Outsiders Win, U.S. Faces Hard Choice
The current presidential campaign in the U.S. has a peculiar set of main characters: in any other case, they would be regarded as outsiders. Now, however, the future president will be chosen out of former outsiders.
Indeed, the nomination struggle in the Democratic camp is between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama: a woman vs. an Afro-American. It creates involuntary associations with the 80s of the last century. Back then, in the ruling of Republican president Ronald Reagan, the Democrats, who had no real chances for success, occupied themselves with all sorts of experiments. Once, they nominated a woman (Geraldine Ferraro) as vice-president, and could not explain for what achievements they nominated that little-known lady from the House of Representatives of the U.S. Congress. Once, radical fighter for Afro-Americans’ civil rights Jesse Jackson was second at the Democratic primaries.
Now, however, the situation looks directly the opposite: the Republican administration is in deep crisis, while the Democrats have strong chances to succeed. Ay, there is the rub: a number of potential Democratic candidates with well-known names have a weight of defeats in their CVs. These are newly-fledged Nobel laureate Albert Gore (he lost the 2000 election to George Bush); currently off-race John Edwards (he lost the campaign four years ago as candidate for vice-presidency). Certainly, we could have looked for an ‘averaged’ senator or governor, but will they be better than John Kerry, who failed to repeat John Kennedy’s success and to become the second Catholic in the White House?
Hence the stake on bright political figures who can raise the voters’ attention to the campaign. Hence the opposition Clinton vs. Obama, in which Democratic activists face a hard choice. With reason, they understand it is harder for an Afro-American to become president, and so it would be more logical to support Hillary. With heart, they sympathize with Obama, who looks a fresher and more promising political figure, able to bring diversity into the rotation of Bushes and Clintons in the White House.
Speaking of Republicans, the leader is veteran John McCain, who had been recently considered chanceless, while Mormon Mitt Romney is far behind him. Twice divorced (terrible sin in the eyes of a provincial Republican voter!) Rudi Giuliani prematurely left the race. The Republicans now have two problems. First, they need to find a candidate who would maximally distance away from the current Bush administration formed by their fellow party member. Second, the ‘moral conservatism’ resource is exhausted, and it was what helped Bush-Jr. win the elections twice. Supporter of that movement Mike Huckabee has no chances to win.
Consequently, the current presidential campaign in the U.S. promises leadership to former outsiders.
Alexei Makarkin, deputy president of the Political Technologies Center
All the Article in Russian as of Feb. 05, 2008
|
