The circus is in town...

... And it is called the US presidential elections. So if you have not been following it then you must! One of my friends said that he is not an American and he doesn’t live in the US so why bother. The country that many of us love to hate, has the power to change our lives even though we are thousands of miles away – here’s how: The US is a democracy so the power in question lies with the people of that country. People wield their power for those issues which bother them. And there is a chance that the issues which (don’t?) bother them may be the issues which bother you and me. Since either way I am going to be affected, I may as well a part of this circus.

I think we will finally have an election with issues beyond the standard ones such as health care and abortion. It is heartening to see wider issues such as climate change and Iraq are finally beginning to bother the then Americans. There is an initiative to organize a science debate between the presidential candidates. The list of signers (which includes a number of Nobel laureates, government leaders, business leaders etc.) is quite impressive. The possible topics for debate include climate change, conservation, and species loss amongst others. It will be nice to see the future American president making an effort to understand these issues – even if that attempt is geared towards garnering votes.

We live in a politically correct world. People are so scared to even say “Race and Gender” that they aren’t willing to discuss issues arising from them. The US takes pride in how much progress, as a nation, it has made in reducing the differences arising from gender and race. Well, a very good test is around the corner. We can almost certainly expect polarization on those lines. So much so that the philosophical differences (which aren’t something to write home about anyway) between the two main parties are taking a back seat. It will be interesting to see how the country deals with this phenomenon.

Here’s an interesting thought: We will probably have a hung democratic primaries. So Ms. Clinton could do a pact with Mr. Obama and offer him the position of a running mate. When I mentioned it to a friend, she said that the only realistic chance that either of them may have is if they have a redneck as a running mate! In a country that is not ready for a woman or an African-American president, it may seem like a far-fetched idea. However, there is no harm in hoping for it especially when it has the potential to be the most amazing act of this circus. So grab your ticket and run for a front seat since the first act of the circus has just begun...