The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) faithful would have been delighted that People First Party Chairman (PFP) James Soong (
The DPP faithful would also have been heartened by the Taiwan Solidarity Union pick, broadcaster Clara Chou (
But then the DPP let its faithful down with a bizarre display of its own: the party's deadline for candidate registration passing without valid applications -- a poor show, indeed.
Former DPP legislator Shen Fu-hsiung (
An unexpected, last-minute push by former Taipei County commissioner You Ching (
Hsieh's record as Kaohsiung mayor, while uneven, is not to be underestimated. The problem with Hsieh is that he is tainted by his unremarkable performance as premier and his administrative links to the corruption that spawned the Kaohsiung labor riot. Even more than this, he is tiring of the party that got him where he is. By hinting at taking a direction away from the DPP, he threatens to follow in the tradition of disaffected, egomaniacal party chairmen like Hsu Hsin-liang (
The only other notable feature of the race so far is that the pan-blue camp has been much more energetic in culling candidates. The first to go were the odious former KMT spokesman Alex Tsai (
Ma's preferred successor, former deputy Taipei mayor Yeh Chin-chuan (
Then there's former Environmental Protection Administration head Hau Lung-bin (
So who will be Taipei mayor? Based on this gaggle, it barely matters. Taipei's voters have demonstrated that ability and performance are of marginal interest to them, and the caliber of candidates reflects this. The best that can be expected, therefore, is that the winner will be someone barely better than ordinary.
In other words, another Ma Ying-jeou.
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