US presidential election
The Democratic Party will choose a candidate to run for president and the candidate would be either a woman or an African American. Is there anyone in the Democratic Party worried that come election day their candidate would find it difficult to cart off the “stigma” of belonging to the African American and “Women” category, two of the more resourceful, successful and ever powerful yet “minority groups” who perhaps would not convince or inspire the war weary electorate that the time has come to elect a “minority” candidate, and not a male white politician. The fact that candidates should be elected based on some specific and definite criteria like policies and past records may escape most, including even people from the minority communities. People may think that in times of war and economic downturn, it is perhaps wise to vote for a candidate who would be strongly placed to work with the majority community and Congress to bring about some changes in business and body politic and lead the country back to economic prosperity. The American electorate has shown themselves unable to vote for women and an African American when the stakes have been very high. However, the fact remains that there is always a first time for everything. Hillary Clinton and Obama have the respect of so many of their countrymen. Nancy Pelosi led the Democratic Party to win the Senate elections that gave the party a majority in Senate after a long gap of 12 years and she is now the speaker of the Senate, the first time a woman has taken that coveted position. But electing the President of the United States is something different. The process of selecting a candidate in American elections is of course different from the subcontinent or for that matter many parts of the world. The party leader is not the automatic choice like in Britain. Seniority or the dubious populist eligibility factor or being the relative of some departed leader, likely to have departed in a violent way, doesn't play any role. In America, anybody can contest the elections but normally a candidate needs to have a certain kind of acceptability based on family name, fame from being an actor or some kind of “notoriety”, interest in politics and capacity to attract followers from the rank and file of the party. But the overriding concern remains just one factor the ability to generate campaign funds! The candidate must be able to attract donors o fund a campaign. The party supporters who register in their own constituencies select the candidate and vote from the choice of several candidates from the two major parties. There are occasional marginal instances of a third candidate of some kind who is usually an independent with scant followers. There maybe other candidates from some fringe personal or independent platforms but they can only hope to influence the election by splitting, getting enough disgruntled voters to vote for them and thus depriving the more serious candidate of much needed votes. It is time to predict who will win the election! I did that last time with success. I think America is ready for a change. My call is Barack Obama!
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