King Obama?

I’ve been fascinated by the upcoming US Presidential election; in fact one of my favorite pastimes while living in the states was to ask new people I’d met what they thought of the candidates

-The pastor, Huckabee
-The African American, Obama
-The long-suffering wife, Hillary
-The Mormon, Romney
-The war veteran, McCain

It has been quite the journey to see McCain, the veteran, be drawn against Obama, the upstart. The running joke in Australia for the last 4 years has been that the rest of the world should get to vote, because they care more about the outcome than most Americans. One of the advantages of living in a nation like Australia is that our size, immigration and place in the world make us much interested in the outcome of international relations. Certainly the reception that Obama received in Berlin a few weeks ago indicated much of the sentiment in the western world; that it is time the Americans made some changes. From this part of the world, Obama seems like the best hope of implementing change, even if it is symbolic.

Another quirk of our culture is that our head of state is a Queen. Her majesty Queen Elizabeth II is our head of state and even has a special seat for when she visits our Parliament. The American President, when you break it down, is much like a democratically elected King or Queen. He is the head of state, the symbol of the nation. I come from a country where the public sentiment is to deride the elected politicians, but to always show respect to the Queen. Our Prime Minister, who effectively governs the nation, is booed every time he appears at a sporting event. It doesn’t matter which party he represents; he gets booed. I assumed this sentiment would apply to the President of the USA, but earlier this year found out I was wrong. I was at a conference where a former president was being interviewed. As he finished, everyone in the room stood up and applauded him; except me. My mouth was formed ready to boo; luckily I realized I might be deported if I did, and I showed some restraint.

At first I thought I was surrounded by Republicans; then I realized that people were applauding the symbol, not his policies. This was a former head of state, an equivalent of King. Even those who disagreed with his policies still stood to honor what he represented.

So it has dawned on me that the American election is as much about the symbol of the nation as it is about the running of the nation. Some people could sadly never accept an African-American or woman in this role. Some demand a person who represents hope & change. Some demand a leader who holds to the same moral code they do. Others simply want an experienced, seasoned leader as the head of state. It will certainly be an interesting few months.