I have
always had a strong fascination for American politics.
In 1967, when given the
choice to immigrate to a new country, my father chose Canada while the rest of
his siblings choose the United States of America. Thus, the imaginary line of
the 49th parallel separate me from my extended family. Although I cannot
claim to fully understand how the American political system works, I am drawn
to its lively banter driven by a deeply embedded belief in free speech, it's
charismatic leadership and the sharp left and right wing party divisions. I
have found myself watching the televised presidential debates in the last few
weeks - not for reasons for nothing else to watch on TV but rather due to my
beliefs that what happens in America impacts us as
Canadians.
With the federal election
only one week away I have found my interest intensified in looking at how technology and social media is used in the political realm. More specifically, I wanted to see
how Obama is using it to support his campaign.
Out of curiosity I took
the time to search out Barack Obama's Official Election Blog as well as his
Tumblr site (http://www.barackobama.com/news
and http://barackobama.tumblr.com/).
Both are chock full of media and content related to key election issues (ex.
healthcare, unemployment/job creation, and finances). Not surprising, it also
has endorsements from well-known political figures as well as the “everyday”
American urging voters to re-elect Obama into his second term. They also
contain focused video footage of Obama on the campaign trail.
Current projections of
election results have voters split between Obama and Romney, making this election
too close to declare a front-runner. Every American media
source, whether print or digital has in the last few months has narrowed down
its scope and content to center upon the election. However, with the unexpected
arrival of Hurricane Sandy this weekend, election news and focus have been
temporarily put on hold.
As I watch the news on
CNN, the criticism for each candidate in altering his campaign travel plans in
response to the storm surprises me. From this, I am again reminded of how
highly Americans value free speech. Obama (as he is still President) needs to
attend to his presidential duties while Romney continues to speak at scheduled events.
Whether this will work out in the favor of either candidate is to be seen.
Obama’s handling of this weather event will either boost the likelihood of his
reelection or undermine it. Hurricane Sandy has added an unexpected element to this election.
As a proud
Canadian, I continue to work out my fascination with American politics.
- Is it because we are constantly inundated with American news?
- Is it because social media has made it readily accessible to us?
- Is it because a large part of my family is American?
1 comment:
Hi Nancy,
I'm impressed with your navigation of social media in order to feed your interest in politics! In response to your question as to why we are so fascinated with American politics, I think we are so immersed in it culturally through technology that we can't ignore it. I also think that we still hold a view of,"following big brother". There are realistic concerns about how the American economy and political establishment effect Canadians. Yes, I will be watching the results next week along with you.
Cheers,
Diana
Post a Comment