Montreal Gazette
It seems that both in and out of the United States, the things that concern people the most about Sarah Palin – John McCain’s running mate – is her age, his age, and Palin’s fundamentalist Christian upbringing.
Cecilia Soto of Mexico’s Excelsior newspaper lays out some of the concerns Mexicans have, not only about the McCain-Palin ticket, but with Mexican President Calderon’s apparently shameless support of John McCain’s run.
Of Calderon’s clear support for McCain, Soto writes in part:
“It’s likely that President Calderon, just like Carlos Salinas during the failed re-election campaign of George H.W. Bush [1992], has deliberately sought to exert whatever influence he might have on Latino voters in favor of McCain. A crass mistake.”
Then writing of the Republican convention:
“It may be argued that what one saw at the Republican Convention was just partisan rhetoric, but it made one’s hair stand on end.”
Then Soto addresses Sarah Palin:
“The selection of Governor Palin as a candidate for the Vice Presidency was an astute move by McCain, for it showed every sign of being a fine case of electoral marketing – although it’s extremely worrying for anyone who can see beyond Election Day. … First there’s the issue of McCain’s age: 72 years. With advances in preventative care, being “seventy-something” may be a decade of great maturity and the realization of an individual’s talents, as has certainly happened during the campaign of the Arizonian. And yet, it is an age with significant health risks. Just the idea that a woman like Mrs. Palin could make it to the White House – with the frankly fundamentalist ideas that she has exhibited throughout her public life, is extremely worrying. In a world in which fundamentalism poses the greatest threat to the United States and world peace, it’s important to have statesmen who are outside that mental trap.”
By Cecilia Soto
Translated By Paula van de Werken
September 8, 2008
Mexico – Excelsior – Original Article (Spanish)
It’s hard to believe that excessive sincerity was the reason President Calderon “made a mistake” when expressing explicit support for the candidacy of John McCain. It’s more likely that he had bought the thesis that the Republican candidate would be better for Mexico because of that Party’s traditional support of free trade – and of course, its support of the North American Free Trade Agreement. He undoubtedly also weighed the career of John McCain: a native of the border State of Arizona, he is well-aware of the issue of migration between the two countries, has been a supporter of a comprehensive solution to this phenomenon, and is generally a good friend of Mexico. It’s likely that President Calderon, just like Carlos Salinas during the failed re-election campaign of George H.W. Bush [1992], has deliberately sought to exert whatever influence he might have on Latino voters in favor of McCain. A crass mistake.
Little good will these winks and honest gestures serve Mexico if the world continues to slide toward a deeper crisis, both in terms of economics and energy, and above all, if the United States continues to expand the fronts of war or the obvious confrontations in which it is increasingly involved. It may be argued that what one saw at the Republican Convention was just partisan rhetoric, but it made one’s hair stand on end.
READ ON AT WORLDMEETS.US along with continuing translated foreign press coverage of the U.S. election.
Founder and Managing Editor of Worldmeets.US