Helen Zille is No Obama
Excuse me for borrowing some catchphrases like Putting lipstick on a Pig that I used to describe the DA’s newest incarnation, but the US elections are not completely out of my system and we have not yet come up with crazy sayings of our own for our elections.
The memory of the US election is still fresh, seemingly not only for me. Helen Zille and the DA are doing their best to copy the Obama victory path to the very last “Yes, we can”, so I suppose it is fitting to compare the two.
Well actually there is NO comparison.
Helen Zille a lot more Hillary Clinton or John McCain than Barack Obama.
- She is not a fresh-faced politician, regardless of her make-over.
- She comes with baggage and she does not appeal across the political spectrum.
- She appeals to her constituency – mostly former NP and middle class conservative urbanites.
- The DA has no policies of it’s own, it is just anti ANC everything.
- The DA is always right and everyone else is always wrong. Hello, Obama is about building bridges. The DA is about…who knows what besides being anti-ANC.
So to misquote another US election saying: The DA’s usual constituents might be drinking the DA KoolAid, but I would be very surprised if many more than the usual 12% vote DA again.
12 Responses to “Helen Zille is No Obama”
By Anonymous on Nov 17, 2008 | Reply
DA “more Republican than Democratic” – you sure you watch the US election.
By Glass Pearl on Nov 17, 2008 | Reply
Hi Anonymous, I stand by my statement.
The DA and Republicans are for free market trade, while Democrats are much more socialist. Not forgetting about fear based politics and very similar constituencies.
By Anonymous on Nov 17, 2008 | Reply
Hi Glass Pearl
I cannot agree with you about Helen Zille and the DA. I’ll respond to each of the points you make in turn. I look forward to hearing your thoughts.
1. Helen Zille is fresh in the sense that she is one of the few selfless politicians in South Africa who is totally committed to bringing about positive change.
2. The only baggage that Helen Zille carries is her work fighting apartheid as part of the anti-conscription campaign, the black sash and the exposing of Steve Biko’s murder by the nationalist security police.
3. Zille has broad appeal amongst all classes and races. A recent Markdata survey found that the DA’s support is the most multi-racial in the history of South Africa.
4. The DA has an extensive range of policies from the economy to social development to education. If you read them, you might see that the DA has more in common with the Democrats than the Republicans. They are underpinned by the concept of the ‘open, opportunity society’ – the idea that every person regardless of the circumstances of their birth should be given a fair chance to make a success of their life.
5. The DA is the only party in South Africa that does not campaign by mobilising on racial lines. The ANC went from being non-racial under Nelson Mandela to racial nationalist under Mbeki. The ID is now reduced to a coloured nationalist party. The IFP has struggled to extend its appeal beyond its Zulu-speaking, rural base. The Minority Front unashamedly targets Indian voters to the exclusion of eveyone else. The Freedom Front Plus is only concerned with issues that affect white Afrikaans-speakers. The DA is a party for all the people.
By Anonymous on Nov 17, 2008 | Reply
The words ANC and CORRUPTION go hand in hand…the ANC are just a worse case of the Republicans, who are also corrupt.
By Anonymous on Nov 17, 2008 | Reply
ANC = African ‘N Corrupt
By Glass Pearl on Nov 17, 2008 | Reply
Hi Anonymous,
The way you see the DA is the total opposite of the way I do, so I respectfully disagree.
My perception of the DA is of a party that would say anything to get one more vote – i.e. they have very little integrity.
They received 8% of the vote in the 2004 election which shows that they do not appeal to a cross-section of the population.
I will give that some of their policies are more liberal than the Republican party, but economically they are far more Republican than Democrat. The ANC have 99% of the policies of the US Democratic party though.
Thank you for taking the time to put your points across so clear – I love the fact that we are at least talking about the election in a more open way than previously – a direct result of the US election.
By Glass Pearl on Nov 17, 2008 | Reply
Hi Anonymous,
The ANC’s is formed on principals what I believe in. The ANC is NOT corrupt, politicians who abuse their power are corrupt. Jacob Zuma and Julius Malema is not the ANC to me and I will never support either of them with my vote.
By Anonymous on Nov 17, 2008 | Reply
Hi Glass Pearl
Thank you for responding to my post. I must clear up a few inaccuracies in your response.
1. The DA received 13% of the vote in the last election, not 8%. The latest Markdata survey puts their support at 21%.
2. You say they don’t appeal to a cross section of the population. However, only half of the DA’s support base is white, while a fifth is black African. The DA is more diverse in terms of support and its public representatives than any other party.
If I may add one more thing for what it’s worth. It is more persuasive to use actual evidence when arguing your point. Your “perception” is not an argument – it is what it is.
Finally, Zuma and Malema may not represent the ANC to you, but they are the ANC whether you like it or not.
By Glass Pearl on Nov 17, 2008 | Reply
Thanks for the correction, Anonymous, I adjusted the percentage the DA won in my post as well.
I must admit, the Zuma/Malema ANC has left me disillusioned, but the DA is without a doubt NOT the answer for me.
As my post states there is nothing I admire or like about Helen Zille’s politics, not the DA’s – she is no Obama-like figure to me.
I would much rather look at the Congress of the People, and I do even that with much regret, because I am still an ANC supporter.
You are lucky to believe wholeheartedly in the party of your choice.
By Eldad Viljoen on Nov 18, 2008 | Reply
To Anonymous:
Are you on twitter? What is your ID?
By Eldad Viljoen on Nov 18, 2008 | Reply
To glasspearl:
Add Gravatar support to site.
By Glass Pearl on Nov 19, 2008 | Reply
Hi Eldad, Thanks for your advice. blogger doesn’t support gravatar at the moment.