[Excelsior, Mexico]

Folha, Brazil

The U.S. Presidential Election:

The Greatest Show on Earth …

"The spectacle of American democracy in the process of restoring itself will rival the Beijing Olympics as the major event scheduled for 2008. … Between the democracy that invented the Internet and The Simpsons and the dictatorship that manufactures everything from bolts to super-athletes, I'll choose the former."

By Sérgio Malbergier

Translated By Brandi Miller

January 10, 2008

Brazil - Folha - Original Article (Portuguese) 

The American elections have gotten off to an electrifying start. After seven years of George W. Bush, war on terror and global anti-Americanism, the people of the United States have shown that they're eager for change, which is something already guaranteed by the candidates, both Democratic and Republican.

None represent continuity. The vision that drove the Bush Administration post-September 11th, which was that the U.S. is the undisputed power that deserves to be in that position, and that it should exercise its imperial power to eliminate potential threats preventatively, collapsed along with order in Iraq.

Iraq and the war on terror, which were Bush's fulcrums (along with his active pro-business policies), are no longer the principle topics of electoral discussion. Instead, these center on domestic issues and speak precisely about change. Even if the words sound less true coming from the mouth of Hillary Clinton - the Democratic representative of the establishment - it is undeniable that there's a big difference between her and Bush.

The two primaries so far - in Iowa [which was actually a caucus] and New Hampshire - enjoyed the robust participation of the population. The debate goes on openly and the races are tight for both Democrats and Republicans. Amongst the protagonists, the Democrats could take the White House with the first woman (Hillary) or the first African descendent (Barack Obama). In the Republican corner, a cranky former prisoner from the Vietnam War (John McCain) and a controversial former New York mayor (Rudy Giuliani) lend color to the battle.

The fun is guaranteed, even if we don’t have the governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger, in the main cast. The budget guarantees a major production. Hillary has raised way over $90 million. Obama, who electrifies the young, is right behind with $80 million. Among Republicans, Mitt Romney leads with $62 million, followed by Giuliani with $47 million.

This multi-million-dollar spectacle is followed every minute by megasites and political gigablogs and the ever-increasing histrionics of 24-hour news channels. Of the debates that take place with all candidates present, the most interesting is the CNN-YouTube partnership, with questions selected from thousands of videos sent in by Internet users.

The first primaries have already shown above-average participation of voters, and the results only begin to mount after Super Tuesday, February 5th - when primaries are held in 22 states across America.

American democracy - pioneering and radical - has restored its luster, after being obfuscated by some of the Bush Administration’s abuses brought on by its difficult asymmetrical fight against terrorist bestiality.

Based on libertarian and utilitarian principles, for example that individual freedom can be infringed only if the action of the individual harms others, the spectacle of American democracy, in the process of restoring itself, will rival the Beijing Olympics as the major event scheduled for 2008.

Between the democracy that invented the Internet and The Simpsons and the dictatorship that manufactures everything from bolts to super-athletes, I'll choose the former.

Click Here for Portuguese Article