Robin Wallis reflects on politics, US style

As a British voter, I’ve often thought that US presidential campaigns look preposterously long and wasteful. How much better our
snappy four-week general election showdowns! Now though – living in California, watching this year’s US primaries on their home turf – I find myself rethinking this opinion.

For one thing, UK “pre-election” campaigns are now just as long as US campaigns, albeit without the high-profile starting gun of candidates’ declarations and primaries. For another, the 2016 US primary campaign is a grander drama than the traditional beauty pageant between candidates with similar positions. It needs time to play itself out.

I have gravitated towards the United Church of Christ (UCC) here as my spiritual home from home. The UCC happens to be Obama’s denomination, and most UCC members like his progressive approach to issues such as healthcare, gun control, climate change, LGBT rights, Guantanamo, pariah states, etc…

Robin Wallis is a freelance writer living in the San Francisco Bay area

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This is an extract from the May 2016 edition of Reform.

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