A person running for any political office faces the same problems. Politicians know that getting people to vote for them is the most important in the short-term and they will use whatever resources necessary in order to win the public opinion. The public receives nonstop reminders of what a certain candidate promotes and soon they would be able to recite each “promise” in their heads. Come on, we all get tired of hearing those monotonous advertisements. Of course, campaigning is not limited to the candidate and his committee; a candidate can easily get help from family and friends in order to spread the word.
Now, I’d like to know who in Senate candidate Paul William Deleon Guerrero Camacho’s campaign committee advised him that naming all the members of his extended family in a political advertisement would guarantee him votes in the upcoming November election?
He strategically put his full name on his full one-page ad in order to remind people that: yes, he is in fact a member of the “Deleon Guerrero” and “Camacho” family. He then immediately proceeds to name two generations of his family. After the fantastic display of names, he then remembers the reason he was running in the first place. These words were centered at the bottom of the page: the last place the people of the CNMI will ever look — well, after having been tired out from that long, dragging, list of names.
It has been said that the greatest source of presidential power is not to be found in the Constitution, but in politics and public opinion. The same thing is true for all political positions, the reason political officials get elected is based on the perception of the people.
Now vying for the position of senator, Mr. Camacho has an opportunity — not a privilege — to represent the people in the Senate. He should keep in mind that though clever as he thought his newspaper ad was, there are a number of people who feel this was an ineffective interpretation of his intentions for representing the CNMI. He conveyed the wrong message in including familial connections, which now communicates to the people that if elected, not only will the CNMI have Paul William Deleon Guerrero Camacho as a senator, but we will have two generations of his family as senators as well. Having only one group of people to represent the CNMI is the equivalent of having one village decide for an entire island — it will not work.
I, personally, would like to know exactly how Mr. Camacho will improve health care and retirement in the CNMI. He might actually have some good issues to address, but no one will ever know unless he elaborates on his plans. This is pure Saipan politics, and I don’t think Mr. Camacho needs a Politics 101 class to know that family is his strongest offense.
THERESE DIMAPILIS
MHS Student
