issues have made him a favorite with the political right, the corporate highs and the Humvee lows.
And this is where their fairy tale ends.
As is true with much of any political campaigning the idea that “what you see is what you get” is far from real. The politics of perception plays a much higher role in confirming or denying anybody, anything in the political world; be it India or the United States. The image factor is exactly what keeps the millions of common voters shuffling away voting their minds (or at least an adequate reflection of the image). With the slogan of “A Change You Can Believe In”, Obama is all rhetoric and no show when it comes to being the moderate centrist he is projected to be as is evident on his non-committal views in his agenda. And McCain is no better (“A Leader You Can Believe In”…plagiarizing anyone?), for underlying his most ‘American’ views are curious questions of campaign financing and lobbyist control.
In all, neither candidate can really be assured to deliver on the American promise. But what we can learn instead – as voters, as leaders and most importantly as citizens is that mere projection does not make a leader but their underlying principals and the results they produce. So as I bring this projection back home, let us not forget that when we step into a voting booth (be it college or other) our standards should be as high as the results we analyze and expect them on. Nothing less would ever do.
This year the US witnesses DNC’s Barack Obama and the GOP’s John McCain going head to head. With diverse and rich political portfolios behind them, both candidates have an air of regency. This has obviously left the US divided (as most elections tend to do) with respect to who they think is better fit to run the country.
The first African-American presidential nominee, Sen. Obama is youthful and energetic. His campaign reigned victorious by securing a party nomination against the Woman-Who-Was-Wankered-With - Ms. Bill Clinton or to be more PC, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton. With his wistful charisma and down-to-earth centrist liberal views Obama is a surefire hero of the middle-class, environmental liberals and the intellectual thinker.
In the other corner rests the uncontested war-hero and survivor of a Vietnamese POW camp - Sen. John McCain. He is backed by an unblemished naval and political career with specialties in foreign affairs and domestic finance. An old horse with a solid plan for the future, his down to earth rhetoric and assertive views on tough issues have made him a favorite with the political right, the corporate highs and the Humvee lows.
And this is where their fairy tale ends.
As is true with much of any political campaigning the idea that “what you see is what you get” is far from real. The politics of perception plays a much higher role in confirming or denying anybody, anything in the political world; be it India or the United States. The image factor is exactly what keeps the millions of common voters shuffling away voting their minds (or at least an adequate reflection of the image). With the slogan of “A Change You Can Believe In”, Obama is all rhetoric and no show when it comes to being the moderate centrist he is projected to be as is evident on his non-committal views in his agenda. And McCain is no better (“A Leader You Can Believe In”…plagiarizing anyone?), for underlying his most ‘American’ views are curious questions of campaign financing and lobbyist control.
In all, neither candidate can really be assured to deliver on the American promise. But what we can learn instead – as voters, as leaders and most importantly as citizens is that mere projection does not make a leader but their underlying principals and the results they produce. So as I bring this projection back home, let us not forget that when we step into a voting booth (be it college or other) our standards should be as high as the results we analyze and expect them on. Nothing less would ever do.
No comments:
Post a Comment