Polar Reactions

Recently the headlines have been dominated by extremes, or rather extremist activity. Earlier this year the world and the US particularly was shaken by the Arizona shootings, a seemly extreme reaction to the increasingly polarized world of US politics.

Then in the last week an Arizona woman was convicted of killing a Hispanic man and his daughter in a raid gone wrong designed to fund her anti-immigration border patrol group. This itself had stemmed from another group that had rejected the woman for her extremism.

These events pose a serious question to politicians in the US in the run up to pivotal mid term elections. Have they become too divided? Have debates got too personal, ideologies too limited and inflexible? Is politics practical enough?

With the rise of bodies like the Tea Party bipartisan has become a dirty word. However, if this continues the public may lose touch with the benefits of a cooperative system. And, more worryingly, when bipartisanship does occur the public may resent this, feeling let down by their elected representatives and ultimately taking matters into their own hands.

Bipartisanship is a vital political tool and for the safety and sanity of everyone that should not be forgotten.

Women in the world

I was going to write an entry on the effect the attack on Lara Logan in Egypt will have on female journalism. Instead, however, the BBC has written an article on it far better than I ever could so I urge you to go check that out instead.

Presidential barometer reads cold

The announcement of candidates for the US presidency is big news. At the end of two terms it pits the ideologies of two parties firmly against each other, in the idealistic words of starry-eyed, or usually slightly more phased, members of the party elite. At the end of one term it gives the opposition the opportunity to embarrass the serving President, or to ride the wave of embarrassment provided by the recent mid terms.

The Republicans appeared to have taken the Democrats down a peg with their mid term victories. Certainly with fierce words they put the Democrats on the policy defensive. By rights, the announcement of their candidates for the 2012 Presidential elections should be huge news.

Except it hasn't been.

Last time round candidates started announcing way before this point. And some big fish had definitely declared themselves. However, this year people, and particularly potential front runner Mike Huckabee, alongside controversial candidate Sarah Palin, seem reluctant to declare themselves. In fact the only big news has been that there's no news.

For now I'll keep watching. But it's certainly notable that the GOP has not had a running start on the road to office, and that could taint the candidates campaigns.

Check out the coverage of all the speculation on the Huff Post

Populist populous

The problem with a popular opinion is that when the focus of that opinion is no longer applicable the unity of the populous disintegrates.

This happened when the tidal wave of opinion that bought Obama to the presidency collapsed around the literal rendering of his policies. And it is very likely that this will happen in Egypt now the central cry of the protests, calling for the resignation of Mubarak, has been answered.

The groups united under this banner included the pro-democracy middle class and the radical Muslim Brotherhood. The likelihood of these groups forming a united coalition government are remote. The reason that Mubarak claimed as justification for him staying until September? That stable government would only be formed with adequate time to prepare for free and fair elections. It may be that his point will be proven correct.

Although the days of mass protests may have ended, political turmoil in Egypt will continue to be a reality.