Mayor Ko - political rockstar or China lackey?

A sincere & serious question. Taipei Mayor Ko’s approval ratings are sky high compared to almost all other politicians in Taiwan and based on current polls, it looks like he will win re-election this Nov despite having to split so called ‘Pan-Green’ votes with the DPP candidate. It looks like he may become the next President of Taiwan in 2 years. Just wondering, why all the adoration especially among younger voters for Taipei’s mayor? What has he done for the city in the last 3-4 years?

All he does is self promote. He is the ‘face of Taipei’, not the mayor of Taipei, in my opinion.

He is popular because he stars in YouTube videos and looks funny. He is a meme not a politician.

Most older Taiwanese I know think he is somewhat of a wolf in sheep’s clothing, but I don’t agree.

Gain where are you ?

Good question . He is certainly very popular amongst younger voters.
I’m not sure what he has done either.

Many of us live in new Taipei city which is arguably just as important but barely gets media attention.

How could he be President without strong party support behind him ? I don’t think he could get anything done.

Gain thinks nothing of him. So, no added value there.

“How could he be President without strong party support?”…Uhhhh… Trump…

2 Likes

Taiwan and the US are chalk and cheese.

And Trump was not an independent candidate !

He knows a thing or two about adaptation. If he really wants party support, he’ll get it. :2cents:

I doubt it . Let’s see how things pan out but both KMT and the DPP leaders always depend on factional power blocs to get things done.

Ko has support in Taipei but for the rest of Taiwan I doubt he could do much of anything !

1 Like

For the same reason that clown was elected in the US Mayor Ko could become president here. The electorate is tired of do-nothing presidents. The KMT is hated by many and Tsai has disappointed everybody except big business. I think people like Ko’s no bullshit approach.

2 Likes

you said “without strong party support”.
The Republican party did not give Trump “strong support” in any degree throughout the whole campaign.
Now, if you had said “any independent candidate…”

Like @the_bear said, everyone is sick of presidents/PMs who do nothing, as well as their party hacks. Ko’s style can reach beyond Taipei.

I just saw this, a Houston radio show host.
https://youtu.be/RiTq5GaEMvI

1 Like

he’s a doer, he actually works his team’s arse off.
北門is great again, lead water pipes are removed months before due date so that taipei ppl stop drinking contaminated water that makes them dumb or constantly ill-tempered. and he’s clearing up taipei city’s debt as well.

i guess all of the above are bad news for DPP.

5 Likes

Yep, he is a straight talking doer. I’m hoping he gets a landslide victory this year to give the rest of Taiwan politics a kick up the backside

and this is why both DPP and KMT are dumb.
Kicking out party members for supporting non-party people. OOOhhh, that’ll really keep the party members “in line”.
That doesn’t even happen in the political stupid world of the U.S. where lots of Repubs supported Billary in 2016.

3 Likes

Idiots. The older members of both parties are mostly pretty Stalinist in their thinking. The sooner they get 淘汰掉 the better.

Just wondering, what’s going on in bei-men (北門) these days? Haven’t been there in some time…

Dude, you got to get down there! That’s a key link in the new image of Taipei’s at-times neglected west side. To be sure, not all of the good things there—the handsome renovated historical buildings; the inspired archealogical displays in Beimen MRT Station; the long-awaited opening of the Taoyuan MRT line, with its Taipei terminus around the corner; the wonderful cafes such as Heritage—are Ko’s doing. But he’s overseen some of the most visible major visible in this area, which are unambiguously for the better. Go and have a look!

Guy

1 Like

Yep.
Ko taking down that overpass that brought traffic in from New Taipei City has made a very big improvement in the landscape quality. Opened up the whole area around Chung-Hwa Road and Chung-Hsiao W. Road. I’ve been meaning to go into that TRA museum (building) that is just north of the gate there that is now clearly visible and easy to get to.

1 Like

BEFORE
before
how did taipei ppl put up with this kind of monstrosity in their everyday life?

AFTER
after

8 Likes

OK, so it’s agreed, we’re all voting for Ko.

There’s just one flaw in this cunning plan. Can anyone spot what it is?

5 Likes

I guess this would be the idealistic situation.
But 狗會曉顧厝,豬來會曉食、袂曉做代誌.
The older generation of DPP actually made real, important contributions; but no way is 新潮流 winning the trust of Taiwanese ppl.