Indian and USA politics-more simillar than different?

When Obama's dream campaign catapulted him into the White House, the USA basked in the glory of electing its first Black President, and questions were raised whether this would have been possible in another country,. The 2004 Bush election fiasco in Florida was papered over, and other democracies seemed guilty of cronyism etc. But now, Indian politics do seem to resemble USA politics in more ways than one

1. Top politicians's eligibility questioned:- The 'birther' issue in the USA(arguing that Obama is NOT a natural born USA citizen and so ineligible for President's office) resembles the debate in India about Sonia Gandhi's Indian citizenship, which peaked in May-04 when she could have become Prime Minister, but died down after that. Still, peruse any online political forum and this issue hits.
2. Figurehead leaders:-The USA President's success story in 2009 apart, 2010 onwards has been a logjam in terms of laws, reforms, election results etc. Similar for our Indian Prime Minister who got a nominated backdoor entry into Parliament, and is not perceived as having influence. This was apparent in the recent telecom 2G scam, when corrupt coalition ministers were not sacked in the interest of keeping together the  coalition
3. Crony Capitalism:- This has been a well honored tradition in the USA with Congressmen openly lobbying for projects for their own constituencies and encouraging unnecessary ''pork barreled' spending. They also derive personal benefits from lobbyists and the companies they represent. While the Indian side was exposed in the Radia tapes(of a lobbyist chatting with her clients of replacing ministers, altering policies etc), it has died down. 
4. Faith driven politics in large areas:-In the Bible Belt of the USA, aspiring candidates must steer clear of the 3 landmines(Guns, God, Gays) if they desire election. Similarly, in Indian states like Kerala, North East(Christian Church advisory), Western UP, Bihar(where mullah support helps) and in UP/Maharashtra/Punjab(where certain religious sects dominate); faith issues are critical for candidates seeking election
5. Revolving door between public/private sector:- Many Indian politicians own flourishing business empires(Navin Jindal-Steel; Reddy brothers-Steel; Vijay Mallaya-alcohol etc), and can at times as ministers shape the policies to suit them. This allows an exit option when the political fortunes change. In the USA, this happens in terms of cushy jobs post electoral defeats/return to private legal practice(true for India too). 
6. Affirmative action angst:- This had not impaired Obama's campaign that much, but it is still used by rabble rouses to whip up fear among voters(WASPs) of being displaced. In India, post the extension of reservations(from 22.5% since independence to 49.5% in 2004-further action not taken only because the top legal court in India has capped it at 50%), the Congress did lose many 'upper caste' votes. 

 This post does not aim to rant on politics but hopes to spark off that hesitation before damming Indian politics as corrupt compared to other nations.