ambassador remarks

Good morning.  I’m happy to be here at Masaryk University with you today.

Before I get to the main topic of my remarks, I would like to briefly mention another reason why I came to the beautiful city of Brno today.  Later this morning at the InfoUSA center at the Moravian Library, we will announce the winner of the third annual Czech-American Award for Talented Students, a project that is co-organized by the U.S. Embassy, the Czech Fulbright Commission and the Masaryk University International Institute of Political Science. This contest is open to all Czech undergraduate and graduate students writing a thesis on a topic related to the United States.  The topic rotates every three years; this year, the emphasis was on history, culture and education. The winning student receives a monetary award and his or her work is published by the International Institute of Political Science. We cherish this initiative as a way of helping gifted students to start their future research or academic careers as well as a way to highlight the strong ties between our nations. I would like to encourage all of you to think about participating in the contest in the future.

And now, let me get to the main topic of my remarks.

As you all know, the United States will elect a new President this year. The election itself and the process that leads to the selection of candidates of both parties is always closely watched by the media and the public. Yet this particular election year seems to have attracted almost unprecedented attention. This election has sometimes been called historical. Indeed, it has many factors that are unique. For the first time in American history, there is a real chance that an African-American will become U.S. President.  For the first time there is a real chance that a woman will become U.S. President.  And there is also the chance that the United States will elect its oldest President ever.

Furthermore, no sitting President or sitting Vice-President is running, which is the first time this has happened in eighty years. So there are clearly many historical aspects to this campaign and to this election.

Many of you have followed the U.S. primaries in the media and on the internet.  Let me try to give you some additional perspective on the events in the U.S. electoral process.  First, the good news is that the process has resulted in a set of candidates who agree on certain basic premises and policies.  At the same time, there is and will be a vigorous, principled debate on the very clear differences in the positions of the candidates.

Let me stress that the outcome of the elections will not change the fundamental nature of the strong friendship between the United States and the Czech Republic.  Our close ties are based on shared history and shared values.  Our two countries will continue to work together to advance the cause of freedom throughout the world.  We remain partners in NATO and in the transatlantic partnerships between the U.S. and the European Union.  And, of course, we will continue to have occasional disagreements, as is normal among close friends and allies.

Now for a little bit of history about the process.  As you know, the American political system is dominated by two political parties.  Each one adopts slightly different rules in selecting a presidential nominee, but the goal for both is the same: candidates battling state by state in primary contests through the winter and spring, winning the most votes among their party members, which determines the number of delegates from each state, who then attend their respective party conventions in the summer.  Modern-day conventions are media extravaganzas, carefully choreographed, and usually with few surprises, since most of the delegates are already pledged.  Throughout the 19th and into the 20th century, however, this was not the case; conventions were controlled by state party leaders or "bosses" who used their influence to hand-pick their state's convention delegates.  There were no primaries.

But democratizing pressures after World War II, including television, forced the process to become more transparent and primaries became the norm. Candidates for the presidency used television exposure to demonstrate their popular appeal.  For example, the first televised debate helped John F. Kennedy, Jr. triumph over Nixon.  Nixon apparently looked pasty white and old compared to the youthful and tanned JFK. 

Depending on the laws of the state, primary voters may cast a ballot for a party's presidential nominee and a slate of "pledged" delegates, they may vote for the presidential candidate with delegates to be chosen later to reflect the vote, or they may indirectly vote for a candidate in a caucus by choosing convention delegates who are "pledged" to one or another nominee.  Under the caucus system, party members who live within a relatively small geographic area — a local precinct — get together and vote for delegates who are pledged to support specific candidates for president.

As a result of these reforming tendencies since World War II, two important trends stand out.  First, more states have moved their presidential primaries and caucuses earlier on the calendar toward the decisive early stage of the nominating season, a trend known as "front-loading."  This contributed to “Super Duper Tuesday” and even led to the disputes in the Democratic Party over which delegates should be seated at the conventions.

Being an early primary or caucus state may allow voters in the state to exercise more influence over the ultimate selection of the nominees.  In addition, it may encourage the candidates to address the needs and interests of the state early on, and may force candidates to organize within the state, spending money on staff, media, and hotels in order to try to obtain a decisive psychological victory early in the party nomination process.  For example, New Hampshire and Iowa are often where the candidates can pick up momentum or lose it.

In addition, in some parts of the country, states have cooperated with one another to organize "regional primaries" by holding their primaries and caucuses on the same date to maximize the influence of a region.

Both of these trends have forced candidates to begin their campaigns earlier to gain a foothold in the increasing number of states that hold the early contests.  Candidates also have had to depend increasingly on the mass media — radio, television, and the Internet — and on the endorsements of state party leaders to help them reach voters in the multiple states that may be conducting their primaries on the same day.

One consequence of the changes in the presidential nomination process has been the decreasing importance of the party's climactic, televised, national nominating convention.  Today, the presidential nominee is effectively determined by the voters relatively early in the primary elections process.  That eventual nominee may, in turn, even indicate his choice for a vice presidential candidate before the convention meets. The Republican convention will be held in Minneapolis in early September and the Democratic Convention will be held in August in Denver.  Senator McCain is already the presumptive GOP nominee, whereas Senators Obama and Clinton are still battling it out for the Democratic nomination.

Thus, the presidential nominating process continues to evolve.  In recent decades, this evolution has enhanced participation, improved demographic representation, and strengthened the tie between the average partisan and the candidates.  In its current form, the process provides an advantage to candidates who are better known, can raise more money, have the most effective campaign organizations, and can generate the most enthusiasm among voters early in the presidential primary season.

Candidates and their supporters have been quick to adopt the Internet as a campaign tool.  It has proved to be an effective and efficient way to solicit funds from potential supporters and to promote one's policies and experience.  Campaign organizations now maintain their own blogs.  The bloggers on these sites are campaign staffers paid to write about the statements and activities of their particular candidates.  Meanwhile, thousands of independent bloggers write commentaries in support of their favorite candidates and engage in debate with other bloggers who oppose them.

Video sharing on sites such as YouTube has provided opportunities and pitfalls for political campaigning.  Candidates have taken advantage of the technology to produce videos about themselves, occasionally humorous.  At other times, candidates have been recorded in an unguarded moment saying or doing something that they would not say or do before a general audience — and having their faux pas shown countless times on the Internet and on television.

In sum, the process of choosing a U.S. president can seem complicated, unpredictable, and sometimes baffling.  However, with all of the hoopla and excitement, there is also a very serious debate on the issues facing the U.S. and which candidate is best equipped to address those challenges.  The election process in the U.S. gives Americans the opportunity to rededicate themselves to our principles of democracy and freedom; principles which we share with the Czech people.

Thank you for your attention and I will be happy to answer your questions now.