Another Look at the American Elections

Everything You Have Ever Wanted to Know About the American Elections by Vincent Michelot, Gallimard, 128 pages, 13,50 euros

Barack Obama or John McCain ? Rarely has an American campaign ever sparked such excitement in France. This 44th presidential election is special, more so than is known: this is the first time since 1928 when neither member of the Executive Branch, president or vice-president, will be in the electoral battle, confirms Roger Persichino. It may also be the year when an African-American is elected President of the United States.

Some days, or rather ballots, are still left before the election, as the House of Representatives will change on November 4th, as will some sheriffs, judges….who will be elected at the local level, the authors note.

In Everything You Have Ever Wanted to Know About the American Elections, Bernard Brown, professor at City College in New York, tackles above all what he sees as misconceptions of America by the French. He knows both countries well.

For example, for a number of French citizens, money alone should be able to win an electoral victory in the United States. Wrong, says the professor, because often times the candidate who raises the most campaign funds doesn’t win.

General de Gaulle compared the national conventions in the United States to some bazaars. For a long time, candidate selections have been the fruits of negotiations between bosses in smoke-filled rooms during the conventions.

Roger Persichino offers a historical perspective. Nevertheless, he is conscious throughout of French confusion with this complex system, much like Bernard Brown. In the end, the 558 noteworthy electors for a population of 250 million voting-age Americans will have the last word in electing the 44th president of the United States on December 15th. This electoral college is nevertheless chosen well by over 130 to 150 million voters on November 4th.

But it remains to be seen what power the next American president will have. In simple terms, Vincent Michelot, professor at IEP in Lyon, tries to sketch the inexorable “imperialization” of the American presidency, freeing itself more and more from legislative power, that being Congress. With George Bush, the author asserts, he has even spoken of the “Terror Presidency.”