US polls and China bashing

Election season is silly season in the United States, and this is particularly true during the primary campaigns of the two main political parties. This is the time when the candidates appeal to the very lowest instincts of their parties' extreme base, with some vague intention of then later swinging back to the so-called moderate center in the general election to sway independent voters.

Since the Democratic Party currently has the incumbent in the White House, the country will be spared at least one party's electoral extravaganza, despite some Democrats fantasizing about a primary challenge to President Barack Obama. On the other hand, Republican Party hopefuls aiming to supplant Obama recently kicked off what promised to become an expensive, visceral, loud and outrageous primary campaign season.

Americans are accustomed to shrill hyperbole in the electoral process, when crude, simplistic and jingoistic slogans are in high demand, and reasonable, measured and substantive discourse is in short supply.