On Politics...and...tics

It's been a long overdue entry that I have proposed and suggested to my twin. I was very excited on this topic, but then the inevitable has happened. I have been caught in many meetings and important appointments. Work has also added up to my already busy days. So here goes this one...

Two sleeps more and a new president of the most powerful nation in the world will be fated by the millions of Americans. (That is if they decide to take part in this historical event.) Perhaps some would just sit back and wait for the results after having considered that their votes are not as important as those in other states. At first I considered this as very unpatriotic. But after being enlightened by an American friend, I have understood that their system of counting votes is not the same with what we have come to know. However, the U.S. election does not only concern the counting of votes. It covers more than that.

This 2008 U.S Election is a historical one. The Democratic Party is making it so. Its standard bearer, Barack Obama, has been leading the polls, and we know that in the U.S. the polls say a lot about the result of the election. For the first time, a black president may be taking over The White House. How prepared are the Americans to this?

A year ago, I had this discussion with an American friend who was on vacation here. He is half white, one-fourth black and one-fourth Japanese. And having met him opened my eyes to a reality that the most powerful and the most liberal nation in the world still struggles with the issue of discrimination. He was not the first person who has spoken about this. I had a co-teacher before who is half Black and half Filipino. She said that she is an outcast in the States because her color is not as black as BLACK, and she is not also WHITE. The Blacks discriminate her, and so do the Whites.

He said that the American people are not ready yet for neither a black president nor a woman president. The world is, but are they? It made me think... In addition to this, the economic pains in the States has affected all countries. This ignites the election more bringing Obama and McCain into laying down economic plans to their fellow citizens. McCain attacked Obama with an ancient interview six years ago about "redistribution of wealth" in America. However the Obama camp took defense on this. It was a surprise to me to discover that these two presidential candidates would deny such issues. It is foreign to me. However, the American government and politics are more complicated than we know.

The U.S. government could influence many national policies. It could affect the world's economy. It involves all peoples in their elections, not only the Americans. Thus, this brings almost everyone to peeking into the developments on the polls. This election is important even though the leftists and anti-capitalists will surely protest on this.

The United States have a say on the policies of many countries. Its commander-in-chief has on his shoulders crucial decisions because the consequences of such is felt althroughout the world. When President Gloria Arroyo retracted the Philippine troop from Iraq because of the Filipino hostage held by the Iraqi rebels. Their condition was that the life of the Filipino would be spared if the small Philippine troop was pulled out. The Filipino was set free, but a Korean life has not been spared. South Korea has not given in to the insurgents' demand. However, for that one life that has been given back to him and his loved ones, persecutions from many world leaders have been the consequence. The relationship between Bush and Arroyo was tainted and put to test.

It would still be many years that the U.S. will be taking the world over. This is a painful realization and a very difficult one to accept, but it is a fact that we have to live with. Patriots in each country will still fight for freedom from the American "influence", but many will let each day pass by trying to survive. I admire those who have the passion for reform but I also understand those who react passively to what's happening in the government. Their survival and their family's are essential and are what matter more...at the moment.

Therefore, the new president of the U.S. is not only an American concern but of the world as well. Many lives depend on his every decision, one way or the other.