I do not know how much you know about the status of western democracies and their elections. The more you read about them, the more you learn about the failure of western democracy and party system- which is where such democracies end up.
There is a book by a famous American novelist called Howard Fast. He is an eminent novelist with rather leftist inclinations, at least leftist in an American perspective. It seems that anyone who cares a bit about justice and social welfare and the like and talks or writes about them is a leftist.
Fast wrote a book called “The American,” which relates the story of someone who’s left their country in Eastern Europe and crossed the Atlantic, going through a lot to arrive at the United States with other European immigrants, looking for jobs to make ends meet. According to U.S. law, anyone born in the United States of America is considered American, that is to say, he or she is given U.S. citizenship. So they get him an American ID card although his parents were not American.
In this book, the author narrates how the protagonist goes through the different stages of growing up, progressing, training in the judicial system, going to law school, becoming a lawyer and finally entering election campaigns. In the introduction, the author says that the novel is based on a true story and is an account of the life of a famous governor in a certain state in America.
Reading this book, one can realize what elections really are! For an individual who wants to live in a logic-based society, such criteria makes absolutely no sense. It begins with local elections, and goes on to gubernatorial elections, House elections, Senate elections and Presidential elections. Those who play no role in the elections are the people! The ones who cast ballots! Those who come to ballot boxes to vote play absolutely no role.
The clubs where the candidates are introduced are totally distinct from people and are not related to the grassroots. For instance, from the democratic club of one of the states, how is a person chosen to pass through all levels to reach the congressional elections or presidential elections? It’s a complicated and peculiar process; one can observe and find that it doesn’t conform to a genuine, humane criteria. The political parties play it all. Impudence, panning others, being rich, having the support of the Zionists, good looks and an active and attractive spouse help in the process of being selected as candidates. This is what the party system means in the U.S..
Statements at a question and answer session with directors and editors of students magazines; February 23, 1999
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