What do John McCain and Barack Obama have in common? According to senior columnist Emilie Sueur of Lebanon’s L’Orient le Jour, the characteristics that have catapulted them to their respective party nominations are precisely the things that most threaten them.
“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 …
Writing of McCain’s strengths and weaknesses, Sueur writes:
“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.”
By Émilie Sueur
Translated By Sandrine Ageorges
June 9, 2008
Lebanon – L’Orient le Jour – Home Page (French)
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.
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.”
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