Race and Immigration Interest: Factors in the US Election

November 4 is just eight days away and responsible and concerned Americans should have all voted as to who will be their next commander-in-chief. Would it be a "donkey", Sen. Barack Obama, or an "elephant", Sen. John McCain?

My friend in Namibia, a republic in South-West Africa bounded by Angola, Zambia, Botswana, South Africa, and the Atlantic Ocean, told me that Namibians would like to see Obama win. My friends in the Philippines, a republic in South-East Asia with more or less 7,100 islands, would like Sen. Obama to win. My Indonesian-American friend is definitely for Barack Obama.

Besides the youthfulness of Sen. Barack Obama, I am assuming that racial affinity and migration interest are pulling voters to the Democratic camp.

In order for me to solidify my hunches, I went around Pasadena, a beautiful city in Southern California, to ask non-Caucasian Americans in parks, city streets, churches, and at Paseo de Colorado on their possible presidential votes. Almost all of those I asked would be voting for Sen. Barack Obama. Reasons given were the following: born and raised in an interracial family, experienced normal living in other countries, received a short humble education in Indonesia would help him understand international issues, particularly the immigration concerns of many foreign-born Americans.

Immigration issues were never talked about during the three presidential debates. Topics were focused on the pressing need to find solution to the economic woes. However, deep in the heart of many foreign-born Americans, they are counting for Sen. Barack Obama to positively address a comprehensive immigration reform, which was one of the hottest senatorial and congressional debates in 2007.

Definitely, the African and Asian population would like to see the democrat win. The name and the Kenyan blood that runs in Obama's vein, and his affinity and his little taste of elementary education in Indonesia are factors to their votes.

According to a 2006 study on "The Immigration Population of the United States..." by Jack Martin, one in every eight US residents is foreign-born, and California has the largest. With that said, I am tempted to say, "Beginning in January 2009, the first mixed-race President of the United States of America will begin his term."

So, American voters, go out on the 4th of November and vote.

U.S. Presidential Candidate: Walk the Talk

November 4 will be the U.S. Presidential Election day. More people are becoming skeptics on the economic plan of Republican candidate John McCain, particularly on his plan to continue on Pres. Bush's Tax Cut Program; more are beginning to question the feasibility of Democratic candidate Barack Obama's spending plan.

Following the sociocultural innovation approaches, McCain's plan is leaning towards discovering new information and altering what is present (which may only have some changes in semantics); Obama's plan, though trying to discover, is more leaning towards inventing a plan seen by many as out of reach that even Isabel Sawhill, an official of former Democratic President Bill Clinton's Office of Management and Budget said,"...the plan does not add up."

I understand where Sen. Obama is coming from. As an innovator, he likes to portray a radical plan. Nevertheless, in the political arena, an innovator should also learn how to listen and how to see reality, especially if it involves expenditure. Sen. Obama has to remember that an innovation, whether by invention, discovery, diffusion, or alteration must be based on the environmental and internal factors.

The U.S. economy is ailing today. It is in recession. It can't afford ostentatious spending. As a presidential candidate, one has to promote austerity. One must help save money by deciding to give an acceptance speech at a 21,000-seat Pepsi Center, where the 4-day convention is to be held. Spending more money for a 76,000-seat football stadium just to give an acceptance speech is enough to question if the candidate will really walk the talk.

Let us hope and pray that the elected president come November will really walk the talk.

Here are two clerihew verses for all of us.

Democratic Candidate Barack Obama

Yahoo, Sen. Barack Obama
Enough of these convoluted blah-blah!
"Spending plan doesn't add-up," said Sawhill.
Be realistic if you don't want to go downhill.


Republican Candidate John McCain

Hey, it is Sen. John McCain
Short of money for his campaign
Yet onward he goes, an old army, persevering
That’s the president we need when economy is ailing.

(c) edmund melig industan

Sen Hillary Clinton: A Boon to the Democratic Party

Finally, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton has delivered her all-out support for Sen. Barack Obama. Now, the democrats are on its way to a healing process, and the battle against the Republican is now in full-swing.

In order to have an overwhelming support by all democrat voters, Sen. Obama must decide who will he invite as his vice president. Being an innovator, who is a take-charge and change leader, he should consider Sen. Clinton as his running mate.

Why?

Sen Clinton is a boon to his leadership and to his future administration. Having a woman, who is a strong innovator, although not as radical, as Sen. Obama would be good for the country. Both like to challenge the status quo, love to explore and investigate new possibilities, and are self-motivated. The image of their future administration would be more unified and balance. American people would have the hope that social issue would be treated wholistically since a woman's perspective would be taken into consideration. To top all that, she readily could seek a smart counsel, 24/7, from a man, who can proudly say, "been-there; done-that", and "if I could just turn back the time, I should have done-this!"

Here's a clerihew for Sen. Clinton to help the Democratic Party decide:

Sen. Hillary R. Clinton

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton
Crushed to the bone, but she'd be a boon
Giddiyup, giddiyup...she gallops as the Vice
Got experience and a spouse who's lot of foreign ties.

edmund melig industan (june 2008)

The Politics of Sen. Barack Obama & The Technology Diffusion Theory

Now that Sen. Barack Obama has garnered the required number of Democratic delegates, he soon can be the official candidate to go against the Republican presidential nominee, Sen. John McCain, in the November U.S. Presidential Election. And it cannot be ignored that Obama's platform of change has catapulted him to the top.

Nevertheless, rather than enjoying the win amongst Democrats, he must now put aside mere rhetoric and start framing up the specifics: What-to (change), How-to,and How-does, based on the American democratic principles. He has to win the confidence of Sen. Hillary Clinton's followers, the undecided, the independents, the Green party members, and even the Republican voters, who are disappointed of the present administration.

Since change has been the message of Sen. Obama, I cannot help but think of the Technology Diffusion Theory, which made an American sociologist and communication scholar, Everett M. Rogers, well-known. The theory categorizes members of a society into five groups. Innovator comprises 2.5% of the population. I always consider the senator as an innovator being a young idealist politician, who preaches change. There's the Early Adopter that takes 13.5% of the population. Early Adopter easily adheres to the innovator's idea out of affinity and respect. There's a big number of Early Majority,34%, who only need a slight peer pressure to gain their confidence. Another 34% of the total population comprises the Late Adopter, those people who are skeptical of the change or innovation. They could be those people, who has difficulty to believe that putting a young, historically first African-American (with some affinal connection to Asian nationals)as a president would do any good to improve the lives of the Americans. The last group that comprises 16% of the population are the Laggards, those people who are either very slow to accept change or just don't want a change at all.

Sen. Barack Obama has to act fast, and of course, at his own time, to make up differences with Sen. Hillary Clinton, so as to unify the bruised democratic party. He has to act fast to work on the specifics of his "change" platform, especially that many democrats are still questioning what those changes might be. If Sen. Obama and his advisers could spell-out these specifics as soon as possible, I absolutely would be sure that he would win even the disgruntled Republicans to his side, and would become the first African-American President of the United States of America. And I hope and pray that, once he becomes the president, he would really stand firmly to his promise and deliver a real good change, not only to the U.S of A. but also to the global society.

Now, here is a clerihew, a 4-line rhymed verse that should be funny and satirical.

Sen. Barack Obama.

Presenting to you, Sen. Barack Obama.
Blah-blah...Endorsed by our beloved, Oprah.
African, Caucasian, Indonesian...well, American!
If he'd win, the face at the oval office would historically change, man!

(Note: This clerihew is included in my upcoming book, 150+1 Poems on THE EXPERIMENTAL DASANG (Hey Poem) and 45 OTHER POETRY FORMS: An Anthology.