La la la la Labamba!

ni Mika Tsiu

Hoe may gosh. Like, America has a new lider-lideran na. This so magaling guy, Barag Labamba, keeps on saying pa na “Change has come to America.” Super loaded phrase no? Grabe talaga. I mean, like parang it creates sobrang daming expectations. Just like that super expensive bag that I bought in Paris last week. Ugh, grabe I expect a lot from it. You know, that when I make pasok a lot of stuff in the bag it won’t become sira. The same with the super daming challenges that Barag Labamba’s presidency is now making harap eh. Like all of his supporters and even yung mga ones making him away are observing if he will crack under pressure. Super sad naman ng start ng article na ‘to. Challenges agad no? Let’s shift muna our focus to more happy things like how he won ba.

The way I see it, super effort to make go to the polling stations ang uber daming American friends natin. Ang early pa nga ng iba eh. At least five factors ang like parang nagpawin talaga kay Barag Labamba. First yung campaign team niya na super efficient and galing. Then for sureness there’s yung mga volunteers na uber many especially the youth and the feeling youth. Third, yung pag-use niya to his advantage ng technology and media and also, media personalities. Fourth, malaking factor din yung pagiging unpopular talaga ng grandfather leader na patapos na yung term, si George Booze. Lastly, I mean, Labamba himself and his galing and charisma.

Yung first muna. As in this uber dedicated campaign teamsters ni Labamba ay effort talaga in making pili the states to campaign in and win. Sa una pa lang ang great na ng fundraising nila that really made sure na huge yung resource base that Labamba has at his disposal, no. Parang galit pa sila sa campaign materials sa dami, but in fairness, like, super well presented naman ang mga chuva. Tapos when we look at the overemphasized positions of Labamba (but still super labo sa dami), ang nagcraft nito ay yung teamsters niya talaga especially yung mga Doctor Kwakwaks of his economic team. In terms of foreign policy naman, his position on wars and how it should be ended was enhanced pa by my favorite David Axelrod. As in kahit the foreign policy was not that salient of an issue in the huling leg of the campaign, it made Labamba really different from the aggresiva and offensiva of a position ng mga Republicanics. Like kahit na super he was made tirador by a lot of critics on his positions, the American voters pa din were receptive. Or at least to his whole idea or representation of change talaga. Finale to this part on his campaign team, super strategic ng mga campaign stops niya in the swing and key states. As in they really focused on them to vote and the regla states to vote for him talaga and not John Ma-K.

This point then gives me the red carpet to my next argument. Na as in it helped na uber many ng mga volunteers ni Labamba. Most of them are youngsters pa and very cutie like me. And the rest ay mga youngsters din by heart. Super tulong ang volunteers sa distribution ng mga campaign materials, calling people, campaigning door-to-door in perceived-to-be hard-to win states and of course pagmobilize nung people on the great making boto day na talaga. Kaya very good talaga na Labamba caters to the youth tapos he captured their minds, hearts, ideals plus that of the large middle class such that madami siyang make-believers, ay believers lang pala, kaya nanalo ang lola mo! Yay for them.

Third naman, because super youthful and modern ng appeal ni Labamba (just like John F. Candy) he really used modern means in the media to get his cool points across. With his yaman campaign, he even made and aired a 30-minute video that detailed all his positions on issues and said how his vision would change America and bring back its glorious days. Amazing noh? I mean aside from the substance, the form talaga of reaching out is where he sees he can really connect to people, to the couch potatoes. Harhar. Well, it delivered him what he wanted naman and the people took it well talaga na mega effort to campaign on Tivo tong si Labamba. Ans super important na he had supporturero from starirays like Bufra Wing-free and Coling Towel

As a fourth point in this section, super nakatulong ang pagiging unpopular ni George Booze. As in yung warla on terror (in Iraq and Afghanistan) really pulled him down the drain and nabolster ang stance ni Labamba dahil nga you know, wizz siya on these wars. Eto pang wrinkle-inducing crisis of the economy ng America didn’t help the Republicanics in their bid for the White House. Ang super worse part, meaning worst na talaga, for the Republicanics ay uber close ng identification ni John Ma-K kay George Booze. As in super perceived ng mga tao na pareho lang ang gagawin ni Ma-K if he won so ayun, natsugi pa lalo ang more chances of winning ni ate. At eto pa yung super sayang, kahit na super fun at super expensive ng dresses ni Sarah Palin (na she will give to charity daw like us in the high society), di pa din nakahelp sa campaign nila yung humor and aesthetics. Ang sad naman for them. In any case, dahil dito sa downward pull on the part of the Republicanics, super upward naman ang direction ni Labamba dahil he got some things right daw in opposing the things Booze has done and continues to do.

Tapos, bilang last, of course Lambamba himself primarily made him win. Sa personality pa lang at yung oozing charisma, winner na. But more than that, super nice niya mag-articulate ng points and very clear pa as to his convictions and where he stands. Kahit super tagged na siya by people a socialist, just a celebrity or just a politician and a helluva lot of names pa, ang calm pa din niya and super dignified in welcoming the attacks and fighting back. As in go for it and don’t make too much patol them mode of thinking siya.

Then friends, we move on the challenges that he will have to fez. Actually, two ang major things na taking the space of his agenda talaga. The first is the uber messy financial crisis. Ultimate fighting spirit ang needed by Labamba to attack this head-on. His team is starting na yata, even before he assumes office in January, to craft policies that will tackle this problem. Vinovolt-in na ni Labamba his economic team that will replace the hardworking team din naman of Booze like Henry Paulson, Ben Bernanke among others. He really needs all the help talaga to make the Americans and also the rest of the economic world feel secure again. Lalo na the workers who pay the taxes and who needs the assistance in terms of welfare. Then, he needs also to show that he is not only super concerned sa Wall Street, sa Main Street din para super balanced ng system talaga.

Second naman, yung two major warlas na they’re warlahing. To really be truelalu to his promises, he needs to stop it na and bring home the troops to their families. The challenge pa din is not to leave too soon and too abruptly na parang hindi sila accountable. At least ceasefire and then help din the people of Iraq and Afghanistan to rebuild as well as to slowly become democratic. Pero, this is also imposing din in terms of values. Kasi since respect and not violence and uber cool na mindset ni Labamba, he needs to make the people in Iraq and Afghanistan feel na they can trust him to help and not devastate their way of life again. Winner if he does this talaga.

Tapos lastly, super dami pang issues in domestic and international affairs na stressful for Labamba. Meron pa yung sa immigration, the pursuit of peace pa and democracy in other countries (bilang he is the lider-lideran of a free world daw) and also trade and debt issues. In all of these, Labamba will be truly respected if even in the midst of these crises, he will do as he said and listen to others and when pressured, will be calm enough to say: “Keri lang.” ▪