The American Election

Rarely has there been such a buz on this side of the Atlantic about an American election. Whoever wins, we are faced with a 'First'; we either see the first black president or the first female vice president and the oldest president starting a first term.

The good old BBC has always covered elections in the USA, but this year's event has seen a huge escalation in coverage, with reports all through the nomination stages, the battle of the Democratic candidates, and the rather worrying alternatives for the Republican candidacy, and finally the run up to the voting today.

Here at home, in our quiet backwater of Shepton, we feel that there's so much at stake and are waiting to see the results with baited breath. There have been suggestions that Obama is light on policy and long on oration. McCain, it has been suggested, is too close to George W Bush (truly the end of an error now). More interesting to me has been the selection of running mates. The Democrats seem to have selected a conservative (small C), safe candidate, bound to appeal to the wasps who might baulk at voting for a black man. Biden has wisely played the quiet but reliable partner to Obama's charisma. The Republicans must have been having a bad hair day. I suppose they must have thought that they could counter the age of McCain with the youth of Palin and his stodgyness with the vibrancy of a young "soccer mom". Good grief, how I wish they would call football by it's proper name. I digress.

So here we are, on the other side of the Atlantic, faced with the prospect of an old man and a corrupt moose hunter on the one hand and a charismatic black man on the other. There isn't a lot of brain power needed to work out what's best, is there? The worrying thing is, how many people will allow their deep-rooted prejudices to surface at the last moment? It was only in 1965 that we saw people of all shades get a free and fair ability vote - that's a scary thought.

As I head off to bed, certain that I won't be able to stay awake for the exit polls and predictions that the political pundits will be making through the night, I send up a plea to my Gods that Obama gets in. He seems to have the energy and will to make necessary changes and to work with the rest of the world, rather than play the despot. The alternative frightens me; McCain already looks older than his advanced years and very weary. Do we really want to contemplate the prospect of one of the world's most powerful nations being run by someone who thinks it's the role of the VP to boss about the Senate, whose taste for using power to settle family scores is proven and who can't tell the difference between the French President and a couple of DJs?

We shall have to wait and see.