Provocative? Good---then hit back—say something. Call me names--- I’m a big boy! (It’s true).
This one is pointed right at the situation my friends in the USA face. When I look at the candidates the Republicans face, I really feel for them. Where the hell do these people come from? ‘Middle America’ and the ‘Good Old Boys must be drinking up large in an effort to throw some clarity into their decision making processes. Lets look at some of the choices you have.
It seems that for two of the characters (maybe more) religion plays an important part of their make-up. Romney’s faith is probably a ‘sticking point’ for many Republicans. I don’t think it is the same as the position Kennedy was in when he became President. Somehow Catholicism doesn’t scare people quite so much as the spectre of a Mormon President. I know a lot of your commentators are not putting it as bluntly as me, but I wish I was a fly on the wall in some of the bars across America--- I bet there are some hard-assed assessments, flowing as freely as a well-topped beer.
That’s OK though, because you have plenty of other wonderful candidates to choose from--- or do you? Mr Santorum is something else---- what? He also springs from the Bible-Belt. I wonder what his stance is for ‘Evolution.’ Listening to some of the crackpot comments he has made in the last few weeks, makes one wonder who he represents. His vision for the USA is quite scary.
The stance the above candidates take on issues like abortion, gays in the military, marriage, single parents, just to name a few, leaves one thinking that any progress the more liberal politicians have battled for over the last few decades is seriously at risk of being unravelled.
The other two candidates, Gingrich and Paul, may not be as ‘out there’ in their positions, but seriously, is the USA going to elect and ‘oldie’ or a ‘has been?’ OOOH --- I can hear you say. What would a Kiwi know about American politics? Hheheheheheh--- (Sounds maniacal eh). Enough to say that Obama must be laughing all the way back to refurbishing the White House.
On ‘paper,’ I believe that the American system of government is the best in the world. It is an incredible model that many nations around the world have tried to copy, but fallen well short of achieving even a murky image of the real thing. It’s a pity that the ‘paper’ version doesn’t flow through into the reality of everyday life. I think many Americans don’t even bother to vote or take part in a way that portrays---OF THE PEOPLE, BY THE PEOPLE, FOR THE PEOPLE.
Neil, technically, Santorum isn't from the Bible Belt - he just talks that way. He is disqualified on two counts - he's from Pennsylvania and the Bible Belt is a swath across our southeastern states, and he's Catholic, albeit a highly conservative Catholic (think Opus Dei.) A true Bible Belter is a member of a conservative protestant religion and would spit nails at the thought that a Catholic is a 'real' Christian, like themselves. In practice, however, what Santorum spouts is honest-to-god Bible Belting.
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