...and the KMT marches on

The KMT is having a competition to select a mascot for the party. The number one choice of netizens is this chicken.... (Hong Kong Free Press)

“Since the KMT mascot design competition stresses on freshness and energy, I picked a chicken as the design which symbolises youthful spirit,” the description for the proposed mascot said. “But I wanted to make him funnier and younger, so I decided to make it a person wearing a chicken costume, running with full spirit, to symbolise KMT leading Taiwan forward.”

Alas, the netizens count only 20% in the choice. But the desire to pick a mascot reflects the need of the KMT to appear youthful. It also reflects a cultural preference: just as in the US power is masked by politeness (Please exit to the left, Thank you for not littering), in Taiwan it is masked by cute. 

Up in Taipei KMT Mayoral candidate Ting Shou-chung decided this week that beating Ko wasn't difficult enough already, and decided to handicap himself with some silly remarks...

"因為我們與中國同文、同種、同血緣」，同時指出兩岸本來就是一家人，台灣若要與中國大陸雙方對抗根本沒有道理可言."

Essentially: since Taiwanese and Chinese have the same culture, race, and blood, and the people on both sides of the Strait are one family, Taiwanese fighting Chinese is irrational. He also said that if he were elected, he would not permit the sons and daughters of Taiwan to fight China for Taiwan independence.

Ting's bog-standard mainlander thinking shows exactly why Ma Ying-jeou got elected and why Ting probably won't. When Ma ran for office he gritted his teeth and said he was Taiwanese during the run up to each election. Though Ma stuck with the standard mainlander line that Taiwanese were Chinese, he conceded that they were a recognizable subculture. Ma attempted to find a space between the demands of the Church of the Mainlander Identity and the urgent need to get elected.

But Ting, mainlander to the core, insists on regurgitating the whole catechism. If any Deep Green DPPers were still giving him protest votes because they dislike Ko, they will probably reconsider. Ting more or less announced that he was of a different culture than most of the voters.

Smart move.

As I have noted, the KMT has once again filled the campaign slots with machine politicians and mainlanders. Mainlanders are running for the mayors of Taichung, Taipei, and Taoyuan, and mainlander elites are still running the party. The Taiwanization of the KMT still hasn't happened...

It's still your daddy's KMT...
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Daily Links:

•  Civtech site collects all the donation to and spending of candidates in Taiwan.
• Premier Lai attempts to inject some rationality into the Olympics name debate
• Dengue cases again reported in Taipei
• Kharis Templeman: Political reform under Tsai: disappointing. It's a good but narrow piece, doesn't mention such things as pension reform or the reform of Taipower. 
• Chinese provocations in the Strait need a US response.

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