It’s a weird situation that speaks volumes when you are more scared about a political party and their leader getting into power in a foreign country than you are in who does get in in your own country!
UK politics had become progressively more centrist since the New Labour (left-wing party) stole the focus group approach from Clinton’s campaign strategists. This has meant that political parties spend a lot of time researching the beliefs and desires of the important swing voters in the middle and less time appeasing their grass roots core support who will never vote for the opposition. This has resulted in a fairly obvious movement of the main parties towards the centre of the political spectrum.
On the other hand, the US parties and political system seems to have done precisely the opposite. No more is there space, it seems (especially on the Republican right-wing) for the moderate Republican. These were views from Republicans that, to me, sum up their massive issues as a party, expressed by members at the ‘victory speech party’ that never was, for Romney. They were interviews by channel 4 News (UK) to young Republicans:
“THE REPUBLICANS NEED TO GET THEIR ACT TOGETHER IN TERMS OF SUPPORTING WOMEN MORE, STATING OUT OF THEIR PRIVATE LIVES, AND GETTING BACK TO THE ORIGINAL FOUNDATION OF THE PARTY… SMALL GOVERNMENT AND STAY OUT OF PEOPLE’S LIVES”
“I THINK THE REPUBLICANS NEED TO LEAVE RELIGION AT THE DOOR, GET IT OUT OF THEIR POLITICS, AND COME IN AND MAKE RATIONAL AND LOGICAL DECISIONS BASED ON REAL LIFE.”
“Is there a younger generation of the Republican Party?”
“i AM THE YOUNGER GENERATION OF THE REPUBLICAN PARTY.”
With those views, they might have a future. Democracy will profit form there being more parties int he States, and more choice. After all, isn’t that part of the American capitalist dream?
The scary event of the Republicans winning has more consequence for the modern global world wee live in than whether Conservatives or Labour or Lib Dem get in in the UK.
