Posted by Commie B on February 28, 2008 at 5:35 pm
I recently read in an article published in a British Magazine which stated that the fact that Obama is leading the polls over Hillary Clinton, and it appears will most likely beat her, is proof of the fact that America is no more a racist society; well, maybe not as racist as it used to be a few decades ago. On the other hand, another gentleman, who was interviewed in the article, stated that it’s not that America is no more racist, it’s just that America has learnt to deal with the racial problem better.
That may well be true, but it appears that America is no more interested in the (at this point democratic) political ideologies of the mature, white person. But is that the only reason that Obama is winning? The simple fact that he’s young, and black, and has a different attitude toward most things than, say, the Clintons or the Edwards or the Kerrys? Probablt not.
But here’s what I can tell you. If you read the news, the interviews, the poll results, the poll analysis, political experts, etc. etc., it seems like the US public has become so fed-up of the corruption in the White House, that at this point they’re willing to take up new blood, new blood that’s different, that won’t change his/her mind every now and then, and new blood that may offer something new. The new part is key, because we’ve all seen what the Bush’s are capable of doing; between father and son, they’ve done it for almost 16 years, and America is more than hurting because of that.
The one simplest reason why Obama is leading the presidential race ahead of Hillary Clinton and John McCain (who looks like he’s angry all the time; maybe he should be checked into anger management or something) is because he is NEW. People don’t know what he will do or what he can do, and people are desperate. They have seen what the white folk have done (no racism meant), and they’re willing to take their chances with what NEW brings, because with white they now have to associate the sadistic presidential rule of President George W. Bush. That’s a distaster, for both Clinton and McCain.
But there are other reasons why Barrack Obama may win the US Elections. Despite the attempts of Hillary Clinton and John McCain to defame him on the public financing / funding issue, these are not serious enough allegations to damage his credibility. With Iraq being a failure, Hillary Clinton’s former stance of supporting the war has from the very first day put her on very questionable grounds. John McCain is all about war; civil, international, world. He’s a war-like people, and he’s too traditional, which again gives Barrack Obama an edge. Obama, on the other hand, never voted for the Iraq War, and that gives him the only head start he needs in addition to being NEW.
What plays against Obama, however, is the lack of confidence people have in the leadership of black people. The same article also discussed the fact that although people are all for new and all for Obama, they are slightly hesitant, because they think that since a black man has never been a president, can he do it? White people have been becoming US Presidents for the last 200 years, and they’re bred for it. But is a black man educated, complicated, and charismatic enough to lead America. Well, we’re going to find out, won’t we?
I’m not voting, since I’m not a US National and don’t live in the US. But tell me, who do you think will win the election eventually? Not who’s best, who do you think will become commander and chief?
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Posted by Commie B on February 23, 2008 at 3:39 am
With the Pakistani Election coming to an end this week, we know who’s sitting in the front seat to drive this overcrowded nation of almost 200 million people. Although you can this election was pretty intense and nail biting (given its Hollywood like character: Murder, Suicide, threats, patriotism, etc. etc.), somehow, no matter how intense the election, the problem is that no political party has a particular agenda or a stance it takes on any particular issue.
With Pakistan People’s Party (The Ex-Benazir Bhutto & Currently Asif Zardari group) taking the lead in the polls, Pakistan Muslic League (Nawaz Sharif group) coming in second, and PML- Q (Musharraf’s party) coming in third, and with the PPP and the PML-N attempting to form an alliance to oust Musharraf, things could get pretty nasty for Pakistan pretty soon. There’s no telling how long Zardari and Sharif can continue the sweet talk, because as it is, I’m sure their dislike for each other is, well, more than quite obvious.
But the major problem with the future of Pakistan is not what lies ahead with the confrontation of these three political leaders (so-called), but what will happen once the confrontation is complete. With Musharraf losing out on majority support and retiring as an Army General, his say in the government and direction of the country is far less than it would have been if he was the Chief of Army Staff. Despite the fact that Nawaz Sharif & Co. won quite a big part of the National Assembly seats, there is still a lot to fear in the future of Pakistan.
This is primarily the case because no matter how you look at it, Pakistan People’s Party will run the show, and no matter who is made Prime Minister, be it Amin Faheem or not, Asif Zardari will run the show and run Pakistan; and that’s the danger! Not that I have anything personal against him, but Zardari is known to be a chronically corrupt man, who has quite possibly murdered his own spouse (Benazir Bhutto, if you’re wondering) for the chance to reign over Pakistan. In the past, as a senator / MNA in Pakistan, Zardari has been coined as the 10% man, i.e., any contract or deal that goes through the Pakistan government, Mr. Zardari gets to keep 10%of it. Well, he could manage to do it because Benazir Bhutto was the Prime Minister.
Asif Zardari is a man who is known to have murdered, torchered, looted, and raped the Pakistani Government and Pakistani people at the highest of levels. Not that the others have been much different. I do not say that Nawaz Sharif would put the betterment of Pakistan before his, and neither can the same be said of Musharraf’s record over the last 9 years. However, I fear that Asif Zardari is the worst of the lot, and he has scandals and actions of his past to prove it.
Not only, I suspect, will corruption rise to an all time high under his rule, but the country will be drained of its already slim natural resources. I’m not very clear on Zadari’s relationship with the Maulana/Fundamentalist groups of Pakistan, although it is evident from history that they despised Benazir Bhutto. However, forming a coalition with Nawaz Sharif here can be useful, since he has the experience and tact to deal with that crowd; it’s one of the few things he was capable of doing. This one topic alone is detrimental to the future of internal Pakistan and for its relationship with the outside world.
With the mass increase of long beards and lack of education in Pakistan over the last few years, and given the trend of suicide bombings not only in Pakistan but globally, it is imperative that no matter how corrupt Zardari is, he pay attention to dealing with this issue of religious extremism and increasing the level basic education. Ultimately, that’s where Pakistan needs to start work to elevate itself from a worseing third world status.
I suppose it’s too early to decide what’s going to happen. We will first probably have to see the three of them bicker over whether or not Musharraf stays. Once that’s over, we will witness the destruction or rebuilding of destroyed country, that suffers from an extreme lack of being a nation. I can only but pray.
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