Tan Kin Lian's Blog: U.S. Presidential Election

Thursday, April 24, 2008

U.S. Presidential Election

I have been following the primary election with great interest. The Republican Party has selected their candidate, John McCain, quite early. The Democratic Party is still at a deadlock.

The headline in MyPaper said, "The Democratic Conundrum"
Hillary Clinton: "She can't win but won't quit"
Barack Obama: "He's going to win but can't close it out".

I hope that the Democratic Party can sort out its conundrum early and field a strong candidate in the election in November.

Here is my suggestion. Clinton and Obama work together as a team. Clinton will be the Presidential candidate and Obama will be the Vice Presidential candidate in 2008. In 2012, Clinton will step down (i.e. a prior agreement) and support Obama as the Presidential candidate.

Clinton is now 60 years old and has more experience in Government. She should take the leadership in 2008. Obama is mid 40s. In 4 years time, Obama will have the experience to take over.

My personal wish is that a Democrat will be the next USA President.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...: History is against the Democrats .It will be Republican Admin. again. People think the Democrat can bring change but using change as the platform is dangerous. Voters may be lulled into false sense of security.
The world as it is, may be chaotic. It will be more chaotic if the Demo comes in by especailly dismantling what is already working, relatively speaking .That does not mean peace and prosperity will come with Republican but can be improved. . What is needed now is an expereinced administration to deal with the current issues, both at home and abroad for the Americans.; April 24, 2008 9:35 AM
dsowerg said...: Mr Tan, an Obama-Clinton (or Clinton-Obama) tie-up would seem like a dream team, but how realistic are the two of them to cooperate? Right now both want to be the No. 1 person; which among the two are willing to be "demoted" for the sake of winning the campaign?

I think the chances are not high.

My view is Obama will win the nomination because Clinton is too much risk for the party against John McCain. Then again, I could be wrong.

Whatever it is, no more Republican President please! :); April 24, 2008 9:51 AM
Anonymous said...: Many people think when a person reaches 60, she is useless (that's how many Singaporean think).

I feel that at 60, it's your experience and connections that counts. Someone younger may have some fire in the belly but he can be just as rash, headstrong and impatient and annoy a lot of people and step onto a lot of people's toes.

Clinton is a gracious and grand lady and she would be a good fit to build up and strengthen USA relationships with other countries and the same time, focus more on issues within the country.

Obama is a nice chap, quite earnest but he is lacking in experience. Politics is at the end, still politics. He probably has more family issues, like children education and retirement to think about.

So I support Clinton. She should and must win. Obama must be humble enough to take the VP seat and prove his worth. 4 years later, if he is still what he claims to be, then I will support him.

Just like in real life world, young inexperience upstarts (talented or not) should learn from seasoned veterans or else they are out of the game.; April 24, 2008 11:54 AM
Anonymous said...: Actually, economically speaking, A Republican president would be good for Singapore. Republicans tend to favor more open business and free trade while Democrats tend to be more protectionist.

With America's national debt breaking the roof and its current account at a huge deficit. Democrats still want to spend more on social reforms, universal healthcare, etc.

Then again, Republicans still want to cut taxes which is fiscal suicide (esp for the rich). No taxes = no money plus they still owe countries like China trillions.

Honestly, being the next president sounds like one is applying for the worst job on Earth, especially with the US economy in recession, the Iraqi war and a huge national debt. Who is really qualified for that?? If only FDR was still alive...

Personally I like Obama very much. He's a good man, just a little too idealistic, especially when one needs to be realistic.; April 24, 2008 1:57 PM