The Blog According to Buzz

Ahhh … American politics. You gotta love it. It’s all about the issues. You know issues like the atrocious economy. Issues like the war. Issues like the housing crisis. Issues like … wrestling?

Nice. Okay, it’s cute and funny, but is it really presidential to do schtick like this? Wait, maybe it is.. George W Bush was on Deal or No Deal last night.

If you want someone to blame for this whole mess where candidates attempt to look human instead of talking point repeating robots, look no further than Bill Clinton.

The night he played sax in front of Arsenio Hall’s dog pound was the night issue oriented politicking in America died.

But don’t take my word for it… check out this piece in the New York Times.

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Rudy Giuliani may have written the book on the topic, but Barack Obama is showing everyone how it’s done.

To be a leader is to inspire. Check out the latest inspired work from Will.I.Am.

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I’ve written about style over substance.

I’ve written about how style has started to gain substance and how substance needs some style.

I’ve written about Obama’s ability to inspire and Hillary’s ability to spout political bullshit laced with cliches.

I am starting to think it’s Obama’s time. Here’s the tale of two speeches.

Hillary was out in front when this whole thing started, and orchestrated Super Duper Tuesday to shut down Obama’s momentum and wrap up the race. Well, she may have won NY and California last night, but in the crazy way the DNC calculates things, she’s actually behind in delegates.

This race is not over, and the longer it goes the more people are hearing Yes We Can from Obie and blah blah blah from Hills.

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Want to know why more Americans don’t vote? It’s too damn complicated.

Prior to a general election, there is a selection process to determine which candidate will appear on the ballot for a given political party in the nationwide general election. Political parties generally hold national conventions at which a group of delegates collectively decide upon which candidate they will run for the presidency. The process of choosing delegates to the national convention is undertaken at the state level, which means that there are significant differences from state to state and sometimes year to year. The two methods for choosing delegates to the national convention are the caucus and the primary. [source]

Not only different by state, but different by year?

In Canada, we do it the same way, every time. We elect a local representative, an MP. The party with the most elected MP’s forms government, the leader of that party becomes Prime Minister.

When political parties in Canada choose their leaders, they do so at a convention, just like in the US. But in the States, any registered voter can vote in the lead up to these elections, in Canada only registered party members vote.

Caucuses were the original method for selecting candidates but have decreased in number since the primary was introduced in the early 1900’s. In states that hold caucuses a political party announces the date, time, and location of the meeting. Generally any voter registered with the party may attend. At the caucus, delegates are chosen to represent the state’s interests at the national party convention. Prospective delegates are identified as favorable to a specific candidate or uncommitted. After discussion and debate an informal vote is taken to determine which delegates should be chosen.

There are two main types of primaries, closed or open, that determine who is eligible to vote in the primary. In a closed primary a registered voter may vote only in the election for the party with which that voter is affiliated. For example a voter registered as Democratic can vote only in the Democratic primary and a Republican can vote only in the Republican primary. In an open primary, on the other hand, a registered voter can vote in either primary regardless of party membership. The voter cannot, however, participate in more than one primary. A third less common type of primary, the blanket primary, allows registered voters to participate in all primaries. [source]

Confused yet?

The Canadian system works better because, frankly, it’s simpler. We have one election for our national assembly that also picks our PM.

In the States you have to vote in primaries, not all held concurrently, then you’re called back months later to vote again. When it comes to voting for local representatives in the national assembly, you do that at different times too. Not to mention the times you’re voting for judges, sherriffs, dog catchers, referenda and propositions.

The power may be in the hands of the American electorate, but it’s a little bit of overkill, don’t you think?

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Since cavorting with Team Blogger at CBCs Test The Nation a few weeks back, I have added most of the team to my roll and have been impressed with the Canadian blogosphere.

Today Mighty God King tackles Super Tuesday, and I’m buying what he’s selling.

As a candidate, however, Hillary Clinton is, bluntly, terrible. It doesn’t matter how intelligent and capable and even charming she is; she comes into the presidential election with slightly less than half of the electorate utterly unwilling to vote for her. [source]

Hillary was on Letterman last night, and while she was my girl, I couldnt watch. Fake smiles, speaking in cliches, she reminded me of Chretien. A political pro. So caught up in her own campaign bullshit she can’t see what’s really going on. She’s lost. She has no charisma, just talking points.

Then there’s Obama. I’ve long lamented style over substance, but as MGK puts it, this style is starting to get some consistency.

the overwhelming feeling of all us foreigners towards America right now as regards Obama can most accurately be described as jealousy. Great statesmen are rarities in any nation… every so often a nation gets a truly amazing leader, someone all the other countries look at and wonder “why can’t our leaders be like that” - a Churchill, a de Gaulle, a Trudeau, a Mandela. [source]

If you didnt see the remix Will.I.Am did of Barack’s speech in Iowa, watch it now.

Yes, Canada’s flag may be red and white, but today you can colour us green - with envy.

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Have you ever really thought about how and why you vote the way you do?

Are you Liberal, Republican, New Democrat, Independent, etc because your parents were? Is there one burning issue that supercedes all others that causes you to lean one way, irregardless of the others?

I always thought it was weird that the unions were heavy NDP supporters. The NDP are clear backers of gay rights and marriage, and in the same breath the blue collar boys are rallying around them as “the union friendly party.” Something tells me the union issue superceded the gay issue, when it came to their voting.

The U-S is going through a tumultuous election campaign that started about a war, became about an economy and is slowing degrading into a debate about race and gender. The war and the economy were legitimate “issues,” but in the end, the biggest “issue” facing anyone about to enter a voting booth becomes the most important - charisma.

I’m not eligible to vote in the US election, but like any political junkie I’m standing on the sidelines cheering on my favourite horse. I “thought” it was Hillary Clinton. I don’t know why, I just “liked her best.” I grew up in a Liberal household at the peak of Trudeaumania, so I’ve always sided with the Dems, but honestly my cheering for Hillary had as much thought as to who I will cheer for in the World Series. I didnt analyze anything, I just went with my heart.

Darren Barefoot waded into the issue today, throwing his support behind Barack Obama.

I’m rooting for Obama because he seems like more of a visionary and an agent of change. He’s also the superior orator. That may not make him a better president, but I might have to listen to one of them for the next four or eight years, so I’m going with the better public speaker.[source]

I’m guessing Darren’s always had a liberal attitude, but when it came to deciding who to cheer for, it was charisma that became the big election issue, not the actual issues.

The website GlassBooth.org lets you rate the issues facing the current candidates on level of importance to you. Then it asks you 20 questions based on those issues. It then matches your personal and moral values with the values expressed by the candidates so far in the campaign.

I took a similar poll in the last Canadian election, I should have voted for the Bloc Quebecois. For a vehement nationalist like myself, this was a bitter pill - but I’m guessing my unique combination of liberal and conservative attitudes is reflected by Gilles Duceppe, notwithstanding clause be damned.

In the American example, I’m scheduled to throw my support behind Mike Gravel. I have no idea who he is. I don’t know what he looks like. I have never seen him speak. But according to the survey at GlassBooth.org, he’s the candidate whose values best match mine, at 83%. John Edwards is a 74% match, Hillary is a 73% match.

Mike Gravel isn’t grabbing any newstalk air time. He’s not being featured on Oprah. He may not be the most charismatic candidate in the campaign, but he’s the one that matches my issues the best.

I think all voters should be asked to take a test like GlassBooth.org, instead of voting. You are asked what you believe in, which issues are important and your personal values are then matched with the candidate best reflecting your belief system. Think of it as Lavalife for the Voting Booth.

Something tells me that if we elected officials based on the issue of issues, instead of the issue of charisma, we’d bitch a lot less and have a more effective government.

That said, it will be a cold day in hell before I put an ‘X’ next to a candidate from the BQ.

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No, this man did not want the back of his head to look like a baseball. He was attacked by machete weilding savages in Kenya.

His name is Zacharia Kamau, he’s a victim of the post election violence that has been ravaging his country for the past few weeks.

I saw Shake Hands with the Devil on the way back from Toronto this weekend. It’s the story of Romeo Dallaire’s time in Rwanda. It tells a similar story to Hotel Rwanda.

Basically the nation was tossed aside by the rest of the world as it was ripped apart by genocide and violence. Is the same happening to Kenyans today?

When the municipal elections roll around in November, will you be “too busy” to vote? Will you be largely uniformed and apathetic?

Think of Zacharia and the price he has paid to fight for the right to choose.

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It’s not the Numa Numa guy, otters holding hands, or a skateboarding dog.

It’s a speech. It’s less than 12 hours old, and it will be the most viewed YouTube video of the week, what happens over the next 5 weeks could make it the most watched of the year.

It’s brilliant, yes, personally I think he tried a little hard to channel MLK, but he’s smooth so it works.

Just because you can give a good speech doesnt mean you’ll be a good president. That said, skin colour and skirts don’t make you a good or bad president either. There are issues in this election, everyone still debates the surface stuff. Can we please be color and gender blind and get a reasonable debate on economic and foreign policy issues?

It’s embarassing to see analysts on CNN say that “blacks can now vote for this man because he has momentum.” I didnt know all blacks were cloned and have the same life philosophy, hopes and goals.

Get to the issues, America. Please.

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