Best Candidate for the US Presidential Elections - Essay Example

Introduction The United s presidential elections are just around the corner. The race has become quite heated up and this is amplified in the Democratic Party which is yet to choose its presidential candidate. The party has two headstrong leaders, Senator Hillary Clinton and Senator Barrack Obama. However, it is my firm conviction that Senator Barrack Obama will win the Democratic party race and eventually the Presidential race because of the following reasons; Strengths in the Obama campaign Oratory skills The first time Senator Obama attracted national attention was in the year 2004. He made a speech in the Democratic National Convention and was able to draw people's attention beyond what all the other presidential nominees could. He has continued to make such significant and deep speeches and has even been combined it with solid character. One cannot ignore such an aspect of leadership because no matter how good a president's policies are, at the end of the day, he/she needs to communicate them to the public and convince them why those policies should be implemented. History has shown how leaders like Winston Churchill and Adolph Hitler were able to move crowds to action. Presidents with good oratory skills may motivate their citizens to work harder and contribute towards the development of their economy. (Somerset, 2008) Some of Obama's rivals have claimed that this is something that should not be considered since they feel that greater precedence should be given to policies. However, this argument holds no water because Obama has both aspects; oratory skills and concrete ideas. Experience One of the most outspoken candidates and rivals to Obama; Clinton keep on claiming that Senator Obama has no experience in politics generally and in the United States parliament specifically. However this is very invalid statement because of the following reasons; First of all, Senator Obama has served for seven years as Illinois Senator. When one compares this to what President George W. Bush had before his election, this exceeds Bush's years by five. Even his main democratic rival has nothing on him. If voted into office, he will have three years more experience than her. It should also be note that the issue of experience has only been considered as a point by Hillary Clinton. No other presidential candidate has highlighted the issue of lack of experience aside from her. Racial issues Some stereotypes have argued that American citizens will never accept an African American for president. But this is a far cry from where the American State has emerged. Gone are the days when African Americans were considered as subordinate to the 'white' American. Those issues were addressed adequately in the 1964 Civil rights movements that saw the elimination of all discriminative issues. While one must not ignore the fact that race is still an issue in the US, it is highly unlikely that this will the main issue driving the election. Polls have shown that the racial issue carries a very small percentage among priority lists for voters. (Hutcherson, 2008) It should also be noted that there are also other issues in other presidential candidates that would cause potential sources of bias. For example, Hillary Clinton is also not your 'typical candidate' simply because she is a woman. The New Mexico Governor was happens to be a Latin American and still stood for the presidential race. Therefore proponents of this argument would eliminate almost all presidential candidates since there is something about them that renders them unconventional. The United States electorate is more interested in the best and most qualified person for the job and not how they look like. Such biases are more of side shows than the real deal. Bi partisanship Senator Barrack Obama is one leader who has the ability to reconcile two major differing parties or issues. The nature of the American State is that most individuals are quite opinionated yet democratic at the same time. There is no room for imposition of rules or policies without consultation and dialogue. Senator Obama possesses those qualities because he has demonstrated this in the past. In his career as Senator, Obama has demonstrated his ability to unite differing parties in order to accomplish specific tasks. This is an aspect that his rival has not been credited with. The United States needs such a leader because the current state of affairs demands this. The Democratic Party and the Republican Party have so differences between them. Some parliamentarians do not even communicate to each other yet they all need to work together in the process of building the country's economy. Obama will be the right person to bridge the gap between these two differing parties. Although the Senator is a strong Democrat, this does not undermine the fact that he has an ability to bring people together. (Howard, 2008) Even his racial heritage speaks volumes about what the Senator can do once he is elected into office. First of all, he is a biracial child; his mother was a white American while his father was an African from Kenya. This gives him middle ground to represent ideas held by these two races. It should also be noted that he was brought up in Hawaii and therefore got aspects of that culture too. Senator Obama has demonstrated time and time gain that he is a liberal and will always go out of his way to unite warring factions. His credibility of also concretized by the fact that he has a stable family and is the father of two daughters. Concrete ideologies Senator Obama has been educated in some of the best Universities in the land such as Harvard University and University of Columbia. These institutions have helped in the process of shaping his opinions and ideas. He has an ability to read in between the lines and to look at issues beyond the obvious. This is the reason why he strongly opposes the war in Iraq. He has given sound and concrete reasons fro making this choice and it seems the rest of America agrees with him. A survey done in the month of April 2008 found that sixty eight percent of the American population opposes the war in Iraq. This implies that he was on the right track. However, some have jumped to the conclusion that he is simply doing this to gain popular support. This argument does not hold water because he had declared his opinion at the beginning even before surveys were conducted to indicate popular opinions about this matter. Senator Obama has also demonstrated his ideologies through the revelation of his vision. He has clearly stated that he intends on introducing a new approach in Washington. He has so many high expectations for the country and backs them up with passion. There are numerous cases when the Senator has demonstrated his abilities a wise leader. First of all, he has been very careful about where he sources his campaign finances. He has exercised caution when choosing his sponsors. For example, he has rejected sponsorship from special interest groups and has still been able to raise substantial amounts. His major rival; Hillary Clinton did not have that sort of foresight. She accepted PAC finances and this has led to some bad publicity. Other Opponents In light of the fact that there is a lot of rivalry in the Democratic Party, candidates have the ability o depict their true colors. The race for Democrat representation has given Americans a chance to see for themselves who their future leaders really are. As soon as the Democrat race is over, chances are quite high, that the winner will continue in that manner. It should be noted that Senator Obama has won in many primaries and this is strong indication of what lies ahead. This is also topped up by the fact that Senator Obama has the highest number of delegates in the race so far. Such indications are only a green light of what the US should expect in their general elections Another aspect that should not be ignored when examining the Barrack Obama campaign is the strength of his rivals. Hillary Clinton claims that she has experience when it comes to the White house, however, most of this so-called-experience normally refers to the time she served as first lady in the white house. This was not a political position and must therefore not be included as a strong point. Additionally, Clinton has tried accusing Obama of elitism. However, the Obama has highlighted aspects of his life where he lived in very humble conditions as a teenager and in Hawaii o his rival's attacks are invalid. (Somerset, 2008) It should also be noted that Hillary Clinton has had her share of dirty linen. First of all, her husband was involved in an extra marital affair i.e. With Monica Lewinsky. Exposure to the white house is also a deterrent to Clinton's campaign because it shows how she has the same ideologies as some of the past American leaders and this will mean that she cannot create change within the White House. Minority representation Many people agree that Senator Obama has overwhelming support from minority groups such as blacks, Latinos and others. The United States has a large portion of minority groups and their votes cannot be ignored. It is very likely that these minority groups will turn out in large numbers to vote and this can mean victory for Obama. However, one should not ignore the fact that Obama also has overwhelming support from the majority groups. Therefore after combining all this support, one can therefore conclude that Senator Obama has high chances of carrying the day. (McIntosh, 2008) Polls have also shown that in the past, there are certain groups that tend not to poll or vote. These are the young voters and the minority groups. Surveys have shown that there are about one hundred and fifty thousand new voters that will take part in the general election this year. Experts agree that most of the new voters tend to be groups that have not been voting in the past; the youth and minorities. Yet on the other hand, those same groups have demonstrated their support for Obama. This means that most of them will turn the tides towards Obama and he may actually win. In relation to this, it has also been shown that this year there will be a higher turn out that ever witnessed in the history of American lections. What this could mean is that groups who do not traditionally participate in elections will take part this time. As it has been mentioned earlier, the groups that will represent the high figures are most likely going to be African American or minority voters. It should be noted that the gap between Senator Obama and Hillary Clinton is quite narrow. Al that is needed is a slight turn in the opposite direction and one candidate will take over. Senator Obama has the odds in his favor since most of the reasons that could cause high voter turn out favor him. Surveys have also shown that there are some undecided members of the Society. Research has shown that undecided people tend to go for the candidates who seem unconventional and different. Senator Obama has demonstrated time and time gain that he is the ideal candidate of change and chances are that he can pull this support from the undecided members hence carrying the day. Weaknesses in the Obama Campaign Misunderstandings Unfortunately, the Senator Barrack Obama has been the object of attack from different rival groups who have associated him with other non-conventional groups such as Islam. Earlier in the year, there was a photograph of Obama dressed in Muslim gear and accusations that he was a Muslim. Some even claim that his second name implies such a meaning. However, these arguments are not well founded because there are certain issues that have not been addressed. First of all, Senator Obama is a Christian and has even participated in some Christian movements. The photographs posted on the internet were simply regalia that he wore as assign of respect for the people he had gone to visit in Northern Kenya. These were explanations given by the Senator himself. Despite these truths, it should be noted that some of these aspects will smear his campaigns. Voters who may not go out of their way to find out what the truth is, may succumb to some of these lies and may choose not o vote for. One can therefore objectively say that the Senator will loose some substantial votes because of such negative statements and accusations. (McIntosh, 2008) Bitter rivalry in the Democratic Party Senator Barrack Obama has been engaging in bitter conflicts with his other presidential candidates. There are three main reasons why this could cause his demise; First of all, while the two democratic candidates are wasting time arguing with each other, the Republican candidate John McCain is working on his campaign very seriously. He is going around telling people that he is the most mature individual in the presidential race because he does not go around 'spreading mud in his rivals faces'. Actually, recent polls have shown that there are a substantial number of voters who have grown weary of the bickering within the Democratic Party that they have decided not to vote for any of the Democrats. Another reason why this bitter rivalry could prove tricky for Obama is the fact that the rivalry exposes certain strengths that Hillary Clinton Posses. Consequently, a considerable number of people may be actually be convinced that Hillary Clinton is the best person for the job. (Hutcherson, 2008) The third reason why the continuous rivalry between the two Democrat candidates might prevent Obama from getting the ultimate price is that the fact that the rivalry exposes Senator Obama' weaknesses. For example in the issue of Foreign Policy, his rival; Hillary seems more equipped to deal with the issues. The Senator has not demonstrated full awareness and enlightenment in this region; much to his rival's delight. Hilary's strengths Hilary Clinton is a force to recon with partly because she has been steadfast in her campaigns even when the odds were against her. She is not a quitter and has emerged as a force to recon with by the Barrack Obama teams. Additionally, Clinton has demonstrated some knowledge in international relations and US foreign policy. This is an aspect that Obama has not excelled in. The contrast between the two in this regard could not be clearer Lastly, Hillary Clinton is seen by some as the candidate with the most experience. Her role as first lady meant that she had the opportunity to influence most of the state's policy behind the scenes. Some of her influences were also seen in the fact that she has been quite instrumental in the health policy during her husband's tenure Conclusion Senator Barrack Obama is not a perfect candidate. He has his weaknesses just like all his rivals do. But as it has been seen in the essay, most of these weaknesses are baseless accusations. Those that in fact hold water are not weighty enough to undermine his strengths. This means that Obama has a very high chance of becoming the next American president. Reference: Hutcherson, M (2008): Will Barrack Obama win New York State against Senator Clinton; Hutch Report, January 12th McIntosh, C. (2008): Barrack Obama will beat Hillary Clinton in the Pennsylvania Democratic Party, retrieved from http://www.technorati.com/ accessed on 2nd May 2008 Howard, T. (2008): Barrack Obama may be Next President; Times Magazine (18th October) Somerset, B. (2008): Why America needs Obama; retrieved from http://www.associatedcontent.com/ accessed on 2nd May 2008 Read More