Bill Clinton Muddy George Weah 2017 Presidential Dream

Eight years ago, former U.S. President Bill Clinton, in a July 2008 conversation interview with Jane Wales, Vice President of the Aspen Institute, had some unfavorable things to say about football legend George Weah who had just lost a controversial presidential election to the Clintons’ favorite, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf. President Clinton, who made a stop in Liberia Monday to inspect his foundation’s work in the post-war, Ebola-hit nation, stayed clear of the Liberian political discourse but his comments eight years ago is resurrecting debate in the wake of Clinton’s wife and former Secretary of State Hilary Rodham Clinton’s 2016 presidential quest.

Those concerns are fueled by President Clinton’s ’08 interview comments when he said of the Sirleaf victory over Weah: “Ellen Johnson Sirleaf was opposed in the election after a distinguished career at the World Bank, after haven been a political prisoner she was opposed in the election by the country only bonafide sort of cultural figure, a soccer start who was movie star, handsome and everybody love to watch him kick the ball and he was backed by all the wrong people and like we say at home, she beat him like a yard dog in the election and the voters guided and knew exactly what was going on and they did not bark.”

Callers to the Henry Costa Morning Show Tuesday were divided on the comments from President Clinton, but some agree with the former President that Weah may need to improve the caliber of people in his circle if he is to make a difference in 2017. Professor Wilson Tarpeh, an economist and former banking executive is one of a growing number of influential forces coming to Weah’s corner as the party and the candidate, look to address some of the lapses standing between him and the coveted presidency.

Professor Tarpeh told FrontPageAfrica Tuesday that he believes that the comment from the former U.S. President is rather unfortunate. “It is unfortunate that President Clinton would use that kind of language. To describe someone who rose to the top of the world in football in that manner is very unfortunate. We can say that Ambassador Weah will continue to lead the masses. If someone can beat you 28-19(referring to Weah’s margin of victory in the first round of the 2005 presidential elections) as a yard dog beating; it is unfortunate.”

In those elections, Weah obtained a plurality of votes in the first round of the October 11, 2005 elections with 28.3% of the vote, which qualified him to compete in a run-off election against Sirleaf, the second placed candidate. Weah went on to lose the run-off to Sirleaf, who garnered 40.6% to 59.4% for Sirleaf.

In an election characterized by the African Union and the rest of the international community as “peaceful, transparent and fair,” Weah and his supporters protested but later accepted the results. Weah immediately after his ’05 elections loss sought to improve on the major handicap that dogged him in ’05, his lack of a college degree and education credentials, some say made the difference between him and Sirleaf when voters made the choice in the run-off. In his defense Weah sniped: "With all their education and experience, they have governed this nation for hundreds of years. They have never done anything for the nation."

The education issue had become somewhat of an embarrassment for Weah who initially claimed to have a BA degree in Sports Management from Parkwood University in London, later to be discovered to be an unaccredited diploma mill which awards certificates without requiring study. Weah has since attained an undergraduate degree and Masters in Business Administration at Devry University in Miami.Armed with an education, Weah flipped the tables in 2011, deciding under pressure to run as a vice presidential candidate to Ambassador Winston Tubman. Tubman, who ran on the ticket of late Samuel Doe’s National Democratic Party of Liberia in the 2005 presidential elections, placing fourth with 9.2% of the vote, lost the second round to Sirleaf in the 2011 presidential race.

In what many say was a prelude to his 2017 quest, Weah contested and won the 2014 senatorial elections, overwhelmingly by defeating Robert Sirleaf, the son of President Sirleaf. Weah won a landslide victory, receiving 99,226 votes, which represented 78.0% of the total votes from the 141 polling centers, while Sirleaf, his closest rival received 13,692 votes, which is nearly 11% in the election marred only by a low turnout.

The senatorial elections victory is seen by many as a litmus test for Weah’s 2017 prospects. A good showing in halls of the national legislature could make or break his political career; a bad showing could bolster the perceptions of Clinton and others that Weah is still challenged by the lapses eluding his presidential quest. But many of Weah’s supporters agree that his election to the Senate is a great improvement on his political credentials from 2005.

For Professor Tarpeh, it all comes down to whether Liberians are better off now than they were in 2005. “To categorize a man who has made it from the strength of his boots in such a manner is unfortunate but what is important now are results. Where are we now? Are we better off now? Granted, Senator Weah may not have gone to an Ivy League school, but it is about results and his passion for his people.”

In that 2008 interview, former President Clinton suggested that voted to take a different direction by choosing Sirleaf over Weah. “I was there a year or so ago, because we do aid work there and we are trying to build their health systems and she asked me, Ellen asked me to meet with college students and in Monrovia, the Capital at night, even than only about 20 0r maximum 25% of the buildings had any electricity at night I know these young people I met have a hard time watching their clothes and ironing them and things that we take for granted at home, these kinds were dressed, they were incredibly dressed, well informed. Even though, did not have newspapers, but one guy writes the headline on a balk board on a chalkboard with a chalk.”

Many of Sirleaf’s critics and Weah’s supporters say that fact that much of the country is still in darkness suggest that the winner of the 2005 elections have performed below the expectations of her supporters like President Clinton. But Weah is not without his own supporters. Academy award winner Denzel Washington, presenting Weah with the 2004 ESPY’s award said of Weah: "George Weah is one of the greatest soccer players of our time, from a nation where chaos has been the rule and where children are born killers."

But many of Weah’s critics say his biggest obstacle to the presidency is translating his football success into the political arena. His supporters say, his election to the Senate is a step in that direction. While many have suggested in recent months that Weah may not contest the 2017 presidential elections, Nathaniel McGill, the CDC’s national chairman says there is a strong possibility Weah may consider another run for the presidency in 2017.

For now, McGill says, Weah is more focused on “improving his senatorial portfolio” and traveling around the country to meet and talk to Liberians about their needs. Aware of the perceived inexperienced factor dogging Weah, McGill told the VOA’s Daybreak Africa recently that the CDC has matured dramatically since the last two elections and has come to realize that no one party can win an election. As such, he said the CDC has been reaching out to other political parties and Liberians of all backgrounds. It is a formula many say could be a means to an end for the Liberian opposition thirsty for power. But one which could come down to how much each of the traditional political players are willing to make sacrifices to attain state power.

For Professor Tarpeh, the question is simple: “Are we better off now? It is unfortunate, what we concerned about now is the result. Even at that, does President Clinton’s view represent the views of his wife? What is important is the result. Who are the wrong people surrounding Weah? My presence in the party and many others to follow point to a radicalization that Weah and the CDC is turning the corner and making changes and alterations. What is important is that we look ahead. If someone believes it is the same Weah that ran in 2005 is the one in 2017, they better think again.”