With 14 days left before the final face-off between Democratic candidate Senator Barack Obama and the Republican candidate Senator John McCain, their respective supporters in Taiwan are sharpening their political rhetoric to make sure their candidate is the one showered with confetti and balloons on Nov. 4.
“Obama is incredibly intelligent. I think the US needs a black president to reverse the racist attitude in many white folks who have to undercut the misconception of African Americans in the country,” said Hillary Galland, a teacher at the Hsinchu International School.
Galland, much troubled with the quality of education in the US, applauded Obama’s plan to boost teacher’s salaries, saying the persistent low wages have resulted in under qualified teachers and a substandard education system.
Galland was one of the more than 100 Obama supporters gathered at a fundraising dinner in Tienmu (天母) last month. The most common complaint among the crowd was not related to McCain, but to McCain’s running mate, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin.
One person said that he cannot sleep at night for fear that Palin, often mocked by the Democrats as a “hockey mom,” could end up with her finger on the red button.
“McCain is 72 years old and is known to have health problems. If elected, Palin would only be a heartbeat away from the presidency. What if something happens to McCain? Palin is not qualified to run the country. She is just not qualified. Period,” said Arizona-native Hal Falls, who has been in Taiwan for 16 years.
Doubts about Palin’s competence, however, are a non-issue for the McCain fans, one of which has complimented her as a “quick learner.”
“She has proven herself as a pretty quick learner. To me, she won the [vice presidential] debate by a wide margin,” said David Mann, a US businessman.
Richard Thurston, vice president of a major tech company based in Hsinchu, pointed out that Palin, as Alaska governor, is the only person in the race that had hands-on experience running a state and believes she will “learn on the job” as US Secretary of State Condelezza Rice has done since 2005.
Former US president Ronald Regan, he said, was criticized for being too old and frail to be the president, “and he turned out of to be one of the best US presidents in history.”
Both camps also vehemently argued that their candidate has Taiwan’s best interest in mind and that if elected, the Oval Office would not bow to Beijing’s whims and demands but would actively safeguard Taiwan’s democracy against any possible Chinese aggression.
“There is no doubt that Obama and the Democratic Party would be a lot stricter on the US dealings with China than McCain would be. McCain, and especially Palin, would end up kowtowing to China because she has so little experience in foreign policy,” Fall said.
“Presidents have come and gone in the last 30 years but the support for Taiwan expressed by Congress through the American voters has always been steadfast. I am confident that Obama will continue to respect the support voiced by the American people,” said Christopher Fay, the chief executive officer of Saatchi and Saatchi Taiwan.
In a letter he penned to President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) on his victory in May, Obama advocated maintaining a US military presence in the Asia-Pacific region and wrote, “I will do all I can to support Taiwan’s democracy in the years ahead,” while continuing to adhere to the “one China” policy.
Susan Liu (劉善怡), a Taiwanese married to an American entrepreneur, said the Democrats’ eagerness to end the war in the Middle East is synonymous with the party’s mission of perpetuating world peace without resorting to violence.
“Obama has no choice but to use peaceful means in dealing with the cross-strait issue because the American people will scrutinize his every move and will not hesitate to call him out if he becomes too China-centered,” she said.
The Republican scoffed at Obama’s commitment to Taiwan, highlighting that McCain, a Vietnam War veteran and a former prisoner of war, has been an ardent advocate of Taiwan and democracy in the region.
“McCain had to stare communism in the eyes for five years during his captivity in Hanoi. He knows full well how cunning and deceptive the communists can be. His experience not only bolstered his patriotism for the US, but a strong support for freedom and democracy,” said Dylan Lee, an English teacher from Oregon.
“Republicans in general are just more geared toward democracy,” Mann said, making the point that it was during the Regan era that the US showed staunch support for democracy in Central America.
“The Republican platform specifically mentioned that any solutions on the cross-strait dilemma must involve the agreement of the Taiwan people,” Thurston said.
“It didn’t say the Taiwan government, it said the Taiwan people. The message is clear that the US is interested in hearing what the people in Taiwan have to say because it is a democracy. One of the best interests of the Taiwan people is the involvement of the World Health Organization [WHO] and that’s why his [McCain’s] platform says he supports WHO for Taiwan,” Thurston said.
McCain’s platform stated “As a loyal friend of America, the democracy of Taiwan has merited our strong support, including the timely sale of defensive arms and full participation in the WHO and other multilateral institutions.”
Thurston went on to say that the GOP encourages more investment in technology-based companies and is commited to slashing corporate taxes, which would ultimately spur more cooperative efforts with Taiwan.
McCain’s support of the immigration reform proposed by the Bush administration to grant citizenship to legal aliens would also benefit many Taiwanese, he said.
Several Taiwanese-Americans said they were apathetic because they believe no matter who wins, Washington will still favor Beijing over Taipei because China owns so much US debt.
“Washington’s hands are tied. Their drive to support Taiwan will be hijacked by its own economic woes,” said Karen Yao, a financial analyst from California.
Yao said she does not plan to cast her absentee ballot and will spend the time it would take to vote working.
Howard Yang, who became a US citizen last month, said he is not voting because “politicians will say anything to be elected and I don’t trust either of them.”
Despite their sharp difference of opinions, the common rally cry of the two camps is “get out and vote.”
“Of course, I want people to vote for Obama, but the important thing is people [should] go and make their choices known. Voting is a sacred right and it would be stupid to give that up,” English teacher Katherine Johnson said.
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