Tim Dower: American politics is baffling

American politics is pretty baffling, isn't it? 

In arguably the most powerful nation on earth, with a population of well over 300 million and both the main candidates for President look pretty shabby, don't they. 

The way things are looking now, the country will be led by either a doddery old fart with some dodgy offspring, or a raving egomaniac with a dodgy business track record and his own dodgy offspring. 

Out of that massive population and all that economic power, they're the best that aspires to occupy the White House? 

Where's the Kennedy? Where's the Clinton? A Reagan would do, a Carter perhaps, even an Obama? 

Barring a major political shock, the Republican nomination will go to Donald Trump and Joe Biden will have another crack. 

Perhaps what it tells us is the rest of America is either completely satisfied with the way things are going or that they perceive no prospect of changing the way things are done. 

You'd think voter turnout would be an indicator. Only two-thirds of the eligible population bothered to vote in the last presidential election. 

Three out of ten people there haven't voted in the past three election rounds, not for the presidency in 2020, nor in either the 2018 or 2022 mid-terms.  

Less than 40% voted in all three, less than four out of ten. 

Is that apathy? Or a signal that people see no point because they don't like either side, and their system is still a first past the post duopoly. 

Just as a side note, our turnout last time was 78% overall, it has been in the 80s under MMP. 

So why does it matter to us anyway? If they want a lunatic president that's their business, isn't it? 

Well, apart from the significant geopolitical issues, we do quite a lot of business with the States, and there's a lot of two-way travel between here and there. 

Oh, and we've just agreed to get involved in a contentious military adventure led by the Americans, in the Middle East. 

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