DPP and Ko Wen-je: Backdoor Listing Game

DPP and Ko Wen-je: Backdoor Listing Game
United Daily News editorial (Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China)
A Translation
February 20, 2014

Summary: Ko Wen-je's fast-talking routine has set a trend. It has made politics entertaining. The DPP has long prided itself as a pool of sharks. Yet the whole lot of them are no match for a dark horse such as Ko Wen-je. They have conceded him anything and everything. Is this perverse spectacle a reflection of DPP weakness, or Ko Wen-je's boundless ambition? Is it a reflection of Taipei voters' "Town without Pity" predilections? Will the DPP and Ko Wen-je's backdoor listing tactics work their magic? That will depend on the wisdom of Taipei City voters.

Full text below:

Today, the DPP begins its nomination process. Ko Wen-je says he has been "biting his tongue." He is unwilling to relent and join the DPP. Put bluntly, this is a game of mutual "backdoor listing." It is merely that the two parties have yet to add up their own profit and loss columns.

What do we mean by "backdoor listing?" The DPP is placing its bets on Ko Wen-je's popularity. It hopes to bring the long-besieged capital city under Green Camp control. Ko Wen-je  hopes to exploit the DPP's organizational structure, financial resources, and grassroots support. He hopes to turn this near term advantage into votes, and himself into the head of the municipal government .

In other words, the DPP is betting that Ko Wen-je  is electable. Ko Wen-je meanwhile, needs DPP money and manpower to carry him into City Hall. This should have been a done deal. Each side should have gotten what it wanted. Yet it has run into a major obstacle. Ko Wen-je needs DPP support, but is unwilling to carry the DPP colors. He wants to carry his own personal banner into battle. As a result, aspiring DPP candidates feel as if they are being trampled underfoot. DPP leadership feel they are being humiliated. This is why the two sides' "backdoor listing" agreement has yet to be concluded.

The DPP is eager for victory. Ko Wen-je is reluctant to forsake this opportunity. Ko Wen-je knows of course what the DPP is thinking. He has held out for over two months, refusing to give an inch. He as even boasted on many occasions that "joining the party would make me unelectable." He insisted he must retain his non-partisan status, only then will he be able to seek the critical five percent that could swing the election. His implication is that joining the DPP would not be a benefit, but rather a burden. Ko overestimates himself. He also insults the DPP. Ko Wen-je has gotten carried away. This will make cooperation between the two parties even more difficult.

Let us take a closer look. Ko Wen-je has a chance to become Mayor of Taipei. He insists that joining the DPP could limit his chances. In fact, the limitations may be his own. Ko Wen-je  currently enjoys considerable popularity. A major factor is his "ordinary Joe" political discourse, his atypical manner of speech, with its "enfant terrible" flavor. These make him appear fresher than the usual Blue or Green candidates. But this sort of freshness will inevitably grow stale as the campaign wears on. Voters will begin to plumb the depths of this candidate's character. When election day rolls around, will this political freshman still be fresh? That is the 64,000 dollar question.

For example, yesterday he joked about Shao Hsiao-ling's illness. He revealed a highly questionable sense of "humor." Ko is a surgeon whose self-proclaimed mission is to save lives. Yet here he was casually making jokes about a patient's condition. In fact, he violated medical ethics. Ko Wen-je actually used the words "brains were scrambled" to describe a dying patient. Where was the good doctor's compassion? Ko said "Jason Hu laughed loudly." Perhaps he cannot understand the joy a husband felt when his wife was snatched from the jaws of death. But did he really need to use such language to mock a political opponent? Ko Wen-je revealed what went on an operating room. His only motive, apparently, what to give the audience a good laugh. Does such a person really have the wisdom, the ethics, and the compassion to be the mayor of a nation's capital? Such gaffes go way beyond the matter of good manners. What's worse, they are likely to happen again.

Ko Wen-je is essentially Deep Green in his political outlook. In recent months he has been canvassing the farm markets seeking Green camp support. This is true of this behind the scenes campaign advisers as well. Most of them are younger generation DPP and TSU leaders. Ko Wen-je is attempting to maintain an "ordinary Joe, political outsider" image. He refuses to join the DPP. He refuses to display the party colors. In fact, what he has done is don a political disguise. On the surface, he is an "ordinary Joe" without party or factional affiliation. But underneath this purported "tabula rasa," he remains a Deep Green DPP candidate. Alas, many people eat this up. They listen to his political spiel, and follow him around as they would a celebrity. But voters have yet to hear him seriously address a single public policy or municipal policy issue .

Blue vs. Green political divisions disgust the public. Ko Wen-je's fast-talking routine has set a trend. It has made politics entertaining. But one point is particularly fascinating. The DPP has long prided itself as a pool of sharks. Yet the whole lot of them are no match for a dark horse such as Ko Wen-je . They have conceded him anything and everything. They are even willing to sacrifce their party at his urging. Is this perverse spectacle a reflection of DPP weakness, or Ko Wen-je's boundless ambition? Is it a reflection of Taipei voters' "Town without Pity" predilections? Will the DPP and Ko Wen-je's backdoor listing tactics work their magic? That will depend on the wisdom of Taipei City voters.

民進黨與柯文哲的借殼上市大戲
【聯合報╱社論】
2014.02.20 03:48 am

民進黨內部的提名工作今天展開，而柯文哲則聲稱還在「憋氣」，不願鬆口加入民進黨。說穿了，這其實是一場彼此「借殼上市」的遊戲，只是雙方還沒計算好自己的損益底線罷了。

所謂「借殼上市」，在民進黨方面，是想借用柯文哲現有的高人氣押賭，或許能把久違的首都市長寶座撈回綠營手裡。在柯文哲方面，圖的則是民進黨組織、財力和基層的動員支持，才能確保他眼下的民調優勢化為一張張選票，把自己送進市政府。

換言之，民進黨看中的投資標的，是柯文哲的當選機率；而柯文哲需要的，則是民進黨傾黨出錢出力為他抬轎，衝出直抵市府的便道。這本來是個一拍即合、各取所需的買賣；但目前最大的障礙，是需要民進黨抬轎的柯文哲卻不願披掛民進黨的戰袍上陣，只想打著「柯Ｐ」的個人旗號出征；如此一來，不僅黨內表態參選的戰將覺得被踩在腳下，連民進黨都感到臉上無光。這也是雙方為如何「借殼」問題一直喬不攏的原因。

以民進黨急於「想贏」的欲望，一定不會放棄柯文哲這個「機會」；當然，柯文哲也是看準了民進黨這點心情，拗了兩個多月仍不願作出寸讓。不僅如此，柯文哲數度揚言「入了黨會選不上」，他必須保持「無黨」之身，才能爭取那關鍵的百分之五選票；言下之意，加入民進黨不是加持，而是包袱。這種說法，不僅高估了自己，也羞辱了民進黨；而柯文哲的得意忘形，恐將會使雙方的合作關係越來越不容易維持。

進一步看，柯文哲出線成為台北市長的機會，與其說可能因加入民進黨而受到限制，倒不如說最後的限制可能出在他自身的主觀條件。柯文哲目前的高人氣，當然極大的因素是來自所謂「素人政治」的魅力；比較不「八股」的談話，有時帶點「脫線」的趣味，都讓他比傳統藍綠政黨出身的人多了一些新鮮感。然而，這樣的新鮮感，無論如何會隨著選舉進入持久戰而變調走味，也會隨著選民對候選人檢驗程度的升高而露餡。一旦到了投票時刻，這位政治新鮮人還能保持多少「新鮮」感，就是很大的考驗。

以柯文哲日昨談到邵曉鈴病情時的輕佻為例，即暴露了他的「趣味」品質不高。一位自命以救人為職志的外科醫師，在公開場合隨便談論特定患者的病情，其實已違反了醫師的專業倫理；柯文哲竟用了「腦筋秀斗」這樣的詞句來形容一名垂危病人，醫生的仁心何在？而他在形容「胡志強竟笑得很開心」時，就算不能理解一個丈夫目睹從鬼門關前搶救回妻子性命的喜悅，需要用這種語言來譏嘲政治對手嗎？而柯文哲大爆手術室內情，似只為博取聽眾一笑；他的智慧、道德和同情心恐怕都無法勝任首都市長之職。這種事，已經不是厚不厚道的問題了，而且恐怕會一演再演。

再說，柯文哲的基本色彩偏屬「深綠」，近數月他的跑攤活動也以拜會綠色選民居多；包括他幕後的各路軍師，也以民進黨和台聯的中生代為主。在這種情況下，柯文哲卻為了保持「政治素人」的形象，而拒絕加入民進黨，拒絕披掛政黨徽誌；對選民而言，這其實已是一種政治辨識上的「偽裝」。從表面上看，這或許是位無黨無派的「素人」；實質上，在外表的「白牌」底下，裡頭卻藏著一個比民進黨還「綠」的人。最麻煩的是，不少民眾像追星般咀嚼他每場政治脫口秀的餘味，然而選民從來沒聽他嚴肅談論過任何公共政策或市政議題。

就台灣令人厭煩的藍綠政治而言，柯文哲的「快板說書」，確實創造了一股新的風潮，也增添了政治趣味和社會想像。其中最耐人尋味的一點是，長年在政治上翻雲覆雨的民進黨，如今整個團隊加起來竟然玩不過柯文哲這匹黑馬，任他予取予求，並甘願舉黨供他驅策。如此倒錯的景象，究竟是反映民進黨的外強中乾，或是柯文哲神力無邊，還是「無情城市」台北市選民的奇特癖好所致？民進黨和柯文哲的借殼戰術能否奏功，就看台北市民的眼光了。