Dear USA - Why are the goods on offer of such poor quality?

[Tigers!]

Dear USA
As an interested outsider I look at your circus acts known as the primaries and are alternatively bemused, appalled, horrified, terrified etc.
In a population of >300 million is H. Clinton, B. Sanders and D. Trump the best you have to offer?

Speaking from the not-so-safe zone of Australia I look at them and wonder.

Some comments (feel free to expand or ignore as you desire)

1. Clinton - Are you so bereft of new talent that you have to recycle the name Clinton? I thought you septics were opposed to dynastic families? She has enough baggage to sink the Titanic. Try as I might I cannot find any achievement of hers except for an indefatigable appetite for self-promotion. If she has some achievement worth of note please reply soonest.

2. B. Sanders - You septics go on about Sanders as if he was new and exciting or somehow brave. Come to Australia (or the UK for that matter) and you will discover that every union leader sounds like Sanders (and disturbingly they look remarkably similar). We tolerate them, occasionally listen to them, allow them to be elected to parliament (in a safe seat naturally) but would never let them be head of government.

3. D. Trump - What can I say? Not much. We had a premier (of the state of Qld - I am looking at you master Bilby ) that is our closest approximation to your dear Donald. He was scatter-brained too but had a coherence that Trump lacks. Tell Trump to look on Youtube for Sir Joh Belke-Peterson's press conferences. And pay attention on how to run a press conference and yet say nothing.

If you cannot find any candidates with substance could you please build that wall that Trump wants and leave the rest of us alone and in peace?

Yours sincerely

Australia

 

[bleubird]

It's its complex.History,as they say is written by the victor.USA politics is a weird mix of circus,myth,Hollywood,Zane Gray,John Wayne.
Our biggest problem is our election system.Electoral College?WTF is that?Our system fosters corruption.
Don't get rid of the penny cause the zink lobby.

 

[Tom Sawyer]

Also, the election lasts a year and a half. Most quality people are busy.

 

[untermensche]

1. Clinton - Are you so bereft of new talent that you have to recycle the name Clinton? I thought you septics were opposed to dynastic families? She has enough baggage to sink the Titanic. Try as I might I cannot find any achievement of hers except for an indefatigable appetite for self-promotion. If she has some achievement worth of note please reply soonest.

You seem to think the citizens have something to do with who runs.

She is married to the ex-president, but that is not the extent of her resume. Of course without that she is never Senator or SoS.

She was a Senator and the Secretary of State. That is HER record, and IMO it is not very good.

2. B. Sanders - You septics go on about Sanders as if he was new and exciting or somehow brave. Come to Australia (or the UK for that matter) and you will discover that every union leader sounds like Sanders (and disturbingly they look remarkably similar). We tolerate them, occasionally listen to them, allow them to be elected to parliament (in a safe seat naturally) but would never let them be head of government.

Your ignorance shows when you talk about his looks.

What he represents and what those union leaders represent is the voice of the people as opposed to the voice of the rich and powerful.

You prefer the voice of the rich and powerful for some reason, and buy into their contempt for ordinary working people, the foundation of society.

 

[braces_for_impact]

There is a tendency to think of our two political parties as being of the people, and part of our constitutional political process. They are not. In our federalist papers, you can read where the founders tell us to be wary of "factions". While we do vote (rarely) who we vote for is sometimes not up to us. Whether democrat or republican, the party's first allegiance is to the party itself, not the government or the people. This is why you have super-delegates and so on.

In any case, our apologies for bothering you so much. I doubt a wall would accomplish what several thousand miles of sea water will not. Consider it backsies for shipping your bat-shit evangelicals over here.

 

[SimpleDon]

Dear USA
As an interested outsider I look at your circus acts known as the primaries and are alternatively bemused, appalled, horrified, terrified etc.
In a population of >300 million is H. Clinton, B. Sanders and D. Trump the best you have to offer?

Speaking from the not-so-safe zone of Australia I look at them and wonder.

Some comments (feel free to expand or ignore as you desire)

1. Clinton - Are you so bereft of new talent that you have to recycle the name Clinton? I thought you septics were opposed to dynastic families? She has enough baggage to sink the Titanic. Try as I might I cannot find any achievement of hers except for an indefatigable appetite for self-promotion. If she has some achievement worth of note please reply soonest.

2. B. Sanders - You septics go on about Sanders as if he was new and exciting or somehow brave. Come to Australia (or the UK for that matter) and you will discover that every union leader sounds like Sanders (and disturbingly they look remarkably similar). We tolerate them, occasionally listen to them, allow them to be elected to parliament (in a safe seat naturally) but would never let them be head of government.

3. D. Trump - What can I say? Not much. We had a premier (of the state of Qld - I am looking at you master Bilby ) that is our closest approximation to your dear Donald. He was scatter-brained too but had a coherence that Trump lacks. Tell Trump to look on Youtube for Sir Joh Belke-Peterson's press conferences. And pay attention on how to run a press conference and yet say nothing.

If you cannot find any candidates with substance could you please build that wall that Trump wants and leave the rest of us alone and in peace?

Yours sincerely

Australia

Quite frankly, I am surprised that anyone runs for office in the US any more. Look at how Obama was vilified from the very start of his time in office.

But you have to understand the differences between the parliamentary system and the system in the US. Under the parliamentary system the official election campaigns are short because the candidates for prime minister are pre-selected. They are the heads of the parties. In effect, the election campaign is continuous. It never stops. Every critical vote in Parliament can throw the ruling party out. The voters have no say in this or in who is selected by the party to run for prime minister. It is a system that rewards party loyalty and pretty much excludes the possibility of a so-called outsider being elected. The parties run on their platform which is written by the parties themselves. There are no primaries to pick the nominees and the platform that they will run on.

 

[ZiprHead]

"Septics"?

 

[KeepTalking]

Dear USA
As an interested outsider I look at your circus acts known as the primaries and are alternatively bemused, appalled, horrified, terrified etc.
In a population of >300 million is H. Clinton, B. Sanders and D. Trump the best you have to offer?

Speaking from the not-so-safe zone of Australia I look at them and wonder.

Some comments (feel free to expand or ignore as you desire)

1. Clinton - Are you so bereft of new talent that you have to recycle the name Clinton? I thought you septics were opposed to dynastic families? She has enough baggage to sink the Titanic. Try as I might I cannot find any achievement of hers except for an indefatigable appetite for self-promotion. If she has some achievement worth of note please reply soonest.

2. B. Sanders - You septics go on about Sanders as if he was new and exciting or somehow brave. Come to Australia (or the UK for that matter) and you will discover that every union leader sounds like Sanders (and disturbingly they look remarkably similar). We tolerate them, occasionally listen to them, allow them to be elected to parliament (in a safe seat naturally) but would never let them be head of government.

3. D. Trump - What can I say? Not much. We had a premier (of the state of Qld - I am looking at you master Bilby ) that is our closest approximation to your dear Donald. He was scatter-brained too but had a coherence that Trump lacks. Tell Trump to look on Youtube for Sir Joh Belke-Peterson's press conferences. And pay attention on how to run a press conference and yet say nothing.

If you cannot find any candidates with substance could you please build that wall that Trump wants and leave the rest of us alone and in peace?

Yours sincerely

Australia

Hi Australia,

We are confused by your Aussie terminology. What is a "septic" in this context? We need to know so that we can figure out if we should be delighted, outraged, or something in-between (unlikely, as we enjoy extremes up here). Your answer will also determine whether or not we will add you to the list of places we should invade.

Thanks,
'Merika

 

[barbos]

Yeah, quarter of the people on this very forum would have been better presidents than any of these candidates. Of course they would never win if they run.

 

[dismal]

"Septics"?

People who are infected.

 

[ZiprHead]

Pick me! Pick me!

 

[Bronzeage]

Dear USA
As an interested outsider I look at your circus acts known as the primaries and are alternatively bemused, appalled, horrified, terrified etc.
In a population of >300 million is H. Clinton, B. Sanders and D. Trump the best you have to offer?

Speaking from the not-so-safe zone of Australia I look at them and wonder.

Some comments (feel free to expand or ignore as you desire)

1. Clinton - Are you so bereft of new talent that you have to recycle the name Clinton? I thought you septics were opposed to dynastic families? She has enough baggage to sink the Titanic. Try as I might I cannot find any achievement of hers except for an indefatigable appetite for self-promotion. If she has some achievement worth of note please reply soonest.

2. B. Sanders - You septics go on about Sanders as if he was new and exciting or somehow brave. Come to Australia (or the UK for that matter) and you will discover that every union leader sounds like Sanders (and disturbingly they look remarkably similar). We tolerate them, occasionally listen to them, allow them to be elected to parliament (in a safe seat naturally) but would never let them be head of government.

3. D. Trump - What can I say? Not much. We had a premier (of the state of Qld - I am looking at you master Bilby ) that is our closest approximation to your dear Donald. He was scatter-brained too but had a coherence that Trump lacks. Tell Trump to look on Youtube for Sir Joh Belke-Peterson's press conferences. And pay attention on how to run a press conference and yet say nothing.

If you cannot find any candidates with substance could you please build that wall that Trump wants and leave the rest of us alone and in peace?

Yours sincerely

Australia

It's just the way we do it. Candidates are self selecting. Anyone in this country can offer themselves. Sometimes an attention whore clown gets a lot of coverage, but that's to be expected.

This may look strange to an outsider, but we did consider other ways to make a government. As it turns out, our government is still being operated in essentially its original design, after 227 years. The only country which has us beat is Iceland. Two and a quarter centuries is a long run for anything.

We did have choices. The Parliamentary system was considered, but we'd had such a bad experience with Parliament, nobody wanted to go through that again. Maybe it was just good timing, but we managed to get rid of all of that, while our cousins in the British Empire had to muddle on. While everyone else was running around saying things like "Yes, m'lord, and God save the King," we were governing ourselves. This is how we did it then and we'll keep doing it this way.

 

[braces_for_impact]

"Septics"?

Yeah, I was wondering that too, now that you mention it.

 

[cycomiko]

Americans = Yanks = Septic Tanks = Seppos etc etc etc

The first time my buddy from Brisbane said that, I had no idea what he was talking about.

 

[fromderinside]

So wherever you live look at those expected to lead next. Same with us. Old shoes feel better than new ones.

 

[ronburgundy]

Also, the election lasts a year and a half. Most quality people are busy.

Sadly, this is very true and the same reason why University administration is filled with the least intellectually competent but most political self-promoters who failed at being good faculty. Competent faculty are too busy doing real work to serve on the kind of vacuous panels and task-forces needed to climb the ladder in the administration hierarchy.

 

[ronburgundy]

The OP asks, why the US cannot find better candidates from a pool of 300 million. The answer is complex but part of it actually lies in the size of that number, 300 million.
It represents so many people with such a plurality of interests, values, and goals, that the conflicts make i nearly impossible for a leader to actually do much to achieve anything truly productive. Thus, there is little reward in it for people that are both competent and sincerely interested in achieving good for people?
That leaves mostly people who are either too incompetent to do anything else or who want it for all the wrong reasons, or both.

 

[Horatio Parker]

Who does Australia consider good?

 

[Bronzeage]

Americans = Yanks = Septic Tanks = Seppos etc etc etc

The first time my buddy from Brisbane said that, I had no idea what he was talking about.

 

[arkirk]

Dear USA
As an interested outsider I look at your circus acts known as the primaries and are alternatively bemused, appalled, horrified, terrified etc.
In a population of >300 million is H. Clinton, B. Sanders and D. Trump the best you have to offer?

Speaking from the not-so-safe zone of Australia I look at them and wonder.

Some comments (feel free to expand or ignore as you desire)

1. Clinton - Are you so bereft of new talent that you have to recycle the name Clinton? I thought you septics were opposed to dynastic families? She has enough baggage to sink the Titanic. Try as I might I cannot find any achievement of hers except for an indefatigable appetite for self-promotion. If she has some achievement worth of note please reply soonest.

2. B. Sanders - You septics go on about Sanders as if he was new and exciting or somehow brave. Come to Australia (or the UK for that matter) and you will discover that every union leader sounds like Sanders (and disturbingly they look remarkably similar). We tolerate them, occasionally listen to them, allow them to be elected to parliament (in a safe seat naturally) but would never let them be head of government.

3. D. Trump - What can I say? Not much. We had a premier (of the state of Qld - I am looking at you master Bilby ) that is our closest approximation to your dear Donald. He was scatter-brained too but had a coherence that Trump lacks. Tell Trump to look on Youtube for Sir Joh Belke-Peterson's press conferences. And pay attention on how to run a press conference and yet say nothing.

If you cannot find any candidates with substance could you please build that wall that Trump wants and leave the rest of us alone and in peace?

Yours sincerely

Australia

Mr Tiger: There is one place on the surface of the Earth I am glad I do not have to live. It is a place called Australia, where the people just voted recently that they need to continue to nestle under the wing of this ugly old woman.. Lately you have had some doozie politicians of your own and you seem unable to do anything but despoil your natural environment. It is a good case of the pot calling the kettle black, and when Trump becomes our president I will grant you we would be a pretty black kettle of rotten fish. But you have no idea what you are saying when it comes to a man like Sanders. While he is not a perfect saint, he seems a perfect fit for a decent president for all the people. Something I have never been able to say about any Australian president.