The beginning was great...

...then it was downhill all the way.

I am referring particularly to the valedictory speech of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton this morning in Washington. She started off with a joke, saying, "Well, this isn't exactly the party I'd planned, but I sure like the company." Then proceeded to thank every Tom, Dick, and Harriet she could think of ("And to all of those women in their 80s and their 90s..." josh ko 'day!), which made me switch back to Tim Gunn's Guide to Style.

Then she goes on to pat herself on the back, for fighting a good fight, put in a few plugs about her pet program – universal health care – then finally gets to the meat of the matter...her endorsement of Sen. Barack Obama as Democratic Party presidential candidate. I just noticed, however, how she punctuated her sentences and stressed each word in the portions where she talked about herself adoringly, but in the portions where she endorses Obama and underscores his accomplishments, she just rushes through them, flat without emotion. Walang kagana-gana.

Of course, she's hurting because she lost the nomination. And yes, I cannot take away the fact that she fought the good fight and almost made it as the first female presidential candidate of the U.S. (I doubt though if she would have beaten Sen. John McCain.) But in her speech, she couldn't be more obvious about her disappointment at not reaching her goal...so she kept on lifting herself up. Nagbubuhat ng sariling bangko, as we say in these parts.

It seemed as if she was sending a mixed message to her supporters, underscoring how difficult it will be to campaign to get Obama into the White House. I dunno, maybe I was just reading too much into her lack of enthusiasm in her endorsement. I sure hope to God Obama doesn't choose her as his running mate. Di sila bagay talaga. She will emasculate him. Moreso, that her husband Bill CIinton, the former U.S. President, is going to be around...it's going to be a very crowded White House if that happens.

Speaking of Bill, the last Democrat who occupied the White House, he looked visibly disappointed by the result of the caucuses. He couldn't hide his dismay, unlike daughter Chelsea, who looked genuinely relieved and happy over the outcome. While watching Hillary's speech on CNN and observing her husband's body language, I couldn't help but think that he was in the dumps because having Hillary at home meant less booty-call time for him...haha. Or perhaps Hillary already gave him a lickin'. After all, he did make a few enemies along the campaign trail, him being a loose cannon and all, which is one of the reasons she lost the nomination.

Anyhoo, all eyes will be on the November elections. It's going to be an exciting time in the U.S.

Yay for Obama! MAR and CHIZ in 2010

WHEW! It took the Democratic Party a long time to decide this, but you must admire the political process in the U.S., despite the lengthy number of caucauses, the process left very little room to doubt who was the best person for the position as presidential candidate of the party. (Compare that to here in the Philippines where anyone who wants to run for President, can run despite the lack of the right credentials, education, even intelligence. Basta marunong sumayaw, kumanta, at mag-joke, uubra na. Hay!

* * *
Anyhoo, I like Barack Obama. I think he is a refreshing change (that word again) from the string of presidential hopefuls who've arisen in the last few decades in the U.S. He has both street cred and Beltway cred. He represents everything that is possible in the U.S., that anyone can make it, no matter what race you belong to, as long as one works hard and gives it his/her best.

Sure Hillary Clinton is an accomplished woman too, but it was pretty obvious that she would do anything to get herself elected...even wish Obama dead. (Remember the faux pas on the RFK comparison?) She reminded me so much of the presidentita...so determined to become president just because.

W/c is what eventually turned off a lot of the superdelegates in the Democratic Party...they saw Hillary was willing to sacrifice party unity for the sake of herself. And now, she wants to be VP to Obama. Ang kapal talaga grabeh! It was her own ego that ruined it for her. Lolah, if it ain't your time, don't force the issue. Go back to the Senate where you belong!

While Obama isn't exactly the most perfect candidate ever, it is pretty obvious that he has the heart. He has the sincerity. He wants to run for President because he really thinks he can make a difference. Can Hillary say the same for herself?

* * *
The November presidential elections in the U.S. is only five months away, and already signs are pointing to a stronger dollar. Even local economists are saying that if Democrats win, there is a chance that the U.S. economy will make a turnaround, and this can only impact on the sputtering world economy. Even here in the Philippines, we will see the effects of a Democrat win, in terms of more exports, and a depreciated peso which will help the families of OFWs.

But more than the economy, I think the U.S. elections will be another vote on the Iraq War. Americans want to get out of it. And they will trust someone who voted against going to war in the first place. So I predict an overwhelming Obama win agains GOP candidate Sen. John McCain. The U.S. needs to get its self-respect back.

The November elections will be the most widely anticipated new event of the year. And I'm keeping my eyes glued to CNN.

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(MAR and CHIZ, the team to beat in 2010)

Back in our neck of the woods, my favorite manghuhula is saying that so far, no one can hold up a candle to MAR Roxas in 2010. While he is a tough sell because of his de buena familia roots w/c the masa will have a difficult time to relate to, he will still win the presidency against say, Manny Villar, Loren Legarda, even Ping Lacson.

And while there are many people already jockeying for the position as MAR's VP – two of them being former Senator Joey Lina and also Sen. Loren Legarda –Aling Chona says the best VP for MAR is Chiz Escudero. According to her, Chiz will be able to make MAR accessible to the masses, because of his friendly personality, his fluency in Filipino, and his intelligence which does not turn off people, like some intellectuals do (including MAR).

Although it seems this team-up is an impossibility (MAR is from the Liberal Party, while Chiz is from the Nationalista Party/UNO), I trust the political old hands in both parties will see the wisdom in joining forces. It is time for the youth to take over the reins of political power in this country and show the disenfranchised among the voters that there is hope after Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, and traditional politics.

To Joey Lina, Aling Chona says, matulog ka nalang. To Loren, stay in the Senate. Ping, while he would make a good VP to MAR as well, will not want to consider this lower position at all...sayang!

As for the question on whether MAR and his ghelfren will get married...secret! I won't tell.

Btw, Aling Chona advises MAR to smile more often. It will make you look more friendly. Masyado kang serious noh? C'mon MAR show off those pearly whites!

* * *
Oh yeah, there is going to be a 2010 election, according to Aling Chona. That's the good news. The bad news is...the presidentita will stay in power 'til then. (Do I hear booing amongst you?)

It is just the presidentita's fate. She was meant to be the Chief Executive of this great land of ours (it doesn't matter whether she did it legitimately or not), and has the steely determination to remain in power. But she is tired as well. So the likelihood of the presidentita doing a Marcos or changing the Constitution to keep her in power after 2010, is dim. Pagod na ang lolah nyo, people.

Ang masasabi ko lang...AMEN!

(To the politicos who want to know their fate in 2010, Aling Chona is available for readings at Palmistry, 2nd Floor of the V-Mall (formerly Virra Mall), Greenhills Shopping Center.)

WTF Hillary? What were you thinking?

THIS is how much Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton wants that Democratic Party nomination...she even wants her opponent Sen. Barack Obama dead?! This is the worst political faux pas she's made ever! Talk about foot-in-mouth disease...she's even worse than George "Dubya" Bush.

Ang labo mo lolah! Hindi mahaba ang hair mo ha!



The fallout from that stupid remark here.

Begrudging his bedazzling

"The fact that Obama is exceptionally easy in his skin has made Hillary almost jump out of hers. She can’t turn on her own charm and wit because she can’t get beyond what she sees as the deep injustice of Obama not waiting his turn. Her sunshine-colored jackets on the trail hardly disguise the fact that she’s pea-green with envy."

(Clever. Click Maureen Dowd in today's NYT for the rest.)

I wish I was an American right now

NO, I'm not being unpatriotic.

I just thoroughly enjoyed this morning's Democratc Party presidential debate between Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. Hillary Clinton which was carried live on CNN and I couldn't help but wish we here in the Philippines would have the same kind of electoral process that would be able to weed out the weak candidates from the stronger ones.

It was very exciting to watch both the Democratic Party frontrunners discuss issues intelligently and present their ideas and would-be policies to the voters. (Both were very cordial to each other btw, as if they had already agreed earlier on that what was more important to convey was party unity.)

I think the most important issue raised during the debate was on the Iraq war...why the U.S. got into it in the first place, and how the next president will get the country out of that mess. It is a topic that is really close to the hearts of a lot of American voters because most have friends and family serving in the military assigned to Iraq.

Clinton: (responding to a question on her failure to vote for an amendment requiring Bush to report to Congress the result of U.N. inspections before going to war) "You know, I've said many times if I had known then what I know now, I never would have given President Bush the authority. It was a sincere vote based on my assessment at the time and what I believed he would do with the authority he was given."

Obama: "I think it is much easier for us to have the argument when we have a nominee who says, 'I always thought this was a bad idea — this was a bad strategy.' " (The full transcript of the debate at CNN.com)

It didn't matter to me who nailed the debate because both argued strongly on issues they had already earlier been identified with, but what really appealed to me was the fact that the Democrats now have the best candidates to choose from.

You can almost feel the electricity in the air. Talagang excited sila sa States! Everyone is so galvanized to register, organize, speak up, and vote. Even if it's just the primaries. I suppose it's because they feel the Bush administration just so fucked up its seven years in office that the voters want a change and choose wisely this time.

So honestly, nakakainggit sila. Kasi, as far as the present crop of would-be presidential candidates here in the country goes, we don't have an Obama or a Clinton that can inspire us. You know, the kind that will be able to push us out of our comfort zones to help ourselves and our country to get its act together? Someone who can seriously kick butt and get the government to work for the people. For example, how many hours do you have to stand in line to get your driver's license, SSS ID, your baptismal or birth certificate, or your passport? (Answer: Longer than the hours you have to line up at the U.S. Embassy to get a visa.)

But I think part of the reason we don't have any more seriously competent politicians to serve the interests of the people is because of the following:

First of all, our electoral process is just chaotic. Like there are just too many political parties, and its members are just switching sides all the time naman. Magulo!

Then, we have a Commission on Elections that lacks the right equipment and credibility among its people to actually conduct honest and clean elections.

Third, all our politicians are trapos. Even the young ones have already adopted the style of their elders. You scratch my back, I scratch your back. There's always a quid pro quo involved in any resolution or bill passed by Congress or the Senate. They close their eyes to lobby money changing hands, even if they themselves don't get their share.

Kawawa na masyado ang Pilipinas. People just want to leave and move to another country. Hindi na bale mag-maid, mag-yaya, magpahid ng pwet ng matatanda sa ibang bansa, basta lang malaki ang sweldo nila at pamilya nila makakain ng tatlong beses isang araw.

They feel there's no hope. And we need a President who may not have all the solutions to our country's problems a hundred percent, but at least give us back the hope that things are going to change for the better.

In the States, they need change. Here in the Philippines, we need hope.

GMA to survive Year of the Earth Rat

GOOD GRIEF! this is what Joseph Chau, feng shui (geomancer) consultant of the Mandarin Oriental answered me when I asked him if the presidentita would still remain in power this year. According to him, this is because the main gate of the Malacañang Palace faces the Southeast, which is the luckiest direction in the Year of the Earth Rat. "So if Malacañang is lucky, the master is lucky too," he said. Do I hear groaning out there? Ah well...

He did say though that there was a sickness star hovering above the Northwest where the Palace is located, so the presidentita should be careful about her health. Well we've seen her in and out of St. Luke's hospital quite a number of times last year, and I'm not counting her husband's near-death experience. There have been quite a number of rumors just what disease has been plaguing the scary resident by the Pasig River, especially since her primary care physician is a liver specialist.

(Joseph Chau, master geomancer and resident feng shui consultant of the Mandarin Oriental Manila, gives the press a lowdown on what's in store for us in the Year of the Earth Rat.)

Chau added that because of Malacañang's luck, he doesn't see any "major problems" for its chief resident this year. And he adds that the Philippines is lucky as well and has been on this prosperity path since 2004, which will last until 2009! But why don't we feel it Mr. Chau? It seems only the presidentita is lucky! Hay naku!

Anyhoo, the little one's critics may be comforted by the fact that Chau was the geomancer that predicted Joseph Estrada would remain in power. In fairview, the master geomancer did not have Erap's exact birthdate and birth time which would have given him a more accurate reading of the then Palace resident's (mis)fortune. In the same manner, this year's prediction for GMA is just based on a general reading of Malacañang after Chau looked at maps, and not of the presidentita herself.

* * * *

Other points raised by Chau in the brief chat I and a couple of other reporters had with him yesterday:

• Lucky zodiac signs are : the ox, tiger, dragon, monkey, and dog. Those who were born in the year of the Rat, Horse, Rabbit, Rooster, and the Goat will have a tough year.

• Good investment areas (stock market and business in general) : mining, entertainment (TV and movies), real estate, transportation, and logistics. He advises newspaper publishers/editors to play up entertainment stories on their front pages to ensure profitability.

• Businesses that will find the new year to be more challenging are garments, boutiques, and book stores. "There are just more competitors for them so they should work harder."

• Young men, especially those below the age of 50 should begin businesses in the Year of the Earth Rat.

• While he didn't directly answer my question of whether Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton would win the U.S. presidential elections in November, he said it will be a "cultural" decision for Americans. I take this to mean that Americans will have an easier time voting a white woman into office than a African-American male. (Btw, I noticed in the recent news stories by ANC, there were actually more Fil-Ams supporting Hillary than Obama. This is not a surprise as Pinoys have always identified themselves with WASPs, desperate to be like them especially in the color of their skin, that the gluthatione bottles are just flying off those drugstore shelves. Besides most Fil-Ams supported Bill Clinton as well when he first ran for office, even when he was considered a virtual newbie in the beltway.)

• The November elections would also spell relief for the U.S. and it's economy will pick up, helping strenghthen the greenback as well. That should be welcome news to a lot of our exporters and OFWs cringing at every day's uptick in the peso's value.

For a summary of Chau's predictions, click here