Like so many others, I have been watching the evolving political debacle unfolding in the U.S. in advance of the 2012 presidential election. And, like many other non-Americans, I am somewhat perplexed at how the game is played in that great country.
In the not too distant past, at least as far back as I can remember, the selection of a president was fairly straightforward. You had two candidates, usually men of stature who earned respect and trust through a lifetime of honourable deeds and service to their country.
And, generally speaking, they were, during the campaign, able to present their particular approach to governance along with their policies in a reasonably straightforward manner. At least that is how I remember things, probably through the rose-colored memories of youth and the selective memory of yearning for the good old days.
Still, I perceive that something profound and disturbing has entered the game of presidential selection. It appears to me, sitting up here in the insular world of Canadian life, that the American people are being cheated of the ability to choose their leader in a fair and principled manner.
I believe they are being deprived of accurate, balanced and honest information upon which we have come to rely from the newspapers, television networks, broadcasters and now Internet blogs, social networks and I am sure other means with which I am not yet familiar to guide them in marking their ballots for the best candidate.
Let’s face facts. In the last presidential election Barack Obama was swept into office by cheerleading media ranging from CNN and MSNBC to the New York Times, Oprah Winfrey and the cast at Saturday Night Live. Choose your own picks to add to the list.
American voters were robbed of their freedom of choice by lies, distortions, parodies disguised as entertainment, one-sided coverage and bandwagon shills falsely identifying themselves as legitimate reporters.
Do you remember the slogans Obama used during the 2008 campaign? To refresh your memories the key one was “Yes, we can” while the second was “Change.” Nobody dared asked him the logical questions of Yes, we can what? Or Change what? Naturally we cannot tell the king he has no clothes.
So, here we are nearly three years later and you can clearly see the same toadies using the same tactics, the same tactics of giving credence to misinformation and supporting anything and anyone sitting on the left uttering pious platitudes. I’m just now wondering what the slogan of the day will be for 2012? Perhaps something like “Yes, you will” or perhaps “I will, if you won’t.”
Since more Americans have become aware of being duped by their media, another issue has arisen as a result of the media appropriating the democratic election process and substituting it with a vindictive, dishonest and unprincipled system that must be discredited and sidelined before they do it all again .
The issue alluded to in the previous paragraph involves the calibre of credible candidates emerging to challenge the president in 2012. Where are the visionaries? Where are the eloquent orators to fire the imaginations of the American people?
Indeed, where are the firebrands with their calls to action, inspiring a new generation of voters? Where are the men of principle who, like the founding fathers of the American nation, can map out the roadways to peace, prosperity and dignity in our time?
They have yet to be found. Or have yet to come forth. I think the current media behavior, where any who dare sign up to oppose the Obama ticket are immediately ground down, defamed, humiliated or submitted to scurrilous accusations issued from dark places is keeping them away. Who can blame them?
If any of you think this situation has come about by chance, open your eyes and ears and see what you are being force fed.
The media supporters of the current administration will tolerate nothing more than lesser men and women standing in the way of their agenda. They will permit no one to run who can inspire others, exhibit more intelligence, or charisma than the reigning monarch.
The end of world is being predicted to come on Dec. 21, 2012. The prediction is being made based on the ending of the Mayan calendar. While I don’t believe it for a moment, what might be coming to end is the right of American citizens to be honestly informed in order to vote intelligently for their leaders.
