Tattva

(Editor’s Note: All opinions expressed by authors in posts and comments are solely their own and do not reflect any policy or opinions of Tattva magazine, website, Hindu YUVA, Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh, or any of their officials or affiliates.)

The 2008 presidential election is considered one of the most important in US history. There are several reasons for this – (1) Barack Obama is the first African American to be nominated as the Presidential candidate representing the Democratic ticket,  (2) Hillary Clinton was the first woman to run for the office of the President, (3) The US economy is at its worst since the Great Depression, (4) The Republican Vice Presidential candidate for the first time is a woman and (5) the American citizens have long been estranged from the ongoing war against terror in Iraq and Afghanistan.

In this article, I aim to represent bipartisan views about the two presidential candidates and how mainstream America perceives them.

John McCain
Republican candidate John McCain used to be considered the most liberal Republican in the US Senate. However, during the course of his current campaign for Presidency, he has projected himself as a far right winger. According to political analysts this has been the main cause of his faltering campaign and his unpopularity in the polls. He came to the forefront for the sole reason that there were no other viable candidates that could carry the Republican burden after eight years of Bush hegemony. It has become a mere impossibility for any Republican to generate a positive image. Then there was the whole fiasco of nominating Sarah Palin as his running mate. Though choosing Palin was viewed as a master stroke to woo Clinton voters, the move implicitly portrayed McCain as lacking self-confidence. This is seen as very un-McCain-like, especially given his admirable military achievements. McCain has tremendous leadership qualities; however his campaign strategies have been quite negative. This phenomenon has caused confusion among Americans as they are perplexed as to how McCain will fare as the next world leader. He has strong inclination towards going to war against Iran, and it may not be the right tactic in rise of the recent economic turmoil. Even though he is a seasoned and experienced Senator, he is deficient in understanding the history of US economics and where the nation is now headed. Moreover, he is represented in the media as an old and outdated political figure. However, it is not McCain’s age that is his problem – rather, it is his associations with the Bush Doctrine. That is why being a Republican for this specific election has been his major drawback.

Barack Obama
Barack Obama is seen as a new age politician in America. He comes across as a leader who is able to come to terms with reality that the United States is not always forthright in terms of its foreign policies as well as in its domestic affairs. He is considered by many to be an envisioned leader who can guide its citizens if there ever comes a time when the US shall lose its superpower status. He is full of progressive ideas, such as grassroots campaigning and eliminating lobbyists as a source of campaign funding.  Obama represents new America. While old America is majority white, new America is a mix of ethnicities. Obama anticipates regulating a capitalist country upon his inaugural. He hopes to implement socialism in the form of universal healthcare, redistribution of wealth, and emphasizing checks and balances in the Federal Reserve. He has retained a flawless and almost impeccable campaign, despite running into major hurdles, starting with the color of his skin, being associated with radical personalities such as Reverend Jeremiah Wright and William Ayers, and receiving false accusations of having connections with terrorists.  He gets credited for encouraging the youth in this country to rekindle their passion for politics, consequently motivating new and young voters to register and vote.

It has been a long battle for both McCain and Obama. With the elections around the corner, the whole nation awaits to see whether McCain, with his experience and wisdom or Obama, with his new age charisma, will come out victorious.

Shikta Sapkota, originally from Nepal, has done her MBA from University of Utah, Salt Lake City. She is interested in development economics and international politics. She is also a yoga enthusiast and loves traveling. You can contact her at shikta@u.washington.edu

 Email This Post

 

This entry was posted on Saturday, November 1st, 2008 at 5:40 am and is filed under Current Events. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.