For my weekly writing spot on this site, see the One-Minute Mystic, with a new meditation posted every Monday. Also see The Village, the story of Misty Longings, England's most beautiful village, posted episode by episode earlier this year.       The USA really does spend a lot of money on the electorate. But before you consider emigrating, remember it's largely spent before the election. In the election calendar, Iowa and New Hampshire want to be first so badly, they keep shunting the date of the caucus forward. Traditionally, two American backwaters, these states are suddenly the most filmed and interviewed people on earth. Just for tonight, they are king/queen makers/breakers. Remember 1976? After unknown peanut farmer, Jimmy Carter, came from nowhere in Iowa, he held the lead until safely through the front door of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Aware of the absurd significance of these early bouts, each voter in Iowa had $200 spent on them personally. What does that buy? If you finally turn off the TV in despair at the campaign ads, then they will ring you up. Many homes received 12-15 canvassing calls a night in the final week, most of them, recorded messages: "Hi there!" Unplug your telephone, and you'll find some emails waiting for you: "Hi there!" Rip out your computer socket, and there'll be a knock on the door: "Hi there! What a lovely home! I'm visiting on behalf of Mike Huckerbee/Hilary Clinton/Mitt Romney/Barack Obama – and their personal message to you is this..." Finally, you slam shut the door. Relief! Surely they can't get you now? Just then, a campaign leaflet pops through the letterbox, and floats to the ground: "Hi there!" There was no escape from the candidate's personal concern in Iowa and New Hampshire. But who's going to win? The American Right appears to have gone wrong. There remains the public perception that Republicans will "keep the country safe". But that's their only ace. The Reagan coalition of the wealthy, the religious and the frightened, has now disintegrated. Mitt is for this, Rudy is for that, and Mick and John are for a bit of this, and a bit of that – but not the same bits. It may be a phrase they hate, but the Republicans really do need "to find themselves." The Democrats, on the other, just need to find a leader. Ahead on the major issues of health care, the economy and jobs, they need only the Big Cheese to front the show. Who will it be? The experienced insider Hilary "The Wife" Clinton? Ex-lawyer John "Radical but probably third" Edwards? Or the youthful, charismatic Barack "I am not opposed to all wars – just dumb wars" Obama? Two are white, and one is black. As we know, the 95% white State of Iowa, chose the black. 98% white New Hampshire just chose a white. Barack wisely does not do black. He is helped in this neutrality of stance by having no history in the civil rights campaign – unhelpful baggage for past candidates like Jesse Jackson. Instead, Barack is for change, and feel-good phrases like: "They said this day could never happen!" Change. No one knows what it is, but everyone wants it. More writings © Simon Parke