Poland B
Loses Election
Poland's Elections Were A Clash Of Polish Civilizations
Classified Polnews
Warsaw, Poland, 22 October, 2007 The Polish elections broke down to a contest between two distinct regions of Poland occupied by people of distinct age groups, lifestyles and cultures. It was a clash of Polish civilizations.
The winning party, Civic Platform, dominated the vote in what is commonly known as Poland A, while the losing Law and Justice Party dominated in Poland B. See Polish culture regional variations
And across the country, regardless of the region, the higher a person's education level the more likely that person voted for the Civic Platform.
Kaczynski and PIS ran a campaign against people with a higher education. He took the Polish word for education and turned it into something negative to be used in his campaign against the Polish "elite".
It was apparently effective with his voter base in that the number who voted for him increased dramatically.
But in across the country and in cities such as Warsaw, it backfired. Looking back, PIS members see the error of the tactic. In Warsaw, PIS Senator Zbigniew Romaszewski specifically ascribes the trouncing that PIS got to denigrating the educated. See in Polish http://wiadomosci.gazeta.pl/Wiadomosci/1,80269,4600551.html Dzialaczka PiS krzyczala: Warszawa to holota!
Contrary to the agenda driven hype by some Western Journalists that replacing a "pro-American Government", troops in Iraq or the proposed missile defense system were important vote getting issues, the Civic Platform concentrated on getting Kaczynski out of office and toning down the rhetoric of confrontation and hatred.
That resonated with the educated and people of Poland A.
And it got the attention of the young. Responding to a grass roots campaign waged on the internet and mobile telephones, the young turned out in surprisingly large numbers. See Will Poland's SMS And The Internet Determine The New Polish Government
Initiated by a group of students in Warsaw, a remarkable campaign that used the internet and SMS system to promote the vote, even on election day, cut into PIS. The creativity of the activists got attention and results.
The campaign was relentles and non stop.
One SMS message that was relayed all over Poland on election day said, "If you want Poland to look as beautiful are Fortyga, be as great as Kaczynski and as tolerant as Rydzyk, don't vote."
Their efforts were rewarded. Lena Kolarska-Bobinska, director of the Institute of Public Affairs, an independent research organization in Warsaw, said. "This is a generation revolution."
The young revolted against the authoritarian rule of Kaczynski that was supported by Priest Tadeusz Rydzyk of Catholic Radio Media and his followers in Poland B.
They did not vote to be anti- American. They just want terms more to their liking. They want visas to go to America. They want to be closer.
And they voted for more of a European culture than a culture steeped in the history of rural Poland. They are part of Europe and they voted not to fight it.
They voted to be "part of" and not "against". They voted to go forward and not spend all their time looking backward to find old enemies. They are now, not then.
The young won in battle with the old people of Old Poland to continue with the New Poland.
The clash is not over. But to Tusk's credit, in his speech immediately after the election results were announced, he said that he wanted those who voted against him to participate in th
If You Did Not Find What You Want Here, Use This Search Box
