Think about it
Obama or McCain? It’s 50-50!
By Jun Velasco
FILIPINOS are impressed with the U.S.’ smooth-sailing electoral system.
The exciting – even grueling to some — campaign for the party’s (Democrat or Republican) presidential nomination could be easily brought to a climax, with the winner and loser known, and left to bloodshed. Let’s salute the Americans.
The Democrats have cleared the way for the mulato, Senator Barack Obama, to face Senator Joe McCain of the Republican Party. We in the Philippines and in Pangasinan have watched the US presidential race with gusto. In Dagupan, we were mostly rooting for Hillary Clinton. Former Mayor Benjie Lim must be grinning. He was for Obama.
But our favorite academe star, Executive Vice President, Dr. Aurora Samson-Reyna, is not so happy. She says, “Hillary’s defeat just proved that Americans are not ready for a woman president. For all their professed liberalism and progressiveness, they are less liberated than Asians. The presidential election will prove whether they are ready for a black president. My hunch is they are not!”
Her words hit hard like Cosmetic blow. Does she see the US presidency going to bag of Republican Senator John McCain?
At a casual chat at his Forbes home, former Speaker Joe de Venecia, who is familiar with US as well as world politics, says Obama’s chance of becoming president would be enhanced if he gets Hillary Clinton as his running-mate.
Everybody knows that the whites still dominate US politics, and there’s no doubt about Hillary’s vote-getting charisma. Most of us outsiders would readily agree.
But wait a minute. Victory for the emerging love team in American politics may not yet be a walk in the park.
Hillary, analysts point out, is carrying a baggage on her shoulder. You won’t believe it but the baggage, brace yourselves, is Bill Clinton himself, the man we thought was the overwhelming plus for Hillary.
Had not been for Bill, the analysts say, Hillary would have won overwhelmingly.
Yup, Bill was the weakest link.
Why?
Read on. About a month back, we wrote in this column about a former Federal Investigation Agent, a Clinton sidekick during Bill’s White House years. This FBI aide had left kicking chairs then wrote a damaging book about them, Bill especially. Well, if you hit the hubby, and you do it during a Presidential contest, you bruise the candidate hard.
The book even from an Asian view was the tip of the iceberg that Obama used creatively and succeeded.
And had Hillary won the nomination, John McCain would just as so lustily melt the ice berg to wreck her.
Our esteemed cumpadre and award-winning writer in Asia, Al Mendoza confirms Bill Clinton’s fall from grace. Read his text message: “The Democrats rejected Bill Clinton, not Hillary. And America did not reject a woman to become President of America but instead the Democrats did the rejecting. Let’s not mistake the forest (America) for the trees (democrats)
On May 5, 2008, Newsweek has an essay about Bill Clinton with a built-in head, “The Natural No More.”
The lead sentence alone tells it all. “History may record primary day in Pennsylvania as the day Bill Clinton officially became the most tragic figure of the 2008 campaign. The sidebar is also telling, “what happened to Bill?”
And so let’s watch out pro-Democrat Philippines. We hate to be Hawk or war freak Republican, but with the emerging cracks in the romantic Obama-Clinton unity team, the exciting presidential race is still anybody’s game.
It’s still 50-50.
(Readers may reach columnist at junmv@yahoo.com. For past columns, click http://sundaypunch.prepys.com/archives/category/opinion/think-about-it/ For reactions to this column, click “Send MESSAGES, OPINIONS, COMMENTS” on default page.)
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