This [the Obama victory] is similar in some respects to President Ma Ying-jeou’s victory in March, as he was the first non-Taiwanese to be elected president, and on promises that he would turn Taiwan into a cross-strait “peacemaker,” not a “troublemaker.”
Obama swept to power on a message of change, convincing voters that he has what it takes to change the politics of Washington and heal the deep rifts that persist in US society.
US voters put their faith in a message of hope, unity, a new direction for their country and promises of better economic management — again echoing Ma’s campaign.
Obama’s victory, if one looks at the Electoral College, would appear to be a landslide, but with 52.3 percent of the popular vote compared with Republican Senator John McCain’s 46.4, Obama knows he has a lot of people to win over. This was apparent in his victory speech when he told those who did not vote for him: “I may not have won your vote, but I hear your voices … and I will be your president, too.”
Ma’s margin of victory was slightly larger at 58.45 percent, but he too recognized the need for unity and promised to work for all Taiwanese. On the night of his victory he told the gathered crowd: “This election result is not a personal result, nor a victory for the KMT [Chinese Nationalist Party], it is a victory for all Taiwanese.”
Some similarities between Ma and Obama? Note too that Lumpenscholar and I had rather called this long ago.
But there's one thing that the piece doesn't tell you: the fact that Ma's initial popularity has turned into an ugly morass with a vocal opposition. Fine talk is one thing, but once in office, one has to start DOING things, and popular opinion has turned sharply against him. Add too that all his grand promises of economic improvement have fallen flat.
I'm not saying that Obama will be an American Ma. But he might do well to take Ma's experience as a cautionary tale. Especially on the economic front.
No comments:
Post a Comment