Some of you may remember the post I made in the summer on three flawed politicians, Mr. Spitzer , Mr. Weiner, and Mr. Modi. This is my update.
https://talesalongtheway.com/2013/07/10/three-flawed-politicians/
The picture at the top of the page is a compilation of the two most infamous candidates in this Tuesday’s New York City Democratic Primary , Anthony Weiner, and Eliot Spitzer. There has been much discussion about whether the people in city, which is ultra liberal on most issues, would find it in their hearts to forgive and forget the sex scandals that these two men put the electorate through. Mr. Weiner was running for Mayor of New York , which is a very powerful and influential position. He had been a congressman from New York when he was forced to resigned because of a sexing scandal. Mr. Spitzer, who had been called the Sheriff of Wall Street for his tenacious battles in prosecuting financial houses and outing prostitution rings, was found to be involve, himself,with call girls. On announcing their runs for mayor and comptroller, both men spoke of this being their redemption for past wrongs.
Huma Weiner was by her husband’s side, professing her love for him when he announced his candidacy. She was there again a month later when it was revealed that he had been involved on line with another woman after he said this behavior had stopped. Silda Spitzer , who had stood by her husband when he first announced his resignation as governor, was conspicuously absent during his campaign for comptroller.
Tuesday, the votes were cast and counted. Both men lost. Mr. Spitzer lost by a small margin of 3.5%. The sad thing is that he is a very intelligent man who could have done a good job for New Yorkers. Anthony Weiner received only 5% of the total votes for mayor. At the end, his campaign went up in flames as he drove away making an obscene gesture to the media in response to their relentless questioning of him throughout the race.
Why? Was it the lack of their wives’ support ? I am pretty sure that there were women who voted against them because of the embarrassment and pain they put their families through. Maybe the voters didn’t want to be reminded and embarrassed by these men in very public offices, if they won. But I am thinking it is that even today in this morally, liberal society that there are some boundaries and expectations for all of us, including politicians. In other words, character does count and the voters have been spoken. Power to the people!
Well, Mr. Modi that leaves you in my list of unresolved flawed politicians. As far as I know the Indian election is still scheduled for 2014, but that can change. I have not been able to find even a hint of personal scandal in your tenure as politician. You seem to have been married to Gujarat. I am still hoping that first your party and then the parliament will see your time in politics as a whole picture. Maybe when you were first appointed CM of Gujarat and those terrible riots happened, you were paralyzed to stop them. And yes, there have been awful riots in other states such as the Sikh riots in the Punjab under the Congress party. I wonder why that is not still being discussed? Anyway, there have not been riots since those dark days in Gujarat in 2002, and bright days have come for the state with growth, agriculture and education. I know that none of us on this earth are without sin, and I also know of the gift of forgiveness and redemption. I hope, if it is the will of your people, you will be given a chance to continue your Gujarat Miracle Model in all of India! Let the people be heard!
Namaste. . . . .This Is Politics in the United States and India!
TalesAlongTheWay 
Madam,
What you have said about Mr. Modi is striking.But casteism and minoritism prevent Indian electorate from taking the correct decision. Only in India the majority(Hindus) is doomed to suffer just for being majority. The Hindus are disorganized on caste identity. The minorities are organized vote-bank having decisive potential to make tryst with the power-politics. The financial crisis in India is largely due to the expense incurred for minority appeasement schemes. Let there be welfare schemes whereby every deserving citizen is given the benefit, irrespective of his religion.
My daughter had scored more marks than her richer Muslim friend…but my daughter did not get admission to higher studies though her less qualified Muslim friend got the slot. The minorities are making the most of the Indian Constitution. They have made education a cutthroat business, The Christians go on converting Hindus; most of the Muslims do anything to make money. If you go through the newspaper most of the criminals are usually from one particular community…
India need a leader who does not discriminate between Hindus and Muslims.For the Congress democracy is just minority protection….
Crime is undermined, merit is undermined, in favor of the minorities….
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Thank you for taking so much time to tell me your perspective. I think you are new to my blog, so I will tell you that I was in India from January until May this year and living in Ahmedabad as my professor husband brought 11 architecture students to study at CEPT University. We were there for three months and traveled all over India for about a month on two trips, one to the north and one to the south. My support for Mr. Modi is from seeing the difference in how Ahmedabad is run compared to other cities….roads, police, electricity and talking to young Indians and their hope and enthusiasm for Mr. Modi.
I can hear frustration and pain in your words, and I am so sorry. This government organization called Democracy is often messy. In the States, with government trying to equal the playing field, some people are favored.. and not merit in ..admissions to college…etc to try and rectify old mistakes. I am sorry for your daughter. It is not fair.
when I was teaching, so much time and money was spent to help the children with special needs in intellect or socioeconomic backgrounds to the detriment of the average to above average students.. They will be the doctors, lawyers and leaders of tomorrow. They deserve to learn something everyday as well as the ones on the other end of the spectrum. Unfortunately, life is not fair. I think we should be kind, helpful and insure that all people have equal opportunity. But hard work should be rewarded, too. We have people here now who refused to work and just take money from the government.
My husband is calling me a Pollyanna, which means I look on the positive side of things. I guess hope springs eternal! I hope that Mr. Modi gets the opportunity to be a strong visionary leader for all of incredible India!
I wrote three other posts that included Mr. Modi
Mr. Modi
Mr. Modi 2
Response to Mr. Modi
I hope you will visit again and tell me more of your thoughts. I really enjoy it! Namaste. . . . .
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Thank you…
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I would love to learn a little about you. Are you in India or living somewhere else? You are obviously bright and well educated. I have learned that many Indian people are very current on their knowledge about politics and take it very seriously to be informed. If you visit my post Mr. Modi , you will see the other comments my blog has received! Namaste. . . . .
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Namaste Annetbell,
I read your previous posts. Even after all these years you still seem to feel quite strongly about the 9/11 attacks.Now imagine if you were to find out that an American was involved in this. An American who had the power to do something about it. An elected representative of the people. If that man were to stand for elections again, would you vote for him? An attack like 9/11 has never happened again.
If I have read and understood the NEWS reported at that time correctly, Mr. Modi was not what you call ‘paralyzed to stop them’. He paralyzed the state machinery that should have been acting against them. All those people who were raped/brutalized/killed in those riots were not just Muslims. They were Indians. For a lot of us, it hurts our consciences knowing that the man responsible for this is our best hope today. The black ink marking on the nails of voters, is going to leave a mark on many souls as well.
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Good morning,
Last night was the first time I saw your comments and I see it very late by the date. I am approving your thoughts as I think it is important to have different sides to the argument. You know I have heard the thoughts of 9/11 as an inside attack. In the US , this is called a conspiracy theory. Your choice of this analogy between the two situations is very topical. But I don’t buy either of them. You failed to mention the attack and fire on the train which was filled with Hindu pilgrims that was the impetus of the riots. Do you think Mr. Modi had something to do with that? Also , that the courts have exonerated Mr Modi from wrong doing. Id do know that at least one of his aids is in prison. And why would a man who had worked his whole life to be a regional and national leader and who is extremely talented as a political leader, do something so stupid as to organize and carry out riots that involved the major minority group in the country, thus shooting himself in the foot? Sadly, India has a long history of unrest between various religions. What about the Sikh massacre at the Golden Temple under the Gandhi/Nehru dynasty? I have read about other states have had other riots as well. I don’t condone any of these situations or riots, but sadly all throughout history people have fought over religion. And I do not think it is far fetched that Mr. Modi was paralyzed by inexperience early in this tenure as CM when this happened near the beginning of his time as CM. And I don’t think it is insignificant that there have been no further riots in Gujarat.
I appreciate that you have even acknowledged my opinion as I am not an Indian and was only in your wonderful country for 4 months. For about one month of that time, we were traveling all over India, north and south and I am qualified to report on the difference in Ahmedabad from the other sections….roads, police in intersections, stop lights, electricity service, number of colleges in the area. Are there still problems , of course, but I think India has made lots of progress in the last 60 years and Gujarat has led the way.
A story I read from NBC news on line this week is about the water project that has been started in Gujarat with solar panels over the river that works in preserving the water shortage. I think this is the first place in the whole world to try this. Mr. Modi is very forward thinking, very open to new ideas, intelligent, and a strong orator….yes that communication is important. I could not believe Dr. Singh would never speak and Mr. Gandhi seemed bored and disinterested. I am hopeful that India will finally let go of the royal Gandhi/Nehru family and enter the 21 century as a strong democracy and a rising leader in the world. She will need a leader and I think Mr. Modi is proven and ready.
I am not going to speak to your reference to 9/11 as an inside job. But one thing…as much as I hate war, I did vote for George Bush for reelection for this very same argument. He kept the country safe after the horrible attack on 9/11!
I enjoyed quickly looking though your trip to the US. There are lots more wonderful places to see here. Do visit again!
Namaste. . . .
Oh one more question. . . . do you mind telling me whom you are supporting for PM? Do you want to continue with the dybasty? 40 of the 60 years of independence has been under their leadership. Do you want that to continue? Anne
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Hi Anne,
The fire and the attack on a train filled with Hindu pilgrims was wrong. I am not sure the word pilgrims is very appropriate though. The massacre of innocent Sikhs was wrong. The burning of missionaries in Odisha was wrong. The bloodshed during the partition was wrong. Mr. Modi and his government’s actions and inaction was also wrong.
About the Congress party and the dynasty, if their candidate is deserving it doesn’t matter to me if he/she is a part of any dynasty or not. If not it is unlikely that they would get my vote.
Sadly, in this election no matter which way I vote I am going to feel guilty.
There is also the option of voting of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). Maybe we should give them also a chance and see…..
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I really don’t want to debate on and on as I think neither of us will change our mind. Again, I thank you for even responding to me and caring what I think. I do wonder what you think are the reasons that Congress should be reelected? (What positive things they have done for India?) Do you mind telling me where you live…state or city in India?
Are you visiting family or friends in the US?
And I have very exciting news from Gujarat in the next few days and you know who! 😎
Namaste. . . .
And I am totally ignorant about the AAP party…..
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https://talesalongtheway.com/2013/07/07/in-a-garden/
You might like this post.
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Do suggest places to visit in the US as I am going to be here for a while 🙂
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Do you want suggestions in one area or all over the country? Where are you located? I am thinking New Jersey as I know that’s a large Indian community.
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https://talesalongtheway.com/2013/03/15/wagah/
There are more really good posts from March and April on the Sikhs, Rickshaw Drivers…things you might enjoy….not many followers then. . . .
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You got me wrong, I don’t think the Congress/NDA should be re-elected. They have not done anything worth talking about in their last term. What I meant was that if they field a promising candidate, he/she must be given a fair chance.
AAP is a party started by Arvind Kejriwal. You may have heard of Anna Hazare’s movement for the Jan Lokpal bill. Arvind Kejriwal was like his second in that movement. Anna was not in favour of forming a political party and is not a part of it.
I’m currently located in Delaware, but do suggest places from all over the country.
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I looked up all your references. Hard to argue for anti- corruption. If Mr. Modi is not for that bill, that doesn’t look good for him. I imagine this is directly or indirectly a response to the 2002 riots. I hope that the other riots across the country are included, too. I have heard that there has been little corruption in Gujarat. I have no way of knowing one way or the other. I am sure that Anna is very committed if he is going to have a fast to emphases it. Mr. Kejriwal looks very promising but I imagine at his young age, he is trying to learn and get experience. Trust me, Mr. Obama was elected with little or no experience. It is not a on the job training kind of position! Mrs. Bedi doesn’t want to be involved?
I will write again with some places I love in the good old US of A! But to start…..DuPont Botanical Gardens in Wilmington should be close, Amish Country in PA, and Cape May on the shore of New Jersey. Look them up! 😎
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If you like history:
Philadelphia
Washington , DC. -a very expensive city but all museums on the Mall are free
Ford’s Theater where Lincoln was shot
Room across the street where he died
Mt Vernon
Arlington Cemetery
Boston Massachusetts and surrounds
Virginia
Colonial Williamsburg
Monticello Jefferson’s home
The Lawn at University of Virginia
Charleston South Carolina
Savannah Georgia
Those are East Coast places, will send others. How long are you here? Are you driving or flying?
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