American politicians insult the intelligence of their nation

It has been rumoured over the weekend that Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin may play a vital part in restoring the flagging campaign of Republican John McCain by....advancing the wedding of her pregnant teenage daughter Bristol to ice hockey playing Levi Johnston to November 4th. It is confidently expected by Republican insiders that this will restore 'bounce' to the Republican campaign among the American electorate who, apparently, will be so agog with goo-goo salivating over such a cuddly happening that they will all rush out and vote Republican on election day.




The Republican campaign team clearly believes they understand the American national psyche in order to promote this stunt. Are these people serious? They are voting for the most powerful office on earth and they believe voters can be swung by the TV coverage of a pregnant teenager marrying a self-described 'fucking redneck' not much older and clearly twice as stupid. If they are right then the American mentality clearly is as dumb as many Europeans have long suspected.




I hope they are wrong. Mainly because I want an Obama victory but also because I don't want my dearly valued friends in the United States to be stuck with the label of mindless TV besotted idiots whose political choices hinge on the glamour of a teenage wedding, like something out of the worst of soap operas.

Reactions to this 'news' in Britain's 'The Times' have been predictable.

"American stupidity never ceases to amaze - it's quite perplexing to think someone would actually choose to vote for a candidate based on a teenage wedding. I'm very happy though - McCain has chosen a caricature as his VP. I look forward to Obama restoring sanity in Washington." was the reaction of a gentleman from Roskilde, Denmark, while someone local to me in Sutton Coldfield said 'America has become a huge car crash from a particularly dreadful B-Movie'

I hope they're wrong. I hope there are sufficient intelligent, well-balanced American voters who understand the seriousness of the choices they are making in November to vote sensibly, regardless of their choice, but on the policies of the candidates.

But a nagging voice keeps telling me that these party strategists would not come up with such ideas if they didn't believe they could work. And I am also reminded of an observation made many years ago and played up by Sarah Palin. 'America is a nation of small towns', the implication here being that the REAL America values good ol' boys, the family, sentiment and cares not a whit for the views of outsiders or for the machinations of big government. And it's that kind of mentality on which Palin and her backers are playing with this corny idea. She clearly believes it will galvanise 'small town America' behind 'ordinary folks'

Well of course, for a politician aspiring to national office that is a frightening and dangerous card to play. If those parochial values are still deeply rooted in the American psyche and, in fact, dominate it, it makes the nation into a big, cuddly giant which wants to be loved but is painfully ill equipped for the amount of power and responsibility it carries for the future of the world. And that is terrifying for the rest of us.

I desperately hope she is wrong. I desperately hope the American electorate is more mature and sophisticated than that. But there is a nervous tic in my stomach nevertheless!!