I think that the differences between candidates are often less in Western Europe, particularly as regards economic policy. Think Germany - Schroeder 'cut taxes for the rich, cut social spending on the poor, deregulate' vs Merkel 'more of the same' though it is true that in rhetoric the SPD has recently moved left. I don't follow Spanish politics as closely so the Spanish could correct me if I'm wrong, but I also don't see massive differences in what the PP and Socialists were proposing in the economic sphere - the big debates tended to be what the US calls 'social issues' and the specifically Spanish ones of centralist nationalism vs accomodation with the regional nationalisms. The practical difference between the left and right on economics in Italy seems to be crony capitalism and corruption. France's recent elections were indeed marked by sharp contrasts in economic policy, mais la France ce n'est pas l'Europe, contrairement a ce que certains Francais pensent.

Or to put it in different terms, in Western Europe the debate tends to be Left: move the system slightly to the right or leave it where it is vs. right move the system to the right a bit more. In the US it is move the system to the left, albeit to a position still to the right of where Western Europe is, or move it even further to the right.