World view on election 2000
The 2000 Presidential Election will go down in the history books as one of the greatest tests of democracy our country has ever seen. The country as a whole watches and waits for the winner to be declared. However, the United States is not the only country preoccupied with the election, the rest of the world ponders and waits as well. The final outcome of the election will affect the entire world as a whole. However, as of now, the world is not looking for guidance, it is looking at the United States election for comic relief. Countries like England, China, Japan, Russia and Canada are all getting their fill of America's election humor pie. The entire continent of Europe is amused at our failure to produce a president elect right away. The Mirror is a London based liberal publication that is circulated daily. It has spent most of its time focusing on how the election has panned out thanks to the incompetence of the United States election process. They have even gone as far as to question, "How could Gore blow it? On paper, he should have won by a comfortable margin, perhaps 10 percent or more" (Internet 1). The mirror also commented on the qualifications of Vice President Al Gore, "his (Gore's) resume shows him far more
The Chinese have taken a much more serious approach to the election fiasco. There are not as many satirical publications in China due to the fact that they are communist, public opinion is not valued near as much as it is in the states or other countries. However, journalists in China feel that "The Supreme Court will go to extra lengths to appear politically impartial, but even it cannot be seen as neutral, given that judicial appointments are a president's lasting legacy" (Internet 5). China might have taken the serious approach, but do not count them out to get their licks in too. Another journalist from the South China Morning Post stated this, "Personally, I think the American political system is like American football. It may look crazy, but it works for them" (Internet 5). To one journalist from the South China Morning Post the problem revealed by the electoral impasse in the US is "inadequate separation of the Judiciary from the political process" (Internet 5). Judges might want to be thought of as trying to apply the law in an independent manner, but in the real world as in the popular and media perception judges mainly reflect the political biases of those who appoint or elect them. "The politicization of judicial positions has always been a fact of life in the US, but an issue such as this makes people realize that saying "leave it to the courts" is not necessarily going to satisfy (Internet 5). "In a story that ran with a Belgrade, Yugoslavia, dateline, The Onion, a satirical Web site, "reported" this week that Serbia's new president, Vojislav Kostunica, had decided to dispatch more than 30,000 peacekeepers to the U.S., pledging full support to the troubled North American nation as it struggles to establish democracy" (Internet 2). An anecdote on a Russian Website proposes a marquee 12-round boxing match to be held in Madison Square Garden to resolve the presidential "imbroglio." But others, like the stand-up British comic Sean Meo, who is well quoted in many British publications, look well beyond the boxing ring. They say the presidential limbo could have more dire implications for the American electorate - and the rest of the planet. "If aliens landed now and asked you to take them to your leader, we'd be in trouble." (Internet 4) In Russia the mood is somewhat the same as it is in China. They are taking a more critical view on the election as well. An editor of the Russia Journal spoke of the whining that came all through the night on CNN, and other domestic TV networks, as they rushed the vote counting process and broadcast incorrect and incomplete results. "When it became clear that in their haste, the anchors had completely misread the outcome of the race, the journalists proceeded to pull out all sorts of self-justifications- worried more about the damage to their precious egos than the unique democratic outcome they were witnessing" (Internet 6). Russia knows that "Americans take their vote seriously (Internet 6)." The
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Approximate Word count = 2010
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)
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