stilgar wrote:This is an interesting topic, so if I may ...
Sure you may, i am always interested in hearing people's opinion in these things
Well, there was great deal of interest about the elections here in Europe. I've seen quite a few TV programma's covering various aspects of US society, economy in particular. Many here lived, worked, or have friends in US, so generally there is a great deal of understanding of challenges US faces.
I would caution you about taking all that you hear in the european media as truths, usually European media have strong biases against Republicans who see the European socialist model as a failed model and want to prevent the USA from following that path. I recently read a few editorials in "the Guardian", i have never seen anything more biased, i was about to puke.
I might not understand the reasons of your reaction on Obama's reelection, VC, but was there a better akternative?
Yes Romney was definitely better.
I do not see how Romney or republicans would make next 4 years other than years of decline. I agree that Obama was probably elected for the first run due lack of any competiton from republican camp and is far from a charismatic and sobre leader US needs right now. Romney did look like a better opponent and I felt Obama could loose as he more of a form than content, but "new americans" and probabaly quite a few "old americans" voted Obama in the end. You may see that differently, but if viewed from outside, Romney and the Republicans were simply too vague about how exactly they would get US out of the current financial situation.
So many things to say here.
1/ Romney was not vague about what he would do, he had pages of plans for the economy on the website, few people bother to go read those. You cannot go into much detail in a debate, you will lose your audience. A majority of americans have no clue about some economy concepts, a majority now does not even know how to balance it's household budget, they buy stuff they cannot afford, they get in debt, they spend all that they make.... Getting into lengthy economic lectures will bore people and lose them.
I cannot even get my wife to listen to me for 5 min about our expenses and my worries for our future, after 2 min of talking politics she is bored as hell and she is a smart and educated woman, but she represents the majority of the people of this country. They are uninformed and they vote on likability.
2/ Obama had no plan himself for the next 4 years. All his campaign was about demonizing Romney, in such thug ways that should be well below the office of the presidency. He ran the dirtiest campaign ever recorded, not promising any hope or change anymore, but just denigrating a good man. Where ws his plan for a better future?
3/The USA does not need a charismatic sterile leader who cannot get anything done, not only that, he is slowing the recovery in this country. What the USA needs is a leader that knows how to lead and get things done.
Romney build a company from the ground up, he is a self made man, he made millions. The wealth his father left him, he gave to charity. He helped turn around failing companies and made them profitable, companies like 'Staples' that is household name in the USA.
He saved the Olympics in Utah at a time where everything was going badly, he was a governor of a democratic state, he worked with the democratic legislature to improve the state, reduced its 3 billion dollar deficit and left it with a 2 billion dollar surplus.
That is an impressive resume, what achievement could obama claim? He wrote 2 auto biographies without having accomplished anything?
Btw, I agree on the comment of "new americans" taking over, and accumulation of issues, which had to be addressed years ago. Well, this is not just US problem, it is pretty much characteristic to western world. Additionally, US is no more big or strong enough to swim against globalization and global trends. Economical recovery is no more solely in hands of americans, although their fate is still in their hands.
The reason the United States remained a beacon of hope for others, people like me who would have had a much easier time going to Europe but chose the long and hard way but come to the united states, was because of the free market policies they have.
It is also because they believe in the right of the individual and not the collective. It is because of the atmosphere that let's you pursue whatever you fancy, you might fail but you might strike oil and become filthy rich.
There is social mobility in the USA, you can be dirt poor and become wealthy in this country, it is not so in Europe, at least not in a legal process.
This president and the democratic party are turning this country into a country of moochers. They promise people free stuff, they tell them it is their right to get free stuff and it should be 'FAIR' to get the money to pay for it from people that work.
When the balance tips, and this is close, where there are more moochers than producers, we are going to be in a world of hurt, like in greece and other European economies. My gut feeling says that unless something changes, unless this president starting caring about our national debt and stop adding to it, we will be greece in 4 years.
VC