It's elections time!

I have to admit I’m not fond of politics. To tell the truth I don’t understand almost anything and above all I don’t like watching all those debates and discussions which crowd TV-programs and newspapers nowadays. But thanks to this kind of e-tivity I’ve had the opportunity to update my pieces of information about this topic. And if I have to choose, I prefer the atmosphere that surrounds USA presidential elections, because it seems to me to be more like a great party done for the audience, without forgetting traditions and ancestors, rather than an unfair competition between mummies like the Italian one. Undoubtedly derived from the division within my group and not by my personal orientation, I have to expose what I saw and thought when I watched at some videos and when I read some articles on the Republican candidate John McCain.

First of all I want to introduce him a little bit, in order to inform my peers about who their candidates (Obama and Hillary Clinton)have to deal with. McCain is definitely not as young as Obama is, and I read that if elected, he would be the oldest USA President ever. He was the senior US Senator from Arizona, but before this he worked for the Navy and above all he fought in the Vietnam War, enduring almost 6 years as a war prisoner. And it’s this that makes him a kind of national hero and a patriot. He wants to be the successor of George W. Bush and like him he’s totally convinced of his position towards the war in Iraq. His conservative ideology brings him to support school vouchers, capital punishment and welfare reform; he’s against an expanded government role in health care and marriages between homosexuals.

I spent some time watching some videos on McCain and I noticed how much he wants to emphasize his position of a war veteran. The videos looks like movie trailers, completely different from Italian elections’ spot, where politicians simply made a list of their ideas ending with a slogan. Most of the videos I saw show anecdotes of McCain’s experience in Vietnam, like documentaries on his life, trying to underline how important were his actions to build America like we see it now. In spite of his appearance of a tender loving granddad, he is strong in his position and opinions, always referring to faith, courage, leadership and pride. He uses expressions like “never surrender” or “never give in”, as he were still working in the Navy. The slogan I most heard was “we can, we must and when I’m President we will”, obviously comparing to Obama’s “Yes, you can”. He always refers to his supporters calling them "my dear friends" and he never forget to say God bless you and God bless America" at the end of every speech.

Surfing on Youtube I noticed how many videos there are against McCain, as well. I saw one with Black Eyed Peas Music for Obama's campaign, but the protagonists, rather than sing what you can do, sings what you could not do whether McCain will be elected. In some others he addresses in unpolite manners to a NY Times journalist and to a student, calling him "little jerk". But the worst videos I saw are the one where he sings "Bomb, bomb, bomb Iran" and then laugh, like it's a big joke to murder Iranian people and the one in which he refers to Hillary Clinton as a bitch, answering to a question of one of his supporters.

As far as the Italian political elections situation is concerned and the comparison with the American one I can say that beyond the fact that the two candidates (McCain and Berlusconi)for the right side have the same age, they have both the capacity to seduce the audience and above all the ability to seem against the establishment, although they are completely absorbed in it. As here in Italy for Berlusconi, McCain must convince the American public that he’s not too old for the job and that he’s ready to build a more modern country through important reforms. Finally I want to add that whether American politicians express their opinion, without referring to the rival side, the Italian situation is totally different. Politicians always attack the others by saying what they did wrong and what they didn’t, criticizing and accusing them.

Let’s see how it’s going to end!