Photo: Obama's journey to White
House
U.S. Republican vice-presidential
candidate Alaska Governor Sarah Palin campaigns in Washington,
Pennsylvania August 30, 2008. (Chinese media/Reuters Photo)
Photo
Gallery
WASHINGTON, Sept. 3 (Chinese media) -- When Alaska governor
Sarah Palin took center stage on the third night of the ongoing Republican
National Convention in St Paul, Minnesota, Wednesday, she came under the full
glare of world media's spotlights.
A major reason for that is the historic implication
that the 44-year-old politician will become the first woman vice president in
U.S. history, if the Republicans win the general election in November.
In the eyes of her supporters, an "American Dream" is
in the making.
Palin is also the first woman on a Republican
presidential ticket, and the second woman to take a major U.S. party's vice
presidential nomination.
In 1984, Democratic presidential nominee Walter
Mondale chose Congresswoman Geraldine Ferraro as his vice president nominee.
Last week, another "American Dream" was fulfilled
when Barrack Obama, senator of Illinois who was born to a black father from
Kenya and a white mother from Kansas, became the first black man to clinch the
presidential nomination of a major U.S. political party.
In other words, no matter which party wins the
general election, America will either have its first black president or first
female vice president.
Many people in the United States hailed the historic
implications of Palin's and Obama's candidacies.
Ferraro said the nomination of Palin could make a
difference in the campaign.
"There are a lot of women who are disaffected by how
Hillary Rodham Clinton was treated" during her run in the Democratic primaries,
Ferraro told Fox News.
She said the choice of Palin is historic.
"I've spent a lot of time over the last 24 years
saying, 'Gosh, I wish I weren't the only one (woman) on a major party's
presidential ticket, " said Ferraro.
The historic symbolism was also evident when Obama
accepted the Democratic nomination on Aug. 28, the 45th anniversary of the late
civil rights icon Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech outlining the
Nobel Peace Prize winner's aspirations for black people.
In comparison, even a half-century ago, most Southern
blacks weren't registered to vote because of barriers erected by white racists.
However, although the political rise of Palin and
Obama did show the improvement of gender and racial equality in the United
States, the "American Dream" is still elusive for many Americans, analysts said.
Although different people will have a different
answer for what constitutes the "American Dream," the basic meaning is that
America is a land of "opportunities," where anyone can eventually rise to the
top by working hard, no matter his background, sex, or skin color.
Both major U.S. political parties may have a lot of examples of that.
US Democratic presidential nominee
Barack Obama waves to the crowd following a Labor Day speech at a campaign
stop at the Marcus Ampitheather in Milwaukee, Wisconsin September 1,
2008.(Chinese media/Reuters Photo)
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For Democrats, the story of Obama is a vivid reminder
of how much a black person can achieve.
Former U.S. president Bill Clinton also rose from a
humble beginning.
On the Republican side, they may tell the stories of
Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice.
Now Palin, a daughter of school teachers and a common
"hockey mom," also made it to the top.
However, these examples of successful "American
dreams" seem to be no commonality.
The Pew Charitable Trust's Economic Mobility Project
concluded in a recent report that only 6 percent of children born into the
bottom socioeconomic quintile in the United States move to the very top
quintile.
The conclusion was made by comparing the income of
parents in the late 1960s with the income of their offspring in the late 1990s
and early 2000s.
In this respect, America lags behind many other
Western nations, including Canada, France, Germany and most Scandinavian
countries.
In terms of racial or gender equality, the situation
is not getting better.
Another report found the income gap between black and
white families has grown over the past 30 years.
In 2004, a typical black family had an income that
was only 58 percent of a typical white family.
Back in 1974, median black incomes were 63 percent of
those of whites.
Since the founding of the United States, no woman has
become vice president or president.
In terms of the percentage of women in all
politicians, the country's 16.8 percent is even lagging behind Afghanistan's
27.7 percent and many other developing nations.
For Palin and Obama, the "American Dream" is within
reach, but for many, it is still not.
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