Australia
Australians Nervously Await US Midterm Election Results for Some Reason
Australians await the results of the US Midterm elections, as around the clock coverage equals or surpasses that of its own recent election.
BRIAN SOCKINGTON: Across to the United States, where the highly anticipated Midterm Elections are taking place. Thousands of Australians will be nervously awaiting results on mainstream media, providing much needed respite from local reporting on fires, floods and state government overreach. But exactly what do these US midterms mean, and how do they affect you? Rupert Holesworthy explains.
RUPERT HOLESWORTHY: A nation holds its collective breath. Time stands still, as Australians await the results of the American Midterm election of congress members, governors, legislators, judges, and a third of American senators. Fuelled by an onslaught of pre-packaged American news and a lack of substance in their homegrown politics, Australians are engaging with the more serious world of US politics in a way they’ve never quite been able to do at home. Around the clock exposure to the US midterm elections has equalled or surpassed coverage of Australia’s own recent election, which featured zero debates between secondary parties, and focused on mishaps from the two major party candidates. The obviously higher stakes of the US midterms are also compelling Australians to tune in – American democrats declaring democracy itself was at risk of ending, should and alternative political opinions be allowed to gain momentum.
Rhetoric like this resonates with perpetually anxious Australians, desperate to stay INNformation and avoid any questions and political opinions that don’t validate the currently popular political ideology. Which is why these midterms are so important to many Australians despite being 15,934kms away from Canberra, where Australian politicians work – sometimes.
