Russian Society Not in Need of Debates
The U.S. campaign traditionally consists of a number of elements, such as primaries and debates. In Russia, both seem to exist (primaries appeared before the parliamentary election), but in fact they look more like an imitation. The matter is, the society does not require such technologies, regarding them as something unnecessary.
In the U.S., primaries are a reliable means not only for promoting the candidates, but also for selecting them. During the primaries, rivals discover each others’ weak points; they test themselves for endurance and ability to withstand criticism coming from the press and the competitors. Senator Gary Hart’s fate is very typical. He was the Democratic Party’s rising star, caught in adultery during the primaries stage of the 1988 campaign, and with clear and precise documented proofs (unlike what is now happening to McCain, on the basis of vague rumors). Obviously, had the party nominated Hart for presidency, the decision would have brought on a catastrophe.
Thus, the primaries really are an elimination competition won by the strongest one. Regional activists obtain a chance to influence the major decision’s making, while the candidates of nation-wide fame ‘court’ them, and the former don’t feel forgotten and abandoned. Senator McCain, when his leadership in the race became evident, chose to ‘please’ co-party activists from the state of Washington, which is far from being the most important one, instead of going to Munich to address the international beau monde. As the final decision on a candidate’s nomination is made at a party congress, there theoretically remains an opportunity for replacing the candidate if some overwhelming dirt against him is published in the time remaining before the congress. However, there have been no precedents yet.
Speaking of the debates between leading candidates, they are not only a theatrical show, but also a way to test the candidates’ personal qualities, by the society at large. If a candidate lacks confidence, falls into excessive emotions, does not display ‘presidential’ qualities, he/she can then get an informal vote of censure long before the official voting. The society highly estimates its right to thoroughly examine the candidates for the nation’s chief servant’s position, and to deliver its own verdict based on the maximum of information about them.
What about Russia? Apparently, the Russian society has consciously entrusted the authorities with solving the key political issues, including those of election outcome. Russians were strongly hurt by the 90s experience, when they ‘voted with heart’ and were deeply mistaken. Hence the voluntary desire to shift all the responsibility for the decisions made. Hence the approval (after some perplexity) of an actual waiver to elect governors, and the liquidation of one-mandate districts, and the reduction in the number of political players. In a society like that, both primaries and debates are viewed as something imported from a different reality.
Alexei Makarkin, vice president of the Political Technologies Center
All the Article in Russian as of Feb. 28, 2008
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