So what's
the view of Beijing to the recent 2010 midterms? Not only do the U.S. elections
appear unlikely to encourage China to set aside dictatorship for pluralism,
according to this article for China's state-run Beijing Times, America
itself would be better off reconsidering how its 'so-called democracy' should
run.
The dust has begun to settle on
this week's intense U.S. midterm elections. The Republican Party has seized the
House of Representatives from Democratic hands, while Democrats preserved their
hold on the Senate by a narrow margin. One might infer that faced with such a
divided and chaotic Congress for the rest of his term, it will be extremely
difficult for President Obama to put his hands and feet to effective use.
Two years ago, huge numbers
of Americans were big backers of Obama's slogan of "change," but
fast-forward to today and the mythical, godlike president has fallen from his
altar because he has systematically failed to honor many of his promises. In
fact, as many have noted, a large number of Americans voted just to say
"no" and express disappointment with him.
Of course, they appear
disappointed with more than Obama, for despite the bad report card for Obama
and the Democratic Party and Republican success at harnessing the "anger
vote," Republicans don't seem to know or want to know how to resolve
America's great problems, like how to reduce the ever-increasing unemployment
rate. In the words of a certain Republican leader [Mitch McConnell], the most
important task for his party in the next two years is to "ensure Mr. Obama
is a one-term president."
Defeating Obama and the
Democratic Party may be a victory for Republicans, but one party's victory over
another has precious little meaning to ordinary American people. Long and
intense disputes over trivial matters between the two parties will deliver none
of the things that people want. On the contrary, when the change in power is
reduced to two election machines attacking one another, so-called democracy
becomes a farce - and one that demands the spending of a lot of dollars.
Data show that during the
2010 midterm elections, the two parties "fought" away at least $40
billion - a figure nearly equal to the 2008 presidential election. But among
the avalanche of advertisements and speeches, there was nothing new about this
electoral "string of pearls that made gold seem like iron." Apart
from discrediting one another, the two parties did nothing but play up the
China card. In their campaign ads, a large number of candidates angrily accused
their opponents of "sympathizing with China" and hence contributing
to the decline of the United States. These hackneyed anti-Chins tunes have worn
people's ears out, but proves that the two parties have neither any good tricks
up their sleeves nor good cards in their hands. After seeing this "major
event in the people's political life" devolve into a boring war of words
between political parties, it's not hard to understand why Americans' trust in
their government has fallen to a record low, and why 43 percent of those
surveyed consider the American dream to be a thing of the past.
Posted
by WORLDMEETS.US
American scholars have
pointed out that "replacing a few chess pieces on the board" (after
the midterm elections) will bring very little change to the United States. In
fact, "replacing the most important piece on the board" (presidential
election) is unlikely to bring much change, either. Because the rules of the
game haven't changed, i.e.: "whoever Wall Street money flows toward,
wins" and "behind the verbal wars are a mountain of advertising and
packaging fees." Lying to the people and writing "blank checks,"
dumping dirty water over opponents, and finding "scapegoats" and
"punching bags" in the international community haven't changed
either. Under such rules, the elections were quite lively, but the "show,"
rather than reflecting reality, shows that the American disease continues to
spread.
To govern a great power, one cannot rely on pop song style slogans, nor can it depend on political parties or politicians who constantly play "king of the mountain." Just as Japan wasn't able to emerge from recession by changing prime ministers like one changes clothes, Americans can hardly rely on an "empty dumplings" like an electioneering show to revive its economy. The problem is that the U.S. needs exert considerable effort, time and pay the long-term costs of improving their own situation. Yet during the election, politicians just wanted to pull in votes as quickly as they could, with Republicans wanting to misplace Democrats by waving the banner of emotional, short-term considerations. Hence, the American Dream seemed farther and farther away from an annoyed and disappointed people.
Posted
by WORLDMEETS.US
The root of the American
disease is Wall Street money. Replacing individuals or a political party won't
solve the deep-seated problems that exist in the U.S. economy and society. Busy
with factional strife and extended political chaos will only accelerate
America's decline.
The reality is that amidst an
economic and financial crisis, the U.S. doesn't have a superior or credible
political system for improving the economy or people's livelihoods. Expecting
America's self-styled democracy to reform itself to overcome its economic
difficulties can only be called a fantasy.
