American Presidential Debates: A lesson for Democracy!

Barack Obama vs John McCain during the 2008 presidential debates!

President Obama and his main challenger Mitt Romney are spending this weekend preparing for their first of three televised debates in the contest for the next president of the USA. It just exemplifies how high the stakes are for both men, and also how level, the playing field is in American democracy! Just because you're president in America does not absolve you from facing your challenger, face to face, person to person on the same stage. In these debates both candidates are equal; and that's the way democracy should be!

Contrast that with Uganda, where M7 arrogantly palaces himself above everyone competing for his job and refused to debate Besigye and got away with it!

To Prep For Debates, Stand-Ins Take The Stage

by NPR STAFF

When President Obama and Gov. Mitt Romney stand on the debate stage this week, their campaign advisers and debate coaches want everything — from the stage lighting, to the audience, the room temperature and most importantly, their opponent — to feel very familiar.

Both men have spent weeks preparing for the debates by facing off against fake versions of their challengers played by stand-ins. Though it is easily overlooked, the work of a debate stand-in itself is grueling.

"It's an incredibly intense undertaking; I spent literally hundreds of hours," former New Hampshire Sen. Judd Gregg told Weekend Edition host Rachel Martin.

Gregg played Al Gore in debate preparation for George W. Bush in the 2000 election. His counterpart that year was Democratic strategist Paul Begala, who was playing George W. Bush during Gore's debate prep.

"It was a multi-week commitment, where it was pretty much the biggest thing I did," Begala says.

In order to properly play their roles, Begala and Gregg started reading, listening and watching as much as they could about the men they would pretend to be on stage.

"[It] got to the point where my wife no longer wanted to turn on the car radio, I had so many tapes of Al Gore in it," Gregg says.

There were times, however, when all that research and preparation paid off. Gregg says that they realized that Gore, because of his physical size and character, would at some point try and walk into Bush's space during a debate. So when it happened in their third debate, they were prepared.

"He looked at me and smiled, and in a relaxed way went on with his answer," Gregg says. "I happened to think that was one of the turning points in the election, and it was interesting that it happened exactly as we'd scripted it."

But you can only script so much. Begala says this was true of Gore's performance. He says what the media picked up on was Gore's breathing pattern, in particular his audible sighing in the first debate.

"He really was appalled at notion that [Bush] was one step away from the White House," Begala says. "At least that's the sense I got."

It was something Begala didn't notice, though he wishes he had, in the debate prep.

Begala and Gregg have played the game of politics for a long time. They both said, often, debates are won or lost in the prep.

"It comes down to the candidate making a connection with the audience in a comfortable way," Gregg says. "It gives the audience two reactions: one that they like the person; and two, that they see the person as a leader."

And to do that, he says, you have to spend a lot of time preparing.

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Where are the adults from Usuk counnty?

From child soldiers to child MP!

The election of this 19 year old girl shows how low the NRM has set the bar for leadership in Uganda! For crying out loud, where are the adults from this county?

MP at 19: Alengot writes history

By Sheila Naturinda, Richard Otim, Fred Muzaale, Simon Peter Emwamu | Daily Monitor

Friday, September 14 2012

One of the country’s longest serving constituency representative, Sam Kuteesa (Mawogola), had been in active politics for 13 years by the time Uganda’s youngest MP-elect Proscovia Alengot Oromait was born in 1993. Mr Kuteesa, the present foreign affairs minister-designate, joined Parliament in 1980, having been elected member for Nyabushozi on the Democratic Party ticket. In that election, he defeated President Museveni who had been in power for seven years by the time the new Usuk County MP was brought into this world. A few months ago Ms Oromait was sitting her A-Level exams. Now she is headed to Parliament to represent the people after controversially winning Wednesday’s by-election. The 19-year-old becomes the youngest MP in the country’s history, taking up the seat on the ruling party ticket after it fell vacant following the death of her father. “It is not the age that matters,” she said on Wednesday in an interview with NTV Uganda. “I knew I was going to win because I had the support of the people. So I was not worried.” She was declared winner of the race by the Electoral Commission with 11,059 (54.2%) votes against her nearest challenger, independent and former MP Charles Oleny Ojok who returned 5,329 (26.1%). Forum for Democratic Change’s Charles Okure took 2,725 (13.3%) in the nine-horse race. Opio Edekep, who managed Ms Alengot’s campaign, says the MP-elect is supposed to join Uganda Christian University Mukono this year but will now have to divide her time between the lecture room and the parliamentary chambers. Despite her age, Ms Alengot is not a stranger to politics; her campaign manager says she was closely involved in her father’s campaign as well as the projects he had promised to initiate in the constituency, including lobbying for education and health infrastructure. What she lacks in age she makes up for in public speaking, according to people close to her. She spent two years working at a radio station in Jinja, chaired the debate club in her high school and participated in the Chogm debate in 2007 at Serena Hotel in Kampala. Not surprising, then, that she caught the eye during her father’s funeral. “She represented the family very well,” Mr Edekep says. “She was composed while her brothers collapsed and failed to talk.” Jude Kamanya, one of her guardians, describes her as social, committed and honest. School friends say she was the anchor and brains behind the school’s weekly news bulletin, leader of the patriotism club, and inclined to feminism. “She was a good leader and usually advised fellow students to study hard,” says Derrick Sserwada, who went to high school with her. “She loves the environment so much.” Ms Alengot admits to getting a lot of support from NRM party officials, including Education minister Jessica Alupo, who has been rumoured to have her own eye on the seat in the 2016 election. “Yes in anything you need people to back you up and yes they help me [sic],” Ms Alengot said yesterday. For now, however, her focus is on the tasks ahead. “My focus is to work on roads, fight cattle-rustling, elevate the education standard in the district,” she said, her lithe frame hardly filling the gomesi. At 19, she becomes probably the youngest MP in Africa. Yesterday, a number of MPs described her win as an absurdity, although others welcomed her win as a positive indicator to youth politics. “That shows people have realised the values [President] Museveni always preaches- he only says as long as one is capable of raising her hand to vote for NRM ideas, there is no need to have the intellectual ability to understand issues,” said FDC’s Ibrahim Ssemujju Others in the race were UPC’s Cecilia Anyakoit with 554 votes, Martin Anukur Okwakol also independent with 284 votes, DP’s Nicholas Oteger with 220, Bob Paul Akileng independent with 160, Loyola Ignatius Apuda independent with 59 and David Ariko tailing with seven votes. Article 80 of the Constitution states that an MP must “be a Ugandan, a registered voter and has completed A level or its equivalent as established by law.” Ms Oromait reportedly registered as voter just ahead of the by-election. Ms Alengot’s entry into politics following her father’s footsteps isn’t the first in Uganda. Other MPs like Martin Mugara (Ntoroko) and Robert Ssebunya (Kyaddondo North) occupied their respective seats following the demise of their parents. In the Eighth Parliament, Ms Susan Lukyamuzi also represented the people of Rubaga North to save her father’s seat from falling into the hands of another when Mr Ken Lukyamuzi was blocked by the IGG from running for Parliament. “For the NRM to merely attract a person on the basis of adding to numbers is unfortunate. By this time we expect NRM to have matured to bring people with sufficient material in Parliament,” said Mr Lukyamuzi yesterday. Nonetheless, the NRM party was happy with this second win in at least eight by-elections because “the people of Usuk chose the person they trust to represent them,” according to Ms Justine Lumumba, the party’ chief whip. “No leader is ever different from the community he or she represents. Her election shows that her community has a very small scope for selection and her win has broken the myth about youths and unemployment,” said Mr Ephraim Biraro (Buhweju). Parliamentarians essentially play the critical oversight role, write laws and represent their people. “For a person to get a job there must be some exposure and knowledge of that job. That she sat S.6 this year and is yet to enter an institution of higher learning isn’t sufficient knowledge to get her a job anywhere,” said Barnabas Tinkasimire (NRM, Buyaga). Mr Tinkasimire describes the NRM internal primaries which saw Ms Oromait win the official flag bearer as “an abortion of internal democracy in the whole party.” “Let’s not close our eyes to reality, is it value addition for legislation or for the people in Usuk?” said Katwiremu Yorokamu (NRM, Sheema) editorial@ug.nationmedia.com

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Chelsea Clinton puts M7's son, Muhoozi to shame!

All in the family: The president, commander of special forces & cabinet minister!

Chelsea Clinton puts M7's son, Muhoozi to shame. Unlike Muhoozi this daughter of former president Bill Clinton, graduated from a four year college and went on to earn an MBA.

You can tell how well someone is educated by how well and articulate they write. Chealse recently wrote an op-Ed about the trip she and her father made in Africa and the charitable work they've have done. Check it out at link below:

Building Tomorrow: one school at a time in Uganda

If Muhoozi earnestly got a worthwhile education from all those overseas schools he went to (most likely on Uganda tax payer money!) he can redeem himself from the specter of "the soft bigotry of low expectations" by writing at least an op-Ed about himself, his accomplishments and his views on democracy rather than having spin masters describe his worthiness!

Brig. Muhoozi

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The Price of Big man Rule in Africa!

M7's never ending terms in office, a contrasting view!

Big man rule breeds the soft bigotry of low expectations! And here is why:

"Bigotry is the characteristic of a prejudiced person who is intolerant of opinions, lifestyles, or identities differing from his own."

Many of these big men think they are better than anyone else. They are the smartest people in the room. The notion of synergy from diversity has no place in their universe. And will go any length, by any means, to make sure that remains the status quo!

In the process they stifle a nations range of vision & perspective: from individual initiative, creativity & innovation. Able and capable opposition leaders that could do the job just as well or better are simply marginalized. This type of leadership not only limits our ability to challenge the status quo, but also stifles our ability to reach our fullest potential.

Big man rule and its demagoguery are the biggest threat to African democracy!

This unfortunate & unquestioned paradigm of overextended one man rule in Africa is fundamentally undemocratic. It creates monster autocrats, instead of service oriented leaders! Its the soft bigotry of an untenable omniscient leadership! Africa deserves better than this cult of Big man rule! It's within our democratic ability to change this anachronistic paradigm!

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