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The twists and turns of the 'Bail Out' combining with the Presidential and Vice Presidential debates give special insight into the inner and real workings of part of America's political system.

The Republican President sent a Bill to Congress and got mayhem.  A majority of Republican Party Congressmen voted against President Bush's bill while a majority of Democratic Party Congressmen voted for the Bill. A twisted turnaround.

Rejected by Congress, the Bill then went up to the U.S. Senate. In the Westminster System, this would not happen. If an Act 'dies' in the Lower House, it goes no further.  But in the American system, the Senate can initiate action. So this happened.

More pork added

The Senate debated, added some 'pork', passed the Bill, and sent it back to Congress. Congress then added a bit more 'pork' and then all those Republicans who at first voted against it now voted for it. Of course, the Bill had a large number of amendments which helped make this version more acceptable to everybody. So after twisting and turning and doubling back on itself, and working its way up, down, and up the legislative chambers, President Bush's 'Bail Out' Bill was finally passed.

This route to successful passage was far more complicated than in the simpler Westminster System. The Bill's passage was strongly reminiscent of the kind of to-ing and fro-ing that was so common between the Monarchs of England and the English House of Commons back in the 18th Century - when Kings George I, II and III ruled.

With regard to the debates, I thought the first Presidential Debate was closer to a genuine debate than the later Biden-Palin affair.  I thought that Obama and McCain were closer to actually offering real alternate views on issues; while the whole Biden-Palin affair seemed like a badly scripted play.

Watching and listening to Palin, I thought that she had arrived with a script and would not depart from her script - virtually saying as much in her first few opening sentences. Like everyone else in America, I was aware that her real task in that debate was not to make political points; instead, her task was to not make any egregious errors.

Palin made no big mistakes. So Palin survived to campaign another day.

The media hype leading up to all three debates, coupled with the varying non-content of the debates reminded me that the whole debate setting and reality is probably done far more as entertainment and as a means of involving the electorate than for getting out hard opinions. For America, involving the electorate seems important.

America has a long history of low voter turnout. As few as 50 per cent of registered American voters turn out to cast their ballots. For this 2008 election though, most pundits are predicting a higher turnout than usual. So maybe all that entertaining has purpose and achieves a result.

On Sunday September 7th, the U.S.'s northern neighbours dissolved their Parliament and called a national election. On Tuesday, October 14, Canadians will vote and select a new national government. Canadians will have spent about six weeks in national argy-bargy and on Wednesday October 15, Canada will have a new national government.

South of the Canadian border, Americans will still be slogging and slagging for another twenty days which will see the culmination of over two years of candidate announcements, primary voting, national conventions, national campaigning, then a national vote.

In 2008, the American system of leader selection is displaying itself to the full as probably the world's longest and most torturous electing process.

And at the end of it all, America can still end up with a 'Dubya' clone.[[In-content Ad]]

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