Thursday, February 21, 2008

Minority report

The race to become US President has gone from the most exciting prospect for change in America to the same old politics.

But how is this possible? Isn't Barak Obama just the "change" the country needs?

He is. Unfortunately, the majority of voting Americans won't agree that someone from a minority group can lead the way.

With John Edwards now eliminated, two truly divisive candidates remain, neither of whom can convince enough voters to 'buy in' to their view of the world.

America's nightmare continues.

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Last year I predicted that John Edwards would become the next US President. I also thought that Hillary Clinton would be his Vice President, taking the country one tolerable step closer to a female President.

Sadly, I was wrong about Edwards and I'll probably be proven wrong about Clinton.

Edwards as President was the only hope for Clinton to reach the While House. Now, with him out of the picture, she has absolutely no hope of becoming the Democratic nominee, let alone President.

This leaves Barak Obama, the candidate whose sole message can be summed up in a simple identity:

Hope=Change.

While these are two things the country has not enjoyed in a long time, they suggest nothing but empty promises. With extremely little experience in politics, Obama's message of hope will never be enough to convince enough Americans that he represents the potential for change. This will become painfully obvious in contrast to John McCain (b. 1936).

Instead, it was the message of Edwards that offered the most marketable solution to America's problems:

Change=Hope

Unfortunately for Edwards, he wasn't able to convince enough people of the need for the changes he was prepared to make.

Better luck next time.

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If you were hoping that the 2008 Presidential election would herald a sea-change in American politics, you will be sadly disappointed come January 2009.

The likelihood now is that a Republican will be in the White House and the politics of old will resume.

There is one silver lining to all of this: the odds are against John McCain to win, so you still stand to gain something from the outcome of the election!