As you most likely know, Hillary Clinton defeated [1] Barack Obama in three primaries Tuesday, March 4, winning the night’s two largest contests in the states of Ohio and Texas, and not only keeping her campaign alive but reheating the democratic nomination for the president. As Spykedup [2] from South Africa points out, “the Dem’s can’t make up their minds…â€
Jumping right into the fray from Nigeria, where Orikinla Osinachi writes the Nigerian Times [3] out of the wonderfully-named Nigerian Super Blog:
Hillary Clinton disappointed many key figures in the Democratic Party and millions of the fanatics of Barack Obama who were rehearsing their “Hillary's Ignominious Finale” for the world premiere today, but God changed the script overnight and gave us a new script, “Hillary Clinton's Victorious Come Back!”
As Barack Obama won 11 Democratic presidential primaries and caucuses in a row, most people had written off Hillary Clinton and were only waiting for her to surrender the presidential nomination to Barack Obama. But she did not give up hope and she looked ahead to overcoming the odds against her and she overcame them last night in Texas, Ohio and Rhode Island.
In January, after Barack Obama won the Iowa Caucuses, I knew those who already wrote articles in anticipation of Barack Obama's victory in New Hampshire, but Hillary Clinton shocked them by winning the primary and they had to eat their words.
She has done it again with her superlative victories yesterday.
Clinton’s victories have increased the temperature on the Democratic race so much that it’s causing tension in far-away South Africa, where radio personality Daryl Illbury [4] was asked which candidate he’d vote for. From the Big Breakfast Blog [5]:
I’d prefer to see Hillary Clinton as President because she is the more experienced and is no stranger to the Whitehouse. On Friday at the Shopping Trolley GP I was stopped by a gentleman and accused of being a racist because I openly supported Hillary Clinton over Barack Obama. I was told that I must have something against black people. His assumption was that this must be the case because I am a white male. I asked if I had preferred Obama over Clinton would I then be a misogynist and have something against women?
He didn’t seem to have an answer to that one.
On the Republican side, Tuesday night was one to remember for candidate John McCain, who swept [6] all four primaries, allowing him to accrue the 1,191 delegates necessary to earn the Republican nomination at its convention in early September. Also, his closest opponent, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee decided to quit [7] the race, leaving only one contender [8] remaining. Things only got even better for him Wednesday afternoon when John McCain was formally endorsed [9] by U.S. President George W. Bush at a White House ceremony.
Biblio Polit [10], apparently one of Africa’s few conservatives writing a blog, continues with his disdain for McCain, but doesn’t mince words for either Democratic candidate.
A poll in the U.S.A. recently showed that some pro-life [11] voters would vote for Barack Obama if he gets to stand for the presidency against McCain. I don't care much for McCain! If he wins the Republican nomination for the presidency, IMHO, he will probably be the worst Republican candidate in decades.
But, back to Barack “Obamanation.” When it comes to pro-life issues, he seems to be the worst. Perhaps even worse than Hillary Clinton. In a speech [12] before the Planned Parenthood Action Fund, he clearly spelt out his disdain for human life before birth. He even supports Partial Birth Abortion. Obama's record is clearly in favour of abortion, of any kind, it seems!
Clearly, for Barack “Obamanation” choice (for whom?) and cost have more value than a human life!
I would be exaggerating if Aiden Choles [13] from South Africa spoke for most bloggers from the continent:
I couldn't give a stuff who John McCain [14] is and what he stands for in redeeming the USA … I'm just punting for the potential 1st woman [15] or 1st black man [16] ever to take office in the White House.
But I wouldn’t be exaggerating too much.
So, this goes out to all bloggers following the U.S. election: Just because John McCain is now the presumptive Republican nominee, it doesn’t mean the process is over. He still must choose a running mate, which will be a very important choice as McCain will be the oldest candidate ever elected to a first term as president of the United States. We’d like to hear your comments on McCain’s policies, proposals and his possible choices for his running mate.
Now back to our regularly scheduled programming.
So, wither Africa’s Obama fans? Not on your life. Candice, writing from South Africa in Afritude [17], is confident that voters will choose Obama because of his differences to Clinton.
He seems to be different from the rest. It will be interesting to watch what happens over the coming months in the US especially knowing how the rest of the world will be impacted by the result. Whilst most the others [mostly Republicans of course] talk of war and isolating America in a quest to protect it, he talks of integration and change…. I like.
I have always been a Clinton fan [still am] but there seems to be something less rehearsed about Barack Obama… I look forward to watching..maybe if he doesn’t get in he could pop on over the head up the ANC?!?
It may be too early to tell, but it does seem that Obama’s African supporters met Tuesday night’s electoral defeats in Texas and Ohio with a bit of head scratching and soul searching. Chris, writing in African News [18] (based out of the Netherlands), decided that if the U.S. doesn’t want Obama, Africa will surely take him.
Deep down my heart I believe that Mr. Barack Obama can do more and better for Africa than the USA where he is vying for the presidence. Indeed, it is in anyone’s dreams to be in the white house given an opportunity, let alone being the president of the states. But if really Barack is the Change that he preaches and passionately adores, it’s more visible and a realization in Africa. And he has that ability and chance to do it.
I’m not in any way saying that he can’t not be a US president NO. But America being what it is, has many people of the kind. Which down here we don’t. Mr. Obama is a world and top citizen who could redeem Africa. Africa needs him more than the US. I mean, he is the only true Afro-American who really knows where his exact roots are. That Kenyan brother of ours did us proud by toiling to migrate to America and bring out a person of Obama’s type. It’s a very DIFFICULT, EXPENSIVE and an almost impossible dream to make it to the states from Africa.
According to the FM Campus Editorial Blog [19], the Democratic candidate with Kenyan roots may not make the grade if he were to run South Africa, but the country certainly needs its own Barack Obama.
The way that I feel about SA politics is that it is lackluster, old school and immovable. That feeling unnerves me. When I listen to Barack Obama [20] talk I feel moved, changed, inspired and motivated to get up and do something great. Where are these people in SA politics?
I think that Barack Obama would probably not cut it in the realm of SA politics. Yet I can’t help but wonder how things will be when our version of Obama emerges from the depths of political unrest. I firmly believe that SA needs an Obama, not a Zille, Zuma or any other “Z†candidate that is out there for now.
We need change, we need someone to stand up and say, “Yes we canâ€â€¦