Barack Obama’s win for the presidency of the United States of America signals change in many ways. But this is what you should look at: There has been a shift in the way politics is run.
In 2000, John McCain lost to George W. Bush in the Republican presidential primaries. The issues: McCain had been called a homosexual; his wife Cindy, a drug addict. And, referring to McCain’s adopted daughter from Bangladesh, Bush campaigners floated the rumor that John had fathered a black child out of wedlock.
In 2004, it was John Kerry that lost to Bush — 48% to 51% of the popular vote. The issue then: With wars raging in Iraq and Afghanistan, Bush tagged Kerry as a “flip-flopper” — a man who’d be “uncertain in the face of danger.”
Fear-and-smear has been the flavor of politics for centuries — and George W. Bush and his Republican party have brought this to heights. But no more, if this last election is to be believed. No more.
Barack Obama has just won the US presidency despite a wide, dishonest campaign to label him a dangerous Muslim terrorist who would redistribute wealth and turn America socialist. This, other than the fact that Obama is the first African-American leader of the free world, is something for the books.
What we have is a repudiation of broken politics. When voters can consider a candidate’s character, debate the issues of the day, separate fact from fabrication and elect the person they believe in — no matter race or gender — you’ve got a society that’s on its feet.
And if, at the moment, there is any doubt that America has regained its standing in the world, consider: It has just shown us how democracy is done.
Now, expect Obama’s “Change” line to play an important role in our 2010 presidential elections. The mood in our country is in many ways similar to the mood in the United States. We have a sitting president who is ineffective and unpopular. Markets aren’t rising, and if surveys are to be believed, Filipinos are worse off today than they were eight years ago.
We have a huge population of voters between 18 and 29 years old — a demographic that gave Obama his presidency. And, above all, by 2010, expect new media to double its reach. More people will have access to information, making the political process dynamic and inclusive.
For the first time in a long time, we can make the next election about issues and ideals as much as it is about personality and character. And there is clamor for this kind of change.
The question: Who is going to bring it?
The brilliance of Barack Obama’s election is in that every electorate from now on is going to be looking for their own Barack. He is the prototype of the new politician: young, hip, savvy, smart, mature. The next two years, for us, will be a search for someone who fits this bill.
On a personal note: There are some in my family who have been in politics — both my great-grandfather and grandfather were senators. But my lolo served during the Marcos administration, and after being jailed without charges, he realized that the best way to make a change in this country is in the private sector. He set up the Free Legal Assistance Group, which is alive until today.
Growing up, I’ve never held politics up to much esteem. My view is like the view of many others. Politicians are scum bags. We’ve a government so slow and out-of-touch, it’s a white elephant we must get rid of.
When I first started working, picking pens and cameras over the titles of law and governance, I was told by a friend I was making the right choice. “During the time of your grandfather, the best way to change society was through, politics,” he said, “but today, it’s through media.” He was right.
But this week, a transformation. Hope has been restored to quarters we’ve given up to idiots. When British Prime Minister Tony Blair, in his last address to Parliament, said politics is “on occasion, the place for low skullduggery, but it is more often the place for the pursuit of noble causes,” I half-believed him.
Today, though, I — and a whole generation of men and women — look at Barack Obama and realize that politics is where change is best made. And if America can elect their first Black President, there is hope that the Philippines can elect a competent one as its next.
Obama’s “Yes we can,” has resonated around the world. To Filipinos who’ve watched this race closely, there is a sense that our futures are, indeed, in our own hands. This fundamental shift in the way politics is seen is our key to the future.
Sharing this message with the masses is essential. Making them believe it will be difficult. But it can be done. If we can all take the road Obama has shown us, then there is change we can expect.
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