Oy, The Inherent Problem in Democracy

It's said that the most important job in the world doesn't require training:

It has been said that parenting is the most difficult job, and the most important responsibility, you will ever have in your life. Unfortunately, you receive little or no formal training in parenting, yet you are constantly criticized for every mistake you make. Usually, we either do what our parents did, or we do the exact opposite, depending on our opinion of the parenting we received.  (Parenting Skills)

I'd say that there's another job most people aren't really qualified for, although they are legally permitted, encouraged and in some countries required:

Voting

It's probably not very "PC" to say it, but it's true.  In a democracy, we can all vote.  We aren't trained, tested nor properly prepared for the real issues involved in the elections.  But that doesn't stop us from having a legal right to an opinion and vote it.



Not even university students can be expected to be aware of the news.  I find that frightening.

The American Presidential Election is over.  The votes have been counted and Barack Hussein Obama was given another four years to attempt to implement his vision of the United States of America.

Obama's victory wasn't as large as four years earlier, but Mitt Romney did not succeed in defeating him.  In the end, it wasn't even a TKO via the Electoral College.  It seems that Obama did get over 50% of the popular vote.

I'm not really surprised. 

And unlike Arlene Kushner, I'm not at all "stunned."

What is it I'm supposed to say? That the people have spoken? Technically, of course it is true -- for indeed Obama will be president for another four years and this must be respected. But I cannot accept that in this electoral vote there rested wisdom or understanding.
Rather, I feel that the people didn't have complete information. They didn't get it. The liberal leaning media saw to that. Dear Heaven, the fiasco at Benghazi should have been sufficient in and of itself to deny him the election. If only Benghazi had been covered fully by the mainstream media.

That's America.

Ruthie Blum sees Obama's victory as "good" for the Israeli Left Labor Party, which is bad for us.

If there’s one person in Israel who is celebrating Barack Obama’s victory today it is Labor Party leader Shelly Yachimovich. This is not merely because the former journalist, who entered politics to express her overt partisanship at a Knesset podium rather than over the airwaves, shares Obama’s socialist agenda and foreign policy. More importantly, the re-election of the American incumbent has presented her with a golden opportunity to galvanize the Israeli Left and “Center” (a euphemism for the softer Left) against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Here in Israel, even predating the declaration of statehood, we on the Right, have always known that things aren't always fair, and the "best man" doesn't always win.  We're "the Jews of the Jews."  There has been serious discrimination against the Right, e. g. Revisionists, Betar, Etzel, Lechi in all aspects of Israeli life until pretty recently.  There are for two reasons that it seems to be ending in most aspects of Israeli society.  One is that the old time Revisionists and former underground fighters are mostly dead already. And the other reason is that the Leftists have found others to demonize, like "the settlers."

Back to topic:

All of us, regardless of knowledge, morals etc are lawfully permitted to vote.  Yes, that's democracy, the rule of the citizen, informed, intelligent or not.

In the American Presidential system it's "The Winner Takes All."  The loser may try again, but he/she has no official standing.  The Senate does have majority and minority leaders.  In Israel, the system is very different.  Since the executive/Prime Minister is not directly elected, it's more complicated but better IMHO.  In the previous elections, over four years ago, Kadima actually received more votes than the Likud, but its head, Tsippi Livni was totally incapable of putting together a ruling coalition.  Enough political parties that won Knesset seats weren't interested in working with her.  That's why Likud's Binyamin Netanyahu was given the chance to try, and he succeeded.  But even though Livni lost the chance to be PM, she remained (until she quit a couple of years later) a Knesset Member and Head of the Opposition.

Now, considering that close to 50% of Americans wanted to see Mitt Romney as President, wouldn't it make sense for him to have some official position?

Please remember, for good and for bad, that the United States is an enormous country and bureaucracy.  Real changes don't come easily or quickly.  The American People have voted, have spoken, have decided they want Obama.  Let's hope it'll be good for all.