Vetting of presidential aspirants: What the NPP must ask

Several candidates are contesting to lead Ghana's biggest opposition party in 2016

The NPP, it appears, has put together a decent team for its presidential vetting.  There’s no question regarding their (vetting committee) competencies and ability to do a good job so here are a few quick reminders of what they should be asking on behalf of the people of Ghana:

How would you define the nation’s current problems:  This isn’t just about checking off boxes. Problems should be clearly identified but the committee should be interested in how they are defined. What are the underlying causes and how can the problem be succinctly framed. This is important if they’re to offer any effective solutions.

What solutions will you prescribe?: This sounds extremely basic but in light of all the politicking the simplest things can get lost in rubble. The party really needs to draw out from their opponents what their precise solutions to the country’s problems would be and then evaluate them on the strength of these answers.

What kind of campaign would you run: The committee needs to find out the kind of campaign candidates hope to run. It’s one thing wanting to be president and it’s another thing knowing exactly what strategy or having the competency to execute a good strategy to defeat an incumbent. The party needs to know this ahead of time and spare the nation from a regrettable contest. 

 Skeletons in the closet: No matter how qualified a any candidate is, there are always certain things that can doom a presidential candidate. Committee members need to dig deep and uproot these things now rather than later in order to avoid a doomed candidature.

What Hillary needs to do.

Hillary Clinton signs when she first run in 2008

 by Etse Sikanku

The popular refrain is that 2016 is too far off and that it’s too early to start talking about elections. For most political observers, pundits or consultants though, it’s pretty clear that the race for the next president is in full motion. The notion of a permanent campaign is no fib and while a full blown campaign can’t be waged until much later, the ground work is already being laid. Ever since Hillary launched her recent book tour the stakes have been particularly high with heightened media attention and unending inquisitions. Here are a few things Hillary needs to address if she’s going to run:

Humanize now: Any post-mortem on Clinton’s ’08 run would clearly point that her inability to be folksy hurt her quite a bit. It’s important to appear substantive, serious and solid on policy issues in any given election. This is even more important for female candidates if they’re to meet the barest threshold of appearing qualified. Fortunately for Clinton, these are things she’s been blessed with in abundance. This woman is the equivalent of the German machine but perhaps to a fault. In order to get past the ballot box, Mrs Clinton must take serious steps to connect with voters. She might be better at the hardware aspects of campaigning than the soft ware but she needs both to succeed. Keep a strong leg on policy but keep an equally strong eye on personality too. She should accept her privileged position in life and work assiduously on re-connecting with everyday people. Bill Clinton despite his great achievements had the natural ability to seamlessly endear himself to ordinary folks.  Hillary, I believe, has a thing or two to learn from him. 

Leave Bill alone: Hillary may need to learn from Bill but it doesn’t mean she should be like him or be tied to him. There’s a thin line here. In her attempt to distance herself from Obama, Hillary has recently made too many references to the Bill Clinton years. I can understand why she would do this since her husband had a pretty good record and remains one of the most popular American presidents. However there are many who have dim views of the Clinton era as well. For some reasons the name Clinton seems to evoke strong memories—good or bad—among voters and in order to win the center Clinton has to watch her romantic attachment to Bill’s legacy. Already Rubio has opened up an attack line on her as “the candidate of the 20^th century”. It’s a sharp and sticky line which could prove dangerous. 

Move to the center: Hillary is a great debater no doubt. She loves to slice and dice, calibrate, dissect, debate and arrive at a clean opinion on a given issue. This did her much good during the primary debates compared to Obama who often vacillated and pontificated.  In those days, Barack was usually accused of sounding preachy or professorial with his long windy statements. Not Clinton. She was sharp, she was direct and she was decisive. Sometimes this works against her because it prevents her from sounding centrist. Mrs Clinton is by no means an extremist but she doesn’t have to take a position on everything—at least not right now.