U.S. President Barak Obama is facing a nail biting day as Amercians go to the polls to vote for the entire House of Representatives, one-third of the Senate and for some State Governors as well. After his democratic party swept to power with him only two year ago, both he and his party's popularity has noze-dived. Pollsters and forecasting that at least the lower chamber, the House of Representatives, will be won by the Repulicans, and possibly the Senate as well. This would make it very tough for Obama get any of his legislation through over the next two years, weakening his powers considerably.
It's extraordinary to think that just 24 months ago this man was riding so high in the opinion polls. When he won the presidency, there was sense that he could almost walk on water. He entered the White House as a refreshing symbol of change, propelled by the slogan, Yes We Can! His campaign raised huge expectation. His problem is that they were unrealistic, and with the economy in the doldrums many people, including his supporters and unhappy. It's hard for many people struggling to make ends meet to see what changes have been made.
They have lots of elections in the U.S. and I have been there for many voting days. There's almost a festive mood on these occasions with last-minute campaigning and the airwaves crammed with a crazy amount of crazy political commericals, mostly attempting to demonise the opposition. Alas, even in a land so enthusiastic about democracy, image and emotion tend to overshadow substantive debate. Today, I will follow what's happening from Prague. I fear that the political landscape will have signficantly changed by the time i next visit the US, probably later this month.
As I go to bed, I rememeber that voters in California are also being asked to decide on whether to legalise Cannabis. When I wake up tomorrow morning, will San Francisco have dissapeared under a cloud of pot smoke? At least Obama could console himself with a lovely big spliff, if his party does badly.
Grandpa Jonathan
Prague, Czech Republic
