A Newcomer's View of Irish Presidential Elections

gdkaufmann

Would love to have your input:
http://anamericanindublin.com/2011/11/09/electing-a-president-irish-presidential-politics/

vallo

I read it through and was expecting to have to scroll down through more of it when it just sort of ended.
Where is the insight exactly?
And what does he mean by "What do I have to do right now to make you go away?"
The whole article just seemed to ramble on and on and on....

anymore

gdkaufmann wrote: »

Would love to have your input:
http://anamericanindublin.com/2011/11/09/electing-a-president-irish-presidential-politics/

Ok you asked for input : Is this an advert for your blog or are you actaully going to post a real thread ??

gdkaufmann

Actually I wanted people to read the blog in hopes of getting some feedback on the candidates themselves.

I thought that perhaps my thinking they were a bit bland, and the campaign a bit sleepy and inconsequential meant I was missing something, or didn't fully understand the role of the Irish President.

anymore

The elction is over and done with - we are probably suffering from presidential election fatigue and all the issues were dealt extensively with in various threads.

fishy fishy

no offence but what are you trying to say - that piece is pointless and there is nothing of any substance in it at all. The only thing I would advise is that there are no "palaces" in Ireland.

gdkaufmann

Dear Fshy Fishy,
I know there are no palaces in Ireland. You need to relax. That comment was aimed not just at politicians, but at anyone who rules (or seeks to rule) ordinary citizens in any country. "Palace" was a figure of speech. Clearly it went over your head.

While it may seem pointless to you (because you live here), the point of this blog post is less about this particular election than it is about what recent immigrants can learn about their new home during a presidential election cycle.

Upon careful reading, you may have noticed that the title of blog includes something about "The Modern Immigrant Experience".

Cheers.

fishy fishy

no need to get so narky. If you really want to learn more about the candidates there are plenty of ways to do so. Faulting the candidates because they didn't give their life stories for new immigrants is silly. Its up to you to find out about them if you are interested.

Liam Byrne

Hard to read and little of substance, with lots of confusing parts and phrasing - for example.....

And, I must say that having lived through the social proctoscope of an American Presidential election.

........reads as an incomplete sentence.

Basically it seems that you have lots
of opinions and conclusions in your head but haven't conveyed them - or more specifically, your reasons for them - to the reader.

Fine as a puff piece for readers who want to told what to think; pointless in terms of someone who likes to know facts or have an insight into how people think.

I'm not going to do a stereotypical judgement on your target audience - that's up to you to decide - but if it's for people who want something substantial or want to think for themselves, there's a rethink required for sure.

fishy fishy

gdkaufmann wrote: »

Dear Fshy Fishy,
I know there are no palaces in Ireland. You need to relax. That comment was aimed not just at politicians, but at anyone who rules (or seeks to rule) ordinary citizens in any country. "Palace" was a figure of speech. Clearly it went over your head.

While it may seem pointless to you (because you live here), the point of this blog post is less about this particular election than it is about what recent immigrants can learn about their new home during a presidential election cycle.

Upon careful reading, you may have noticed that the title of blog includes something about "The Modern Immigrant Experience".

Cheers.

Also, I would suggest you dont put something out for people's "input" if you don't like the reply and end up telling people to "relax" when they give their opinion. Maybe writing is not for you if you can't take constructive criticism.

cml387

It's nice to see an immigrant American attempting to get to grips with our politics.

But if this blog is all you took from the campaign, I wonder if you were really paying attention.

It seems to be that the amazing thing about it was the sheer nastiness and venom of a campaign for a virtually meaningless job.

It might have led to a few thoughts about how the campaign could be dirtier than an American election campaign.

However I shall read more of your blog with interest.

wow sierra

gdkaufmann wrote: »

Actually I wanted people to read the blog in hopes of getting some feedback on the candidates themselves.

I thought that perhaps my thinking they were a bit bland, and the campaign a bit sleepy and inconsequential meant I was missing something, or didn't fully understand the role of the Irish President.

Talking points:

Martin McGuinness a former terrorist/freedom fighter is seen as acceptable to run as a candidate by a majority of the population. Contrast with other countries or US.

A Gay man who has spent his political career fighting for Gay rights is far more acceptable as a possible president than someone who is associated with extreme Catholicism. Decline of the power of the Catholic Church and the catholic "ethos?" in modern Ireland.

Fianna Fáil fail to run a candidate and the Fine Gael candidate fails miserably - what does this mean in relation to the tradition dominance of the two parties since the Civil War.

Popularity of individual candidates show huge changes based on media stories breaking during the campaign. Influence of the media on the campaign. Look at the effect of the publication of the opinion polls.

Ageism and image as issues in the campaign - the focus on Mary Davis's posters and more importantly on Michael D's age rather than his ability or exprerience.

Does Sean Gallaghers candidacy say something about the power of reality TV?

The increased role social media in this election.


To be honest I think you are missing something if you are genuinely interested in the media/politics and you didn't find plenty of talking points in the campaign and the variety of candidates.

Oh and not to be too picky but if the only thing you know about Michael D's plans is about his dog - maybe you should listen to his acceptance speech again or watch his inaugaration tomorrow or Google him to get a feel for what he is about.

MungBean

The insight in your blog seems to be "politicians want to keep their jobs". I'm also not sure you are any different than a lot of other people here who voted for anyone other than Michael D.

It was a foregone conclusion based on the way the media portrayed each candidate and how they conducted themselves who was going to win.

As for this bit.

If you (as a new long term resident anywhere) really want to learn what people value, and what issues are important in the day-to-day lives of ordinary citizens, the best way to figure that out is to listen closely to your radio, read the news, and talk to cabbies and people on the street in the run up to a major election

The election was a circus and nothing else. What you seen and heard was a political episode of the xfactor.

If you really want to know and understand the values and issues in the day to day lives of ordinary people then ignore anything and everything to do with a presidential election. Its sensationalism pure and simple.

caseyann

Hey op I enjoyed your blog.A bit more detail on what you felt about the elections,and did you watch the debates and what you thought about them would have been interesting.
Also a little bit of how people were trying to convince you even though you werent voting,who you should vote for.
Your take on the politicians just wanting to shut the people up,spot on.And the Irish buying it spot on.:)

caseyann

MungBean wrote: »

The insight in your blog seems to be "politicians want to keep their jobs". I'm also not sure you are any different than a lot of other people here who voted for anyone other than Michael D.

It was a foregone conclusion based on the way the media portrayed each candidate and how they conducted themselves who was going to win.

As for this bit.



The election was a circus and nothing else. What you seen and heard was a political episode of the xfactor.

If you really want to know and understand the values and issues in the day to day lives of ordinary people then ignore anything and everything to do with a presidential election. Its sensationalism pure and simple.

And ignore boards and the media and politicians.:D