Is America on the verge of having its first Black president? Well you’d certainly think so if you picked up an evening newspaper or watched the nightly news.
Barack Obama, a 46-year-old man, with a father from Kenya and a mother from Kansas, topped last nights caucuses in the mainly white state of Iowa with nearly 38% of the vote. In his wake were fellow democrat candidates John Edwards (30%) and Hillary Clinton (29%), who weeks ago was a certainty to become the country’s first female president.
But what does the American presidential race, which, if truth be told has yet to really get underway, mean for us here in the UK? Well, as the considerable news coverage highlights – a great deal.
I’ve become captivated by American politics over recent months, ever since it became clear that Hillary Clinton would make her charge for the Oval Office. Clinton wasn’t the sole ignition of my interest however, and, before assumptions are drawn, she isn’t necessarily my choice for the top job either. Rather, it’s the American political system itself.
Maybe it’s because we’ve so easily become disillusioned with our own apathetic political process here in the UK, but the American race is just, well, more American.
It’s confident, expansive, refreshingly complicated, and above all, enjoyable to follow. As these early caucuses and primary rounds will show, the majority of Americans actually care who sits in the White House – and not just because George W. Bush has run their country into a political brick wall.
Of course, since George W. Bush has inhabited the White House, Britain’s interest, and its supposed ‘special relationship’ with the country, has escalated – as much out of need, rather than desire.
And the consequence of that is stark: we now must care who comes next; who gets their finger on the ‘red button’ and whether they intend to press it.
People might not always agree with the ‘American way’ but America might just be the way to go if politics in the UK are to be made interesting again.
Barack Obama, a 46-year-old man, with a father from Kenya and a mother from Kansas, topped last nights caucuses in the mainly white state of Iowa with nearly 38% of the vote. In his wake were fellow democrat candidates John Edwards (30%) and Hillary Clinton (29%), who weeks ago was a certainty to become the country’s first female president.
But what does the American presidential race, which, if truth be told has yet to really get underway, mean for us here in the UK? Well, as the considerable news coverage highlights – a great deal.
I’ve become captivated by American politics over recent months, ever since it became clear that Hillary Clinton would make her charge for the Oval Office. Clinton wasn’t the sole ignition of my interest however, and, before assumptions are drawn, she isn’t necessarily my choice for the top job either. Rather, it’s the American political system itself.
Maybe it’s because we’ve so easily become disillusioned with our own apathetic political process here in the UK, but the American race is just, well, more American.
It’s confident, expansive, refreshingly complicated, and above all, enjoyable to follow. As these early caucuses and primary rounds will show, the majority of Americans actually care who sits in the White House – and not just because George W. Bush has run their country into a political brick wall.
Of course, since George W. Bush has inhabited the White House, Britain’s interest, and its supposed ‘special relationship’ with the country, has escalated – as much out of need, rather than desire.
And the consequence of that is stark: we now must care who comes next; who gets their finger on the ‘red button’ and whether they intend to press it.
People might not always agree with the ‘American way’ but America might just be the way to go if politics in the UK are to be made interesting again.
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