Obama and McCain: Their Assets are Their
Weaknesses
"Although Obama's colorful origins have seduced many
Americans, they have also engendered suspicion on the part of others, and not
necessarily Republicans … And although McCain can boast of his long experience,
this is something that could also be construed as a continuation of Bush's
mandate.
For the next five months, the American political stage
will be monopolized by two men, John McCain and Barack Obama - vanquishers of
their respective primary races. At first glance, everything appears to mitigate against these candidates. One is young, while the
other, if elected, would be the oldest President ever to take up residence in
the White House. While the former is a purely American product, White on White,
the second is of mixed-race African origin. One is a veteran with an impressive
track record, the other can boast of a civilian journey committed to the law
and especially social work …
Beyond these differences, the two men find themselves of
a kind on a few points. Neither have ever been stars in their respective
parties. Barack Obama only emerged on the national scene three years ago and
was, a priori, not the first choice of the Democratic apparatus. John
McCain, for his part, is certainly a long-standing Republican, but one which
has often been considered a maverick by party hardliners.
Both men also share in the fact that their strengths
are also their weaknesses. Barack Obama plays on his age - 46 - and his origins
- from Kenya, Kansas, Hawaii, Indonesia and Harvard, from a Black father and a
White mother, to portray himself as a candidate capable of unifying and
embodying change. But if his colorful origins have seduced many Americans, they
have also engendered suspicion on the part of some voters, and not necessarily
Republicans at that. Capturing supporters of Hillary Clinton is not assured for
Obama, despite the rallying of the New York Senator. On the Internet,
independent blogs belonging to Hillary Clinton
supporters are already calling for voters to abstain or vote for the Republican
candidate.
ELECTION PARODY FUN: VOTE FOR
JOHN IN 2008
McCain, 71 years old, while avoiding too much of a
focus on Obama's lack of experience (a weapon used by Clinton which didn't have
the desired effect), argues that the change which Obama wants to embody is a
fake change. “The American people didn't get to know me yesterday. … I have a
few years on my opponent, so I am surprised that a young man has bought into so
many failed ideas,” McCain recently declared. To drive home his point, the
Republican candidate chose a campaign slogan derived from Obama. While the
Democratic candidate wants to personify “change in which we can all believe,”
McCain defines himself as “a trusted leader that we can believe in.”
Posted by WORLDMEETS.US
Beyond thumbing his nose at Obama, this slogan is also
a reference to George W. Bush. Because although McCain can boast of his long
experience, this is something that could also be turned against him in that it
could be construed, according to his detractors, as part of a continuation of
Bush's mandate. And in this regard, there is plenty to be worried about when 70
percent of Americans believe the United States is going in the wrong direction
at the end of George W's dual mandate. Hence the urgent need for John McCain to
distance himself from the outgoing president by insisting that he's a leader
"which we can believe in." To say the least, a clear reference to the
perverted relationship between Bush and the truth. Of course, lying is one of
the work tools of most politicians, but with Bush, detours from reality have
become perverse policy. One might here recall the multiple alerts about the
risk of terrorism against the United States, exuded at every critical turn to
justify the war against Iraq (weapons of mass destruction, links between Saddam
Hussein and al-Qaeda …) …
Today therefore, the challenge for both candidates is
to reassure Americans, and to ensure that their strong assets remain so.
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