This sense of probity extends beyond the urns. In France, no campaigning or advertising is allowed during the final 24 hours before the voting booths open up. This is a time for sober reflection and earnest discussions with those whom you respect, not last minute stadium appeals from wily hucksters. Exit polls are also forbidden to be released or discussed in the media, until all the voting booths around the world have finished voting. France extends to North and South America, the Pacific and the Indian Ocean, so this information has to wait a while on election day. However, this ban is getting harder to enforce, what with Twitter, blogs and Facebook.
Voter participation
An election cannot give a country a firm sense of direction if it has two or more national parties which merely have different names but are as alike in their principles and aims as two peas in the same pod . Franklin D. Roosevelt
I guess the MBA way to look at which system has the best performance is voter participation. In this year's presidential election, 80% of all French voters went through the urns to vote, which is impressive indeed. And no, not just in the first round when there were 10 different candidates. Eighty percent also voted when there were only Hollande on the left and Sarkozy on the right in the second round. Now that is jaw dropping! But when you think about it, it is not that surprising, since France got to choose between two very different political platforms about where to take the country for the next five years, as well as the two men are personally as different as day and night.
Unlike in America, one does not get the impression that these candidates are being bought like well trained, obedient show dogs, but truly stand for contrasting and honorable differences about what it means for French society, its economy, culture and international relations. France passes the MBA test because there is a real reason to vote one way or the other.
In 2008, everybody was giddy that Obama helped draw out over 56% of all voters, the highest level since 1968. Traditionally, Americans vote in the low fifties to choose their president. In 2008, if 80% had voted like in France, 52,000,000 more Americans would have been enfranchised.
And that is the whole point. Let's be honest. Wall Street and their lapdog minions in Congress, the Senate, the White House, the Supreme Court and more and more state governments and judges don't want all these Americans voting. Because if they did, the United States would more than likely look a lot different than it does now, and not in favor of these power elites.
+++
Next Page 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
3
2
1
