(Editor’s note: Being too early can exhaust aspirants financially/physically, but the voters can judge them better as noted by the author.)
Romeo V. Pefianco
Last week one US political analyst was interviewed by Fox News to justify his method of rating the presidential candidates of both Republican and Democratic parties.
Rating candidates
He gave a grade of B and B plus to Hillary Rodham Clinton and a C or D to Obama and Edwards. He applied the same method to the Republican candidates: Rudy Giuliami, D; John McCain, B, and Mitt Romney, C.
Obama and Edwards are now Nos. 2 and 3 to Hillary and her lead is in the double digits. Surveys of republican candidates point to this ranking: Giuliani, Romney and McCain in this order.
Long drive
In January 2008 selection by states in the primaries will start and end in July or early August before the parties convene the national convention to nominate their official candidates for President and Vice President in November 2008.
Active campaign started in January 2007 and will end shortly before election day for a full campaign period of 22 months. The series of debates among candidates held this year may disclose their competence in marching toward the White House on January 20, 2009.
Active campaigning can exhaust candidates physically and financially, even with a huge matching fund authorized by Congress.
Uncle Fidel endorses Clinton — Obama team
Before October 2007 Uncle Fidel of Cuba announced to the world that the Democratic Party would have a sure winning ticket with Clinton for President and Obama for Vice President. There was no answer or comment from the Democrats and Republicans.
Lately the Republican aspirants engaged themselves in hard-hitting debate, forgetting Sen. Hillary’s formidable lead in the polls and Uncle Fidel’s neutral view. They are not sparring anymore.
There is no campaign period in the US against RP’s limit covering candidates for national and local elections.
Just an "intent"
The disclosure of intent to run, according to veteran observers, is not an act of campaigning limited and penalized by the Election Code.
So far at least three candidates can be said to be "eyeing" the presidency in May 2010, some two years and six months away.
Six or seven aspirants
Candidates will be fielded by TU, LP, NP, GO, Partido Ng Masa and two or three groups more for a total of five, six or seven presidential "timber or toothpick" according to Mayor Lacson who coined the description in the 1950s.
Erap’s case is only a "thanksgiving tour" of Luzon as his boys call it.
Last Friday night Erap and his family hosted a big thanksgiving affair. Erap invited, or was greeted by, big boys and girls from TU, GO, etc.
Just thanksgiving, no more?
Part of Erap’s message to his guests:… "I promised to myself that one day, in God’s own time, … I would celebrate my restored freedom." (MB, Dec. 2, p.1)
Erap initiated a warm thanksgiving visit to Tondo, Laguna and nearby places.
Two or three political observers predicted that Erap will soon extend his thanksgiving visits or sorties to Pangasinan, Batangas, Luzon and parts of Bicol.
Provincial sidetrip
And next year Erap will attend a thanksgiving mass in Cebu or Leyte. After which he will tell all in Bohol, Panay, Davao, Cagayan de Oro and the big provinces in Mindanao and Visayas that his lucky stars may guide him to Malacañang again. Rizal province, as pro-Erap zone, has been ecstatic over his full pardon.
Long before May 2010 Erap’s thanksgiving sorties could give the kind of political lead or advantage verging on the "irreversible." He is not playing stupid or shy for as Bill Clinton said," It’s the economy, stupid!"
Copying Bill Clinton
When Pres. Clinton faced a serious political crisis in the House and Senate he paid a brief call on former Pres. Gerald Ford. This month a book about Ford and Clinton was published. The author was reminded by Ford not to publish his view of Clinton while he lived. He called Clinton a master politician with few equals in the history of the presidency.
The author also quotes Ford, who referred to Clinton as suffering from some kind of addiction with young girls.
Victory has no substitute
Erap himself started as mayor of a small town in 1963, and since then he was never defeated in any election; he was elected president in landslide fashion in May 1998.
And his endless thanksgiving motorcade and parade will definitely reach a point of no return. And the other five or six presidential candidates will finally find Erap’s handshaking and thanksgiving as similar to running for the highest office.
By this time his motto of Erap "para sa mahirap" would decisively deliver the same impact of support and worship from the masses as in May 1998.
|
