A Presidential Horse Race

America is known for its takeaway, and for its larger than life characters.

This extends into the political realms as well.

As the race to be nominated presidential candidate for the Republican part dominates the news pages and blogs across the world.

Unlike in Australia, it seems to be an opposite atmosphere, probably because the politicians need to not only persuade the public to vote for them but to also actually vote (America has a system of voluntary, not compulsory voting).

As the saying goes “everything is bigger in Texas” maybe that should be changed to everything is bigger in America.

This is illustrated in the vast range of merchandise that comes out when the candidates are nominated to run for President.

And what about all the elaborate conventions that they have, draped in as many balloons and streamers as they quote “patriotism” and the “American Dream”?

And some of the candidates have also been intriguing, and all the media attention isn’t just about Sarah Palin.

The two others that I can recall off the top of my head are Rick Perry (no relation to chef Neil Perry, that I am aware of) and Michelle Bachmann.

Perry, the longest serving governor of Texas and freely criticises former President George W Bush for studying outside of Texas, abandoning his home state.

Bachmann, on the other hand is highly evangelical in her beliefs, homophobic, and  not trying to be sexist, but is a female.

It seems that America is not too far off from having a female president, and I only say this as it seems that a proliferation of women politicians are emerging in the US of A.

What are your thoughts on the current situation of the presidential race for election in 2012?