7 -13 December 2000
Issue No.511
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Al-Ahram Weekly On-line 7 -13 December 2000 Issue No.511 |
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 | Current issue | Previous issue | Site map | ||
Chasing shadows
By George Bahgoury
AMERICA'S extraordinary presidential race has been keeping me on the edge of my seat and watching Vice-President Al Gore and hopeful winner George W Bush still duking it out in Florida almost a month after the election has made for some entertaining inspiration. In the sunshine state, vote counting has been dragging on for weeks, with the US presidency balanced precariously on a Florida court ruling. I decided to use my magic brush and do some judging myself, sifting through the onslaught of visual impressions hurled at me through the electronic and print media. And the media, after all, is truly the supreme arbiter in this race.
I have scrupulously monitored each of the candidates' expressions on screen -- a sincere smile followed by a deceptive grimace; strained posturing giving way to a defiant glare. A nod in the direction of the jubilant masses, then impassioned speechmaking, finished off with a vociferous assault on the opposition. The campaign then inevitably turns to the glorification of all-American family values, embellished with tales recanting each candidate's happy marriage and all-consuming love for his supportive wife, family and kiddies -- a shining example for the American people. At last, the candidate painstakingly explains his obviously superior programme. As he gradually talks himself into a state of frenzy, my artistic vision captures the transformation.
Bush has succeeded in tipping the scales in his favour, employing a good-humoured simplicity to capture his votes. Gore, on the other hand, twitches nervously as he contemplates the various predicaments he's gotten himself into -- he loses supporters every time he opens his mouth, his stiff and mirthless sobriety boring his listeners to tears. Bush, beaming with piercing blue eyes and rugged cowboy good looks, charms his listeners with his winning innocence. He dresses casually, in blue jeans and bandanna, leather belt and boots. When asked weighty questions about the global economy or international affairs, he shrugs his shoulders and looks like the country bumpkin he actually is. Somehow he seems unfit for the world's most important job.
Gore gives all the right answers to inquisitive questioners, but the problem is that nobody listens, because very few Americans are interested in world politics. I can see the happy-go-lucky Bush as 43rd President of the United States. I can only see the grave and stuffy Gore as the loser in this race -- Americans want a half-wit as president, even if he is a playboy like the outgoing Bill Clinton.
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