Tuesday, January 19, 2010

The senator from MA ...


And I used to think that politics in America is boring compared to the excitement that was always in the air in Indian politics!

Now, it is the other way around.  The excitement began when Obama and Clinton created one fascinating primary season, and then all the election stuff, including Tina Fey Sarah Palin as a VP candidate, and ending with a historic election of a non-white as the President.

And a year later?  Just when it seemed like it was time to hit the sleep button .... MA elects a Republican to the seat that became open because of the death of a liberal icon, Ted Kennedy.  I mean, these are movie scripts, not real life!!!

Ok, what's next?

BTW, I do remember when Indira Gandhi lost her parliamentary seat in 1977, to Raj Narain.  I think those elections were my first taste of political excitement.  It is a shame though that of all people it was Raj Narain--a clown he was.  But, then it was superexciting all over again when Gandhi came back to power in 1981.  And then, all the way until I left for the US, Indian politics was never business as usual.  More so with the tragedies and horrific images of Operation Bluestar in Amritsar, Indira Gandhi's assassination, ....

So, it has been roughly a couple of decades to get excitement back in politics.  No, I am not discounting the bizarre Bush/Gore elections.  To me that is bizarre, not exciting.

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