US Presidential campaign: The clock starts ticking

The wait is over and the show is set to get underway. American citizens would start voting tonight to select their Democrat and Republican Presidential candidates starting from the small icy Midwestern state of Iowa. The race is tight on both sides but the attention has mostly been on the fascinating battle between Hillary Rodham Clinton (a potential first woman President) and Barack Obama (a potential first black President). But the stakes are too high to predict even for the individual candidates. The bottom-line is that the Americans want to see change. Well, that does not mean the Republicans are out of the Presidential race given the problems America is facing under the George Bush-led Republican government. A terror attack or any external uncertainty on American soil could turn the tide into their favor as the Republicans are known to handle these situations better than the Democrats. Furthermore, a dark-horse within the Republican camp is Mike Huckabee who has been the surprise package within the Republican camp and his somewhat liberal social conservative views seem to have impressed the electorate. But, for the moment it is the battle within the Democrat camp that has grabbed the headlines so far. All three candidates, Clinton, Obama and Edwards, have equal chance of representing their party into the November’s Presidential race. All three want ‘change’ and this particular word has struck a chord with the American public. Yet all have different approaches. Senator Clinton is more robust when it comes to national security which she advocated by supporting President Bush in his stance against Iran. But John Edwards and Barack Obama have their youthful exuberance which can influence the young voters who want an end to the host of domestic problems like healthcare costs, a recession threat, mortgage crisis and the growing rich and poor divide, etc. But the American public can be very unpredictable. It depends on how the candidates advertise themselves to the electorate leading up to the big day. But what is clear is the fact the American Presidential outcome has great importance to the outside world also, none more than the Middle East. This is one area which would have great bearings on the US Presidential election. The Democrats are ahead on this issue compared to the Republicans, yet the margin is too small. We should remember President Bush would not be there in the White House anymore, whatever happens. Therein is the chance for Republican candidates, Huckabee, Giuliani and McCain to provide hopes of a Republican recovery by diverting from Mr. Bush’s conservative policies. Source Link: Independent Image Link: Flickr