U. S. President Election 2008
Dr. Abdul Momen
American Presidential election of 2008 will be over within few hours and most likely it would provide a relief to the world for better days by electing Democratic Presidential nominee Barak Hussain Obama, a mix of Black African and White American heritage. His mother was a White American while his father was a Kenyan Black. Like his father who was a Kenyan Muslim his step-father was an Indonesian Muslim. Nevertheless, as he was brought up by his maternal grandparents, he maintained his Christian faith.
This election will reflect whether the Americans are fed up with the lies and self defeating myopic policies of President George Bush that brought economic disaster, job loss and social uncertainty not only in the U. S. but across the globe. This election will also show whether the fear tactics of President Bush, Carl Rove and his cronies that Americans honestly believed in 2004 election will work or not. Terrorism was the catch word of the Republican Party to win 2004 election. Now only 9% voters think it as important to influence their voting decision while 62% as per CNN poll believe that 'economy' is the number one determining factor in making voting decision followed by 'war on Iraq'. In these days of economic downturn comparable to that of great depression of1930s, many Americans are upset that the administration has wasted over $700 billion in Iraq and still continue wasting another $12 billion a month in Iraq while American towns and cities, schools and colleges, roads and highways, bridges and public services are handicapped owing shortage of funds. The recent Wall Street crisis added fuel to fire and more importantly, the Republican nominee John McCain failed to distance himself from that of Bush and his discarded policies. While he tried to distance himself at the last minute, people could not believe him as record shows that he voted 95% of time in favor of Bush's failed policies and he still likes to continue his Iraq occupation.
This election will be a reflection on President Bush and his Republican parties' failed policies of helping the rich and the powerful while ignoring the middle class and the poor. It will prove that conspiracy, falsity and politics of war and fear will not succeed in the long run. Once Barak Obama wins, the nation should pursue a case of 'crime against humanity' against President Bush.
This election will be historic in many ways. If Barack Obama wins, he will be the first Black American and it will prove that America is a 'land of great people who hate discrimination, and are open to ideas and leadership'. If McCain wins owing to racial divide, his Vice President Sarah Palin, a hockey mom with questionable background would be the first female VP of USA. McCain could be the 1st American President born outside U. S. territory and most aged 1st time President elect. In this election, the Democratic Party is hopeful of winning the Presidency, plus the Senate and the House with significant majority. This will be unique in the recent history and such may lead to 'one party rule' that the forefathers of American democracy never liked.
America is a Republic. In the initial years of its independence from 1776 through 1788, it was not a nation state. It went through chaos, confusion, debates and uncertainty. Luckily many of its 'fathers of independence' survived and ruled the individual states for the 1st 25 years of its independence unlike Bangladesh where its 'fathers of independence' were kicked out and killed within 3.5 years of its independence. They firmly believed in the principle that the nation must be run by elected individuals, but they also believed that 'single majority vote' might create a land of hoodlum and opportunists. Therefore, they created a Constitution with lot of check and balances. It established equally important three branches of government; the Executive (President), the Legislature (Senate and Congress) and the Judiciary. While the number of Congressmen were determined on the basis of population size, larger states get more congressmen, and smaller ones less, on the other hand, each state gets 2 senators irrespective of geographical or population size. In addition, it also created state governments basically independent of the federal government in its day today administration. Not only that it created a unique system of 'electoral votes' ---- a U. S. President has to be elected by the majority electoral votes, not by majority popular votes. The rationale of it was to avoid 'democracy of the majority' out of emotion----it desired to have a balance and consideration even to smaller states. This system has been questioned time and again and more so when Al Gore lost his bid for Presidency against George Bush in 2000 election although he won over a million popular votes, but Americans did not change or modify it yet.
Today Americans will elect 35 U. S. Senators, 11 Governors, and 435 Congressmen besides its next President. They have also nearly 150 ballot measures ranging from homo-sexual marriage to allowing drug use on their ballot papers. This time it is expected that a record number of voters will vote even young Americans that refrain from voting might vote. During our 'door-to-door campaign' for Obama, we find this year's voters are more aware of election issues vis-à-vis other years and more importantly, people are worried of job loss, economic down turn, loss of healthcare benefits and crumbling of retirement funds. Sadly, we also met a voter who is upset with Bush administration but find difficulty to vote for a Blackman. He said and I quote, 'how do you expect me to vote for a Blackman for the White House? Will you change 'White House' to 'Black House'?
Besides such microscopic few disturbed individuals, the majority Americans irrespective of race, color and caste are asking 'are you better off with 8 years of Bushism'? Emotional and social issues like gay marriage, abortion, faith, family values or right to bear arms which were more critical in other years is no longer important to voters now. Since Barack Obama is focusing his campaign on economic issues and Iraq, I have no doubt that he will win the election in spite of his being a Black American with Muslim lineage. Today the prophetic words of Robert F. Kennedy who said in 1968 at the time of signing the Civil Rights Act of 1968 that he would not be surprised if a Black American is elected as President of USA in 40 years time is echoing again and again. Let us hope that Barack Hussain Obama, a Black American wins the White House and the world gets a relief from the atrocities of self-defeating, self-absorbing myopic and arrogant unilateral Bush doctrine. Let the American never forget neither the Guantanamo nor the Abu Ghairab prisons and its shame on the nation. Let it never forgets the killing of innocent people across the globe. Let sanity prevail for a better future. Let it be a reality and let us witness a new history. Let our dream of a brighter world comes true.
November 4, 2008, Boston, Massachusetts, 5 PM
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