Will the Season a Presidential Candidate is Born Influence the Outcome of the 2008 Presidential Election? (Part 2 of 2)
Both Native American tradition and hundreds of scientific studies show that the season in which you are born has a profound influence on our lives. Will these influences have any effect on the 2008 Presidential race?*
Why Romney and Giuliani lost to McCain and Huckabee
In Part 1 of this article, we looked the relationship between season of birth and the outcome of
American Presidential elections. There were a number of surprising findings. According to Native American Tradition, those born in the spring are builders of communities, they have a strong relationship to their higher purpose in life, and their spiritual beliefs are important to them. Both Mitt Romney and Rudy Giuliani are spring births.
What's interesting to note about each of these men is the different roles that they have played in their respective communities. Romney successfully worked with the world community to clean up the mess with the U.S. Olympics. He led
the effort to create universal health care in Massachusetts. He is a deacon in his church.
Giuliani was instrumental in leading New York City through the terrible days following 9/11. His programs reduced crime throughout the City and improved the quality of numerous neighborhoods. Each of these achievements coincides with what Native Americans believe to be the best about the spiritual or community part of the Wheel.
The challenge is that in the last 108 years, Americans have only elected one President who was born in the spring, John F. Kennedy. Americans today prefer 
their Presidents to have feeling—that’s why we have elected so many Presidents who are born in the summer, the “feeling” part of the year.
The Triumph of Hope and Feeling
Prior to Romney, Giuliani, and Thompson dropping out of the campaign, Republicans couldn’t seem to get behind a single candidate. The reason? Huckabee, McCain, Paul, and Thompson are all born in August. So were Bill Clinton and Barack Obama. Since 1988, all of our Presidents
have been born in the summer. It seems highly probable that 2008 will repeat the same pattern. This will be a foregone conclusion if Obama wins the Democratic nomination. Hillary, who was born in October (fall), is the only remaining candidate who is not a summer birth.
Those born in the summer have nervous systems that are able cope with stress and adrenaline more effectively than those born at other times of the year can. This may explain part of McCain’s ability to survive torture in Viet Nam. It may also explain why he has a reputation as a hothead. In fact, bad tempers are common to those who are born in the summer. Bill Clinton’s temper has been on display as have Huckabee’s and Obama’s as well.
The positive side of those born in the summer is their ability to inspire others emotionally. Numerous research studies show how important hope and optimism is in keeping us healthy. Furthermore, Americans as a group, tend to be optimistic. Ronald Reagan played well to this in his Presidential bid. Bill Clinton billed himself as “The Man from Hope.” Huckabee and Obama have had success with a similar approach. Furthermore, when Huckabee was asked why he refused to drop out of contention, his response was “My passion keeps me in the race.” Emotions are what America wants and Americans love an underdog. This also helps to explain why Ron Paul’s supporters are so loyal and passionate about his candidacy.
Hillary's Uphill Battle
Hillary’s initial campaign played upon her experience and her ideas. This is exactly right for her. Native
Americans believe that strength results when you move with the energies of the seasons in sequence. In Hillary’s case, her starting place is in the fall or the physical. The correct “sequence” for her would be winter, mental; spring, belief; and summer, feeling.
The challenge for Hillary is that she is now being forced to play in the realm of feeling. In fact, many believe that Hillary’s emotional tears help her to win the New Hampshire primary. For Hillary to go to her “feelings” is akin to going backwards from fall to summer. It’s not what is natural for her. As a result, many people felt that her tears weren’t real.
Obama's and Huckabee's Challenge
Obama and Huckabee have created an interesting challenge for themselves if you consider the model of moving forward following the seasons. Huckabee has made his religious/spiritual beliefs the cornerstone of his campaign. This is akin to moving from the summer to the spring. It’s backwards. Huckabee has done better when he focused on his achievements as governor (experience—moving from summer/emotion to fall/ physical accomplishment.)
Obama has been likened to JFK. He possesses the emotional power to excite audiences and to make them feel hope and optimism. He paints the picture of a better world community, one where we share the wealth and everyone has access to health care. The challenge he faces, however, is that he lacks Hillary’s and McCain’s experience. For a person born in the summer, the physical experience or what he has accomplished in the past (what he knows) is the next logical step to creating desired outcomes. Focusing exclusively on feelings and beliefs ignores the wisdom that comes from experience as well as the logic necessary to implement the changes that he wants to make.
McCain's Secret Advantage
For John McCain to go from his feelings to his experience is the same as moving from summer to fall. It’s a natural progression according to Native American tradition. So far, this combination has lead McCain to be the likely nominee. The question is will it lead to the Presidency?
When You Play with Fire, You Will Probably Get Burned
America is in an era where emotions seem to be more important than logic. Democrats have been rightfully concerned about a major battle on the convention floor for their nomination. This fight could be brutal. Unlike the Republicans who have their convention in September (the fall or “harvest” time of year), the Democrats are holding their convention in August, the height of the emotional time of year according to Native Tradition. People who are passionate now will be even more so in August. The challenge is that when people become highly emotional and they don’t get their way, it’s easy for them to act out of spite. This means a huge block of voters may vote for McCain to retaliate for their candidate not getting the nomination.
Bottom line—no matter what happens we’ll have a South or summer born President living in the White House. The question is whether it will be Barack Obama, John McCain, or First Husband Bill Clinton.
*See Part 1 for an explanation of each of the seasons and their meaning.
Posted by Bernice Ross
Bernice Ross, Ph.D. is the author of Going Where, Ancient Wisdom for People Today, a ground-breaking work that marries scientific research with ancient Native American traditions to guide readers to creating happier and more fulfilling lives.
Comments