Road To The White House
A Touch of Nokoko
by Kofi Akumanyi
The main issue, it seems to me, is that as a country with a distinct historical background and experience, America has a unique electoral process which evokes different emotions in different people.
Take the Democratic Party's Presidential nomination campaign, for instance. With as many as eight candidates all declaring their intention to be in the White House, early this year, through a process of self elimination from the race engineered with a nation-wide network of support organisations which are possible only with money - plenty of it - the initial number has been whittled down to three Senators Walter Mondale, Gary Hart and Rev. Jesse Jackson.
That the campaign has been hard fought is clearly evidenced by the casualties left by the wayside and the bruises left on remaining contenders. Rev. Jackson, whose campaigning tactics twice took him to Lebanon and Cuba to release Americans held in prisons, helped to temporarily switch the spotlight from the other campaigning Democrats and the incumbent Republican President Reagan himself. The latter's reaction to Jackson's international mediator role was frosty.
Then as if we hadn't had enough problems in the Democrats' camp, with Mr Walter Mondale's rather uncertain lead and chances in the San Francisco Convention, the man goes and chooses a woman, Mrs Geradine Ferraro to be his running mate.
Before I am accused of being a male chauvinist I must announce at once that I have nothing against a woman in the White House. Perhaps the United States of America needs a woman in the helm of affairs to turn the nation round (and those who doubt that only have to look at how hard Margaret Thatcher is batting for Britain).
But the question then is: Does Mondale really need a woman as a Vice-President to help him win the election? Is America ready for a woman in the White House? Isn't it basically correct that it was precisely for the same reason that Mondale did not choose Rev. Jesse Jackson to be his running mate that Americans are not really ready for a blackman in the White House?
These issues, I must admit have bothered me every minute of the day and have exhibited a rather uncompromising way of springing up in my dreams of late. I therefore decided to do something about this.
I asked a respected journalist to talk to an average American in a free-ranging interview to find out what the man in the street thinks about the issues raised. This is the report filed from outside the conference hall of the Democratic Party Convention in San Francisco.
"You're a supporter of the Democratic Party?"
"Not exactly, I'm a supporter of everybody who promises to reduce nuclear arsenals. Actually I'm what's popularly known as a middle-of-the-roader" said John Primer holding a balloon, and wearing a 'I love Mondale T-shirt'.
"In that case why are you holding this balloon and you're bedecked with the colours of the Party? You could be mistaken for a hard-core Democrat," observed the interviewer.
"Who cares? Anyway that's the general idea. Conventions don't happen everyday, do they? I love the carnival atmosphere. Just look at them", he pointed at a group of lovely girls singing and doing high-kick dance on the pavement, "aren't they absolutely heavenly?"
"It is being said that this carnival going on has the unfortunate tendency to cheapen the importance of the occasion".
"Which warped mind could suggest such a thing like that?" John said angrily. "But just wait a minute, here comes Mr Mondale and Mrs Ferraro".
As the Presidential candidate and his running mate pushed through the crowd, they stopped right in front of John Primer as if on cue, shook hands with him and asked him a few questions. All the time the lights of the press corps cameramen flashed and clicked while the television films rolled. John Primer was exhilarated.
"Did you see that? Did you see that? They shook my hand as if they've known me for years. That's what Presidential stuff is made of... Did you see all that?" John said flushed with excitement.
"I saw all that but do you think Americans are ready for a woman in the White House?"
"Who cares? We have an actor right in there, haven't we? So why not a woman?"
"Would she be up to the job?" the reporter pushed the question harder.
"My dear friend, The British have Thatcher and she is reported to be doing just fine. Mrs Indira Gandhi seems O.K. for India; so America, the most powerful nation in the world should be ready for a woman."
"So what can you say has been your most memorable moment at this Convention?"
"Meeting and shaking hands with Mondale, of course." John the middle of the roader said smiling from ear to ear, "and be sure to watch the 6 o'clock news, because I'll be on it."