October 31

1. McCain Acknowledges He is Lagging Behind (Kompas 10/31, p.11; report by Simon Saragih, a participant of the Emerson program)

Republican presidential candidate John McCain acknowledged that he was in a difficult position, lagging behind his Democratic opponent Barack Obama. But McCain said he was not worried. In Tennessee, Republican supporters are skeptical about McCain’s chances of winning. “I will be surprised if Obama does not win,” said Professor Jackson Mooney from East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, Tennessee, Wednesday (10/29). “Traditionally, Tennessee is a Republican stronghold. But people start changing their opinion because apparently the other candidate has a better offer,” he said. A recent Gallup poll indicates that Obama is leading McCain by 51 percent to 44 percent.

2. Why Tuesday, November 4, 2008? (Kompas 10/31, p.33; report by Simon Saragih, a participant of the Emerson program)

The first Tuesday following the first Monday in November is U.S. Election Day. For 2008, the date is November 4, 2008. This regulation was decided in 1845. The next question is: Why is the election held in early November? The United States used to be an agrarian society. For this reason, U.S. politicians regarded November as a month where farmers would need a lot of time to cast their ballots, as they needed to travel from their villages to the polls. November was the month where harvest would be completed. Then why on Tuesday? People had to travel far to the polls. Monday was seen as inappropriate for Election Day, because that would mean people had to depart from their villages on Sunday, which is the day when people attended Sunday church services. There is another reason why the first Tuesday following the first Monday in November was chosen. Lawmakers wanted to prevent Election Day from falling on the first of November for two reasons. First, November 1 is All Saints Day, a day on which Roman Catholics are obligated to attend Mass. Also, merchants typically balanced the accounts from the preceding month on the first of each month.

3. U.S. Media also Have Weaknesses (Kompas 10/31, p.35; report by Simon Saragih, a participant of the Emerson program)

There are unethical tactics applied by U.S. media and politicians. “At first, I thought the U.S. media was exemplary. That is not the case. There are many weaknesses in U.S. media,” said Paul Ujihiro Niwa, Assistant Professor of Journalism at Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts, Friday (10/24). Niwa is a Japan-born U.S. citizen that used to be a journalist for the Singapore-based CNBC Asia. “One example is [U.S.] media failure to alert people of the financial crisis and save the U.S. from terrible economic catastrophe,” he said. According to him, U.S. media is fragmented and tends to prioritize themselves, at least their own states. “In fact, there are only a few national media in the U.S. The public does not really care about what happens outside their home [state],” he explained.

4. Five U.S. Presidents Were Black (Kompas 10/31, p.36; report by Simon Saragih, a participant of the Emerson program)

Joel A. Rogers and Dr. Auset Bakhufu once wrote a book that says there were at least five black presidents in the U.S. This, in fact, is relatively reasonable. During the migration from Europe to the U.S., European men far outnumbered European women. Moreover, at that time the rape and impregnation of an African female slave was not considered a crime. The Virginia Magazine of History volume 29 says that Andrew Jackson, the 7th U.S. president, was the son of a white woman from Ireland who had intermarried with a black man. Then, in his 1867 book called “The Johnny Cake Papers”, Thomas Hazard wrote that he interviewed Paris Gardiner, who said he was present during the 1796 presidential campaign, when one speaker stated that Thomas Jefferson, the 3rd U.S. president, was “a mean-spirited son of a half-breed Indian squaw and a Virginia mulatto father.” Then, William Herndon, a law partner of Abraham Lincoln, the 16th U.S. president, said that Lincoln had very dark skin and coarse hair and that his mother was from an Ethiopian tribe. In Herndon’s book entitled “The Hidden Lincoln,” he says that Thomas Lincoln could not have been Abraham Lincoln’s father because he was sterile from childhood mumps and was later castrated. Then, in Marsha Stewart’s 2005 book entitled “Warren G. Harding U.S. 29th President,” the black author claims that she is a distant relative of the president. Then Harding’s successor, Calvin Coolidge, proudly admitted that his mother was dark because of mixed Indian ancestry. However, Dr. Bakhufu says that by 1800 the New England Indian was hardly any longer pure Indian, because they had mixed so often with Blacks.

5. Osama to Wipe Dirt (Rakyat Merdeka 10/31, p.1; report by Muhammad Rusmadi, a participant of the Emerson program)

At 05:30 a.m. Boston time I had to leave Boston for New Hampshire. My final destination was a small city called Athens in Ohio. I will be in Ohio until the Election Day on November 4. Dr. J. Gregory Payne from the Emerson College picked me up and took me to the Manchester Airport in New Hampshire. Manchester Airport is a quite airport yet the security check is as tight as other airports in the U.S. I took the Southwest Airlines and the check-in to take off process went smoothly and on time. Although there is a seat number on my ticket, passengers were free to sit anywhere they wanted. However, handicapped passengers and those who brought children were given the priority. The aircrew looked very relaxed, not like Indonesian aircrews that look sometimes very sexy. When we stopped over in Baltimore for transit, I saw Osama bin Laden, the leader of Al Qaeda. Instead of fear, I laughed because Osama that I saw was in the form of a picture printed on toilet paper sold in a souvenir shop.

6. Bill Clinton Joins, Obama has Strong Chance (Seputar Indonesia 10/31, p.1; report by Alvin Masrifah, participant of Emerson program, and Irawan Nugroho)

For the first time, former President Bill Clinton campaign together with Democrat presidential nominee Barack Obama six days ahead of the U.S. presidential election. Their joint voices in calling for change are predicted to open bigger chance for Obama to win the election. In the campaign Clinton called Obama as representing “the future of the U.S.” in front of 35,000 Democrats supporters. Clinton puts aside his disappointment over his wife defeat when competing against Obama in the preliminary election. He and his wife Hillary now reaffirm their support for Obama.

7. Call for Vote in Mosque (Rakyat Merdeka 10/30, p.1; report by Muhammad Rusmadi, a participant of the Emerson program)

I took the chance to explore the city of Boston. Boston is an old and famous city and the largest as well as the capital city of Massachusetts. The city was established on September 17, 1630 by the British colonials. Boston is a historical city that has the U.S. Independence Declaration Building on Washington Street. The well-known Harvard University is also located in this city. I walked around with a colleague and found what seemed to be a mosque. There was no loudspeaker to call for prayer (adzan). There was only an internal microphone. We prayed Maghrib at 18:00. Around the mosque, there was also announcement calling for voting on November 4 and to choose Barack Obama. “Obama is the symbol for U.S. immigrants,” said Bilal Kaleem, the Executive Director of Boston Muslim Community. Bilal is also the imam of the mosque. Boston and Massachusetts has been known to be the democrat state for presidential election.

8. Behind the Decisive Moment (Koran Jakarta 10/31, p.5; report by Tri Subhki Rahmatullah, a participant of the Emerson program)

For any presidential candidate, speech is a matter of life-and-death. A successful speech would almost guarantee votes, at least woo supporters. In contrast, horrible speech would lead the candidate to defeat. That is why every U.S. presidential candidate has a special team to draft his/her speech. Barack Obama – despite his reputation as a good orator and speech writer – entrusts the writing of his speeches to a team led by 26 year-old Jon Favreau. The same goes with John McCain, who assigned Mark Salter to write his speeches and even correct the words he is going to utter. Regarding the method and concept of a speech, J. Gregory Payne, a communication expert at Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts said that the most effective communication method was “people-to-people dialogue” as it builds friendship among those involved.

October 28 - 30

1. Republican Strategy in Blue States (Koran Jakarta 10/28, p.1; report by Tri Subhki Rahmatullah, participant of the Emerson program)

The Republican campaign team does not want to waste time wooing voters in blue states, like Massachusetts. Instead, they tend to woo potential voters in battleground states like New Hampshire, Massachusetts’ neighbor to the north. “I often call people who live in New Hampshire. I make about 50 calls in a few days,” said Joanne Atkinson, a Republican campaign volunteer in Boston, Massachusetts. There are many other Republican volunteers like Atkinson in Boston. According to Jane Inman, McCain’s campaign coordinator in Boston, there are 25 volunteers working in her office. She said that her office was visited by 30 to 50 people daily. But there were not that many names in the guestbook. I did not know why she exaggerated the number. The guestbook certainly shows that it is not easy to woo supporters in your opponent’s zone.

2. Situation Can Change (Kompas 10/29, p.10; report by Simon Saragih, a participant of the Emerson program)

A week prior to November 4, U.S. Election Day, competition became fierce with both candidates attacking each other. Barack Obama continues to lead in various polls, but Democrats are trying to stay away from complacency, whereas Republicans hope they can change the situation. The economy has become the most decisive issue in the U.S. election. Obama says he will raise corporate taxes and lower taxes for 95 percent of Americans in order to encourage income redistribution, one thing that is supported by U.S. economists. The majority of U.S. media, including Forbes magazine, CNN and ABC, predicted Obama’s triumph. But, “these surveys will not make us complacent. We will continue to deliver the message of change in the next week,” Michelle Obama said in Jay Leno’s Tonight Show.

3. Neo-Nazi Plot to Kill Obama (Kompas 10/29, p.10; report by Simon Saragih, a participant of the Emerson program)

Two Neo-Nazi skinheads from Tennessee were arrested by the FBI on Monday (10/27) for allegedly planning to kill several black people before assassinating the Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama. An FBI agent said that Daniel Cowart, 20, and Paul Schlesselman, 18, were arrested while planning for an armed robbery in a Tennessee town. They were said to have plans to kill 88 people. According to Professor Gregory Payne – a white man from Emerson College – the skinheads constitute only a small number, and are not supported by the majority of whites in the U.S.

4. Shade of Racism in Republicans’ Nest (Koran Jakarta 10/29, p.5; report by Tri Subhki Rahmatullah, a participant of the Emerson program)

Though many observers might deny the existence of racism in this year’s U.S. presidential election, there have been indications of racism in this election. Early this year, Reverend Jeremiah Wright said that Obama would be a president that represents the blacks. Obama firmly denied this and called on Americans from various religious and social backgrounds to make changes in the U.S. Then recently, when Koran Jakarta visited the Republican campaign office in Boston, Massachusetts, there was this campaign banner that says Sarah Palin is twice the man Obama is. The banner had a red background and white letters, with the exception of the word ‘Obama’ that was written in black!

5. Obama Gains Early Success (Kompas 10/30, p.11; report by Simon Saragih, a participant of the Emerson program)

A recent poll by the Pew Research Center indicates that U.S. Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama is leading his Republican opponent John McCain by 53 percent to 34 percent among early voters. The poll was conducted among some of the 12 million voters who have already cast ballots six days ahead of the Election Day on November 4. 32 U.S. states allow their voters to cast a ballot before Election Day, while 15 other states (including Washington DC) permit early voting only for those who will be away on November 4.

6. Behind Covering the Election (Kompas 10/30, p.11; report by Simon Saragih, a participant of the Emerson program)

“If you haven’t had the chance to cover wars and the U.S. presidential election campaign, your experience as a journalist is not yet complete,” Professor Carole Simpson told Indonesian journalists in Boston, Sunday (10/26). War and the U.S. presidential campaign are two unique opportunities for journalists to cover; they require sacrifice and at the same time guarantee a good reputation [for journalists that cover them]. If journalists risk their lives in covering war, then U.S. presidential election forces them to sleep and eat less. They would be so busy they barely have time to go to the restroom. The coverage activity itself is far from convenient since candidates receive tight security protection. “Though journalists that cover the presidential campaigns are very well-known, the [security] agents won’t care about their suffering,” said Simpson, who covered the activities of President George W. Bush in the past eight years.

7. Competition in Two States (Seputar Indonesia 10/30, p.9; report by Alvin Masrifah, participant of Emerson program, and Irawan Nugroho)

Senator Barack Obama and Senator McCain yesterday fought fiercely to gain votes in Pennsylvania and Virginia. Around 12,000 Obama’s supporters crowded into James Madison University stadium at Harrisonburg, Virginia, while 8,000 supporters were forced to remain outside the stadium due to limited space inside. With the majority of supporters from university students, Obama made use of the opportunity to differentiate him from McCain in terms of age and generation. Obama, 47 yrs gains big supports from young generation in various polls while McCain, 72 yrs gains less support from the young. On the contrary, not far from Obama’s campaign location, McCain had to cancel his campaign because of rain. Both candidates fight fiercely to win Pennsylvania with 21 electoral votes.

8. David Paleologos, Pollster in the U.S. (Seputar Indonesia 10/30, p.1, report by Alvin Masrifah a participant of Emerson program)

Polling has become part of David Paleologos’ life. He is one of the reliable pollsters in the U.S. The polling he conducts usually matches with the real situation in the field. Will it be Barack Obama or McCain that will win the U.S. presidential election? What qualifications make a candidate the favorite choice? What issues are around them? Such questions are common questions asked in such polling. The answers to those questions are very influential, not only for the people that will vote, but also for the candidates. The candidates need poll results to decide strategy to win the election. In conducting polling during the U.S. presidential elections, Paleologos focused himself on swing states, or purple states, a term that refers to states in the U.S. that have no tendency to either parties, Democrats and Republican. Creating polls has brought a unique enthusiasm to him. He was often involved directly in questioning the respondents in order to know their reactions.

October 27

1. McCain Loses Concentration (Kompas 10/27, p.11; report by Simon Saragih, participant of the Emerson program)

Republican presidential candidate John McCain is losing his concentration. There is no consistency in his messages and he seems to have no other choice than attacking his Democratic rival Barack Obama. “At least, he feels that it will be difficult for him to win,” said Spencer Kimball from the Republican Campaign Solution in Boston, Massachusetts, Saturday (10/25). McCain is losing not only in delivering messages, but also in public appearances, including the debates. He did not appear calm even though he tried to look confident. “McCain appeared as an angry man, though he tried to calm himself down,” said Professor Derek Beckwith from Emerson College, Boston.

2. Love and Hate Relationship (Koran Jakarta 10/27, p.5; report by Tri Subhki Rahmatullah, participant of the Emerson program)

Peter Loge, a member of the Democratic campaign team in Washington DC, said, “Politicians and journalists have a love and hate relationship. They need each other, but they also hate each other,” he said. People like Loge need journalists as they have to promote their candidate. And journalists also need people like him because they have the access to information on the candidate. But, Loge sometimes hates journalists because he often gets questions from journalists or read their stories that talk bad about his candidate. And the journalists do not like politicians as they often give information not like what the journalists expected.

3. Beard and ‘Spices’ Problems (Rakyat Merdeka 10/27, p.1; report by Muhammad Rusmadi, participant of the Emerson program)

On July 3, U.S. Embassy’s Assistant Press Attaché Stafford A. Ward sent me a letter. He invited me to cover the U.S. election on several conditions, including making a personal statement. The program is jointly organized by the Embassy and Emerson College – a school of communication and arts – in Boston, Massachusetts. Before departure, we were briefed by the Embassy. We were told about tight security at U.S. airports and possible treatment by U.S. immigration officials. I arrived in Los Angeles, California. This is my first trip to the U.S. When I went to Germany a while ago, I was not so nervous and did not feel the need to trim my beard. Nor did I worry about my first name, Muhammad. Before departure, I checked with Stafford about this beard thing. He laughed, saying, “Why, do you think your beard is too long?” Finally I trimmed my beard instead of shaving it clean. On to the next problem: I brought Indonesian seasonings, or spices, in my luggage for a friend who is studying in the U.S. So when I filled the form at the immigration desk, I answered ‘yes’ to the question: ‘Did you bring any product made from animal?’ Then, when a U.S. immigration official asked me what animal products I brought, I mistakenly answered ‘kitchen stuff’ when I meant ‘spices.’ He then curiously asked what kind of ‘kitchen stuff’ I had. I offered to open my luggage. But fortunately there was a long line behind me and the officer just let me pass through.