Vote for me! Me! Me! Me!

I must admit: I am happy to not live in the U.S. this year. 2016 is a presidential election year, which means that the circus started about 1 1/2 years ago. Anyone who has every experienced the full two years before a presidential election in the U.S. will know what I mean. Your entire surroundings are consumed by election news, paranoia and propaganda. You suddenly see your neighbor in a new, unfavorable light because he put a sticker supporting 'the other party' on his car. You realize you work in a company filled with voters for 'the other guy'. Everyone is cautious not to say the wrong thing trying to avoid starting a political debate about why their candidate is the right one.



In 2004, when Bush was re-elected, I was a student at UCLA and experienced the presidential elections as a fairly new arrival in the U.S. for the first time. I was glued to the couch watching TV in fear of missing something. I was captivated by the aggressive, dirty politics.


In 2008, when Obama was elected, (I was on a bad date on election night - see my book for details: http://www.amazon.de/LAlien-Austrian-Alps-Hollywood-Hills/dp/3990498703/ref=sr_1_1?s=books-intl-de&ie=UTF8&qid=1462095857&sr=1-1) I realized that it didn't matter who the candidates on either side were, the year leading up to the election was always a vicious time.

This year, I watch it from a distance. Only one news channel in Europe has intensive coverage of the elections, where as in America ALL news channels are election-headquarters 24/7. It seems this is the dirties election yet. Lies are spread. Fears are mongered. Intimitations are made.

I will of course participate with my vote. And then I will watch from the distance and hope for the best...

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