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RSS FeedEx-president's wife elected president of Argentina: Could this help or hurt Hillary's chances?
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| Help | 40% | 2 votes | Total: 5 votes | |
| Hurt | 60% | 3 votes |
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Add to FavoritesAfter winning the Argentine national election, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner will take over from husband, Nestor Kirchner, when his term of office ends in December. She is the first elected woman president in the history of her country.
Evita Peron, of pop legend and subject of a Broadway musical, took over as president in 1974 at the death of her husband, Juan. Although she was wildly popular with the Argentine people, her term lasted just two years. She was kicked out of office when army generals took over the country.
Mrs. Kirchner, whose haughty reputation has earned her the nickname of Queen Cristina, has been a senator with definite left wing and nationalist political leanings. Both Cristina and her husband are good friends of Hugo Chavez, the vehemently anti-American president of Nicauragua.
The Argentine event ... the election to president of an ex-president's wife ... is expected to have a positive effect on Hillary Clinton's chances to earn the Democratic nomination, and then go on to run for president. If she wins, like Cristina, Hilary will be the first woman president in the history of her country.
I believe this event certainly can bring Hillary considerable advantages, providing she plays it cool and stays away from possible pitfalls. The first iffy could happen if Hillary gets too chummy with Cristina. Then, it is possible Hillary's reputation could be damaged and cost her the Democratic nomination if Cristina and her husband play highly-publicized footsie with Chavez. Or worse, if the Argeninian couple do a homage visit to the failing Fidel in his hospital room and sympathize with one of Fidel's usual anti-American tirades.
Hillary is the consumate politician. Otherwise, how would you explain an Arkansas lawyer who packed her (carpet) bags, moved to New York and got elected senator from that state? Therefore, I believe she may exchange some pleasantries with Cristina, but unlike the "Don't Cry For Me, Argentina" lyrics, if she is smart, Hillary will definitely keep her distance.
Cristina's election will certainly earn Hillary the opportunity to use it positively to campaign for votes, even if she never openly compares herself to the Argentine woman leader. Hillary will leave that for others to do.
Learn more about this author, Ted Sherman.
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Hurt
Although I voted hurt, the sad, actual reality is that it won't help Hillary's chances simply because the vast majority of Americans are so ignorant of foreign politics they are not even aware of this landmark event in Argentina.
Let's be honest, in a country where Paris Hilton is a de facto queen, and "U.S. Americans don't own maps," the odds that even 5% of the nation's voting population knows that a woman was elected president in Argentina are slim to none. The odds that even 5% of Americans could point out Argentina on a map are probably not much higher.
Yes, it's amazing what similarities there are behind the recent Argentinean presidential election and Hillary Clinton's current bid for the White House. But ask the average American "What language is spoken in Argentina?" and the response will probably be "Um, Mexican."
This question only gets a "no" for one reason: Although most people don't know/care/understand the Argentinean election, the high levels of anti-Hispanic sentiment in America probably mean that any connection Clinton has to a South American candidate is probably not to her benefit. Sad but true, the only thing that can stir Americans from complete apathy for international politics is bigotry.
Learn more about this author, Jon Tran.
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