Age versus race

In the United States of America the oldest ever presidential nominee and the first black presidential nominee will be going head to head to become the 44th president of that country.

The path to the White House of both Senators, John McCain and Barack Obama, is paved with rocks.

The two are very different and that is very obvious. The only similarity they might have is that both favour the privatisation of healthcare and then it stops.

McCain, the 71-year-old war veteran who has vowed never to surrender to Al Qaida, opposes a quick pull-out in Iraq and favours tough sanctions against Iran, has to work hard to separate himself from the unpopularity of eight long Bush years.

The people of the US and the rest of the world and especially the Middle East are ready for a reprieve from war, the unending fight against terror and the angst of lost freedoms that have been their lot for too long.

On the other hand, liberal Obama, the son of a Kenyan–American inter-racial couple, has a strong record on the environment, tax reform, opposes the privatisation of social security, is pro-choice, always was against the war in Iraq and ran his nomination campaign on a pull-out from Iraq.

He will however find out the hard way if the United States, as a leader of the free world but with a history of slavery, is ready for its first black president.

Let’s not be naïve here. Those who have travelled to and lived in the US know that although it is against the law and politically incorrect to even discuss race and ethnicity, the bigotry that exists can be quite scary.

The fight for the highest position in the country will inevitably bring out the worst on both sides of the racial divide.

In the heat of the election campaign it would be easier for McCain to win over those who are uncomfortable with his age than Obama who will have a very tough battle winning over voters uncomfortable with race.

We know now that it will be a longer, harder road for the US to see its first woman president.

The Democratic campaign for the party nomination has already shown us that while racism lies beneath, sexism is alive and kicking.

Nirmala Janssen
editor@alnisrmedia.com

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