We got this communiqué from the US Embassy that it is hosting US Election Watch 2012 in partnership with SM City today from 10:00AM to 3:00pm. In SM, the Cebu media can meet with the US Embassy’s Deputy Chief of Mission, Mr. Brian L. Goldbeck. I recall that the U S Embassy also had a similar one four years ago, also in SM City where we participated for the first time in a mock election.
So if anyone who wants to know more about the US electoral system, hop over to SM’s North Wing and ask all the questions that enters your head. For me, the more complicated US electoral issue is the so-called Electoral College. What the Americans are doing is having the popular vote. Now how this will be inputted in the Electoral College is still a mystery to me.
Anyway, we hope that by mid-afternoon, the world will already know whether US Pres. Barrack Obama has been re-hired for another four-year term or fired and replaced with Gov. Mitt Romney. My guess is as good as yours.
I’m not in the habit of predicting the outcomes of elections as pollsters do better in this field. But in these times, even pollsters (like here at home) can be bought… so this election is in a statistical tie. But there’s a group who perhaps know better and I’m referring to those bookies from Las Vegas who more often than not predict the outcomes not only of boxing, but of the US elections. I got this prediction from Wayne Allyn Root from Caesar’s Palace, which was sent to me by my friends from the US.
Mr. Root says that it would be a big win for Romney for the following reasons. Obama’s social agenda is unacceptable to many Americans, he has hurt the Jewish vote, when he snubbed the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu… that the people who voted for Sen. McCain would not switch to Obama in this elections, while there are so many people who voted for Obama who are disillusioned by his Presidency. Then there’s Obama has alienated the Bible reading Christian and Catholic votes because of his pro-abortion stand. Finally, the youth that voted and campaigned for Obama ended up searching for jobs in the last four years. So whether Mr. Root can keep his reputation in predicting US election results…we shall know today.
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Speaking of elections, yesterday, the Philippine Star came up with a one-page advertisement which was headlined with these words “Obama voted on Smartmatic. The Philippines too!” Finally, Smartmatic has advertised what we’ve know since the 2010 elections that the City of Chicago used their automated system that voted US Senator Barrack Obama into the White House. Yet this same Smartmatic officials are mum why there were Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) found in Antipolo and Cagayan de Oro that were transmitting election results even before the voting centers closed?
If the PCOS machines are truly secure… we ask Smartmatic who really won the Vice-Presidential elections in the May 2010 elections? If the PCOS machines are so good as advertised… why is there still an election complaint filed by now DILG Secretary Manuel “Mar” Roxas against Vice-President Jejomar Binay? Now we heard that Smartmatic even lost its contract with the IT Company that run the program for the PCOS machines. So are we going to get a “pirated” program to run the 2013 polls? Abangan!
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There is a new movement that calls itself Krusada Kontra Dynasty (Kontra) that was launched the other day. This group was daring the Senatorial candidates to sign a covenant committing themselves to eliminating political dynasties should they win. Hmmm, I just wrote about this very recently. But I can predict that the future problem that this movement faces is that… politicians would sell their souls to the devil just to win their elections. So signing such a covenant is an easy thing to do. But then politicians by their very nature just never keep their promises.
Again let me point out that while I’m also very much against political dynasties… the problem we are encountering stems from the 1987 constitution that allowed for political dynasties to rule with impunity. In fact, the reality today is such that none of the traditional politicians would like to amend the 1987 constitution for the simple reason that they know too well that if we had charter changes… the framers of the new constitution might just make political dynasties extinct!
If at all, what the Filipino people should work together is for the removal of the hated Pork Barrel for it is the very motivation why politicians make today’s politics something of a family heirloom to be handed down from family to family. If we had the numbers, even if we have no charter changes, we can remove the Pork Barrel. But are we united in this effort?
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Email: vsbobita@mozcom.com.