The 2008 Presidential elections are already resulting in countless debates and discussions, which is definitely a good thing. However, a great deal of this focus is being placed on the fact that this election could very well see the first woman (Hillary Clinton) or African-American (Barack Obama) candidate. If either candidate does receive the spot on the democratic ticket, which it appears most likely that Senator Obama will, it will undoubtedly a monumental change in American political history.
That being said, these two candidates seem to be so popular not because of their platforms, but merely their minority statuses. That’s not to infer that the candidates themselves are running under this notion, but rather that the American public is more interested in the fact that there has never been a black or female president. And while I’m sure there are plenty of voters who are following and support their policies, a great deal of voters also may just vote for either candidate based purely on their sex/race, and that just isn’t right.
Consciously or not, our current president was supported in part by a similar “platform”. His gimmick was not to run as “George W. Bush, conservative republican” but as “George W. Bush, his dad was president before, too, remember?” Again, he had his policies, but I’m sure a portion of voters just wanted to see the son of a former president win, and look how well that idea turned out to be.
Family history, sex, age, race, religion, etc will understandably have its effects on voters, but it should never be the primary focus of a candidate. It could, in fact, backfire in a number of ways. (a) The candidate may prove to be too inexperienced (as Barack Obama is) to run a well directed presidency, (b) the publicity of having a minority president may be the only thing remembered about him/her, (c) foreign relations may become suspicious towards the political system, ultimately viewing the elections as a popularity contest and the new president as token change from the typical male WASP.
So please America, if you’re going to vote, don’t focus on the person, focus on the issues.
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I agree. People need to focus on who will be a good leader, even if it's a white man. I certainly hope we can have some change in this country, whether it's the race, gender, or religion of our executive, but I plan on voting on the best candidate regardless of the categories he or she checks off on the census.
You're absolutely right. I believe we do need a change in leadership in this country, but Ithink it's a mistake if we look for change in superficial things like race gender or even religion. You know, I think that's what the Civil Rights movement was about; coming to a point where qualifications aren't determined by skin color at all. It's not about simply advancing people of minorities, althought that's great, but we really need someone who can do a good job. It doesn't matter if that person is a man or woman or black or white or purple with pink polka dots.