…and elections
While there’s been a whole lotta attention given on the impact of particular faces being in particular parties – to garner those Xs in the Sept 1 general elections – without downplaying the importance of that angle, in your Eyewitness not so humble opinion, he believes that financing – money – may be just as critical for success!! Money, we’re told, makes the world – including (or especially!) the world of politics – go round!! After observing so many elections, your Eyewitness would say if “no money. No love” it’s also true that “no money; no vote”!!
And it makes sense, doesn’t it?? You may have the best ideas; the most attractive candidates; the deepest sympathies for the electorate’s needs but if you can’t convey all of that to the electorate, then you’re politically doomed!! If a great campaign is launched but no one was there to see or hear it – was there a campaign?? And in the modern world, it costs money – BIG MONEY – to get your message out to the folks out there. One politician who folks thought might’ve bucked that money rule was Gandhi who was called a “Naked Fakir” – a Naked Beggar! – by Churchill. But it has been pointed out just as firmly, that it took millions to keep Gandhi poor!! All his activities traipsing around the country and fasting to death so many times – were funded by some of the largest industrial business families in India such as the Birlas!
The proof of this (money) pudding is in the campaign of AzMo – who’s got no program; no charisma – save dark glasses; no supporting heavyweight staff – and yet his money has given him all this mileage!! Some say the growth of “social media” allows politicians – and political hustlers like AzMo – to reach thousands by just using apps like Facebook on smartphones that aren’t out of the reach of ordinary folks. The possibility of such reach is there – but as to how effective it will be to get folks to actually commit their futures to disembodied voices is yet to be proved.
Politicians gotta be out there getting personal with voters by pressing the flesh or wowing them from a stage where they can be eyeballed – if folks are to “believe”!! AzMo has done the flesh-pressing bit so we’ll just have to see what happens come September. After all, there’s that third element in politics – the voters themselves!! They aren’t exactly the blank slates most people think they are – everybody got some opinion on who can get things done and which political party is closer or further away from what they believe should be done in the world.
And money enters the picture once again – to do what needs to be done!!
…and fundraisers
Some folks are wondering why the PPP’s paying so much time organising fundraisers all over the place. Last week they had a massive one on the West Side that snarled traffic for miles – and another at Everest Ground in GT that also garnered some 10,000 attendees. The Opposition’s been claiming for five years now that the billions and trillions the PPP Govt. been spending from the oil gusher funds going to their “family and friends”.
Can’t they then just ask those “family and friends” – some allegedly made billions! – to kick back some of the largesse to get their party reelected?? After all, they’d be feathering their own beds!! But here it is, the PPP leaders are taking donations from ordinary Joes and Janes. Can they really go all the way, this way?? Well, look at the numbers. If 10,000 attendees contribute $5000 each – that’s a cool $50,000,000. Multiply it by 100 events and you’re up to $5BILLION – and THAT’S real money!!
And of course, there’ll be some whales!!
…and teachers
There’s been some complaints from a GTU official that a US group’s been recruiting teachers – at salaries and benefits that we just can’t match!! What to do?
Just remind teachers of how immigrants are treated over there!!
