Saturday, October 11, 2008

A note on the American Presidential Election Campaign

I grew up with the European political system, and although I understand it and have studied it, I have great trouble identifying with the American political structure. I know there are specific reasons why it is the way it is, but still, from my perspective, there’s something very obscure about such a large country having to choose a new president from only two candidates, both of which represent views I have trouble seeing how somebody could completely, etirely agree with.

The way the political system has developed in the US, coupled with the country’s social structure, which is based on individuality, makes it so very different from Sweden, where the individual is part of a society that is homogenous and strong. Rights, freedom and society have completely different meanings in these two countries.

Even a lot of Sweden’s far-right conservatives have a much more liberal view on the role of the government than the American Democratic Party. Therefore, it’s not surprising to find that a survey among the Swedish members of the parliament reveals that 83% of them would like to see Barack Obama be elected American president in November. And Sweden has – for the moment - a conservative government, mind you. Even the prime minister of Sweden, an adamant conservative, has publicly announced that he would like for Barack Obama to win. Mainly, the conservatives agree with senator McCain on issues that related to economy and trade, but as soon as it comes to foreign politics and most of all family matters, most Swedes will think of McCain as an extremist in league with the Swedish National Party or the Christian fundamentalists (which are very few in Sweden).

What do I think? I think American politics is best left for the American people to deal with. From a personal stand point, when I move back to the US, I would like to be able to exercise the same rights as in any other country I’ve ever lived; complete personal freedom and a system that supports the rights and needs of its citizens.
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