You think American Politics is Ugly

I know that I continually talk about this election being ugly, however at no point am I suggesting that our elections are anywhere near the ugliest in world. Sure, they might be the most expensive, but in following some of the campaign approaches in the Middle East (particularly in Lebanon and PA), our elections seem pristine.

Check out this Hamas propaganda video that I came across today. You don’t need to speak Arabic to get the jist of it, but for those of you who don’t follow politics in the Palestinian Authority (it definitely gets crazy), the rats are Fatah and the Lion is Hamas. FYI: Hamas = funded by Iran.

Update: The original video was removed by YouTube, but I found a version from MEMRItv that has the subtitles. Even better! 

In no way is this me showing my support for either of these parties, however I think that its extremely interesting and beneficial to study the politics and campaign techniques of those in other countries to bring perspective to what is happening here in the United States. Furthermore, I think it really illustrates the barbaric mentality that some have in the Middle East. I know that Islam is suppose a religion of peace, however I have a hard time seeing that when this is a common production for Hamas.

Personally, I enjoy the civility, yet competitiveness and passion that goes into Israeli elections and as the time draws near, I’ll post much more on how they do things. Of all the countries in the world who have open elections, Israel is by far a case study that more Americans should examine. If you think the US is political, just take a trip to Jerusalem before a big campaign.

Obama Supporter Charged in Campaign Finance Probe

It looks like another fine US export is making its way to the shores of Puerto Rico. No, it’s not food, oil, or machinery, but instead is one of the Nation’s oldest pastimes, campaign corruption!

Even though Puerto Rico isn’t a state (it’s an non incorporated territory), it sure seems that their political problems are reflecting those commonly seen here on the mainland.

Here is some of the brief article from CNN.com:

WASHINGTON (CNN) — Puerto Rican Gov. Anibal Acevedo Vila and 12 associates face charges related to the financing of three of Acevedo’s campaigns, according to a federal indictment unsealed Thursday.

Acevdeo faces 19 charges, including conspiracy, making false statements and wire fraud.

Acevedo, 48, and legal adviser Inclan Bird are accused of soliciting, accepting and reimbursing illegal “conduit contributions” from Acevedo’s family and staff. Conduit contributions are those made by one person in the name of another.

In addition, “a group of Philadelphia-area businessmen solicited, accepted, and then reimbursed illegal conduit contributions from their own Philadelphia-area family members and staff” on behalf of Acevedo, a Justice Department news release said.

While this alone is juicy news for us politicos, I don’t think that this story will really have wheels until this guy can top hiding money in freezer, like Congressman William Jefferson from Louisiana.

What is juicy, however, is the fact that Acevedo is in fact, an Obama supporter who has raised money for Obama. This presents a unique challenge for Obama, who has been trying hard to capture votes from various groups of Latinos. Does he condemn the Governor? Ignore it? Or talk his way around it?

We’ll see…