Sure, it's cool to heckle other countries at a United Nations summit that your president would smash others in a freestyle rap battle, but hot lyrics don't necessarily bring about prosperity for a poverty-stricken nation.
So it is with a bit of skepticism that Haitians living in Miami have embraced the news that Wyclef Jean's bid to be Haiti's next leader is imminent.
"Anyone has the right to run for a presidency but the people will evaluate them," warned Jacques Despinosse, president of the Haitian American Leadership Coalition and a local political wise man. "They need to calculate carefully because it's not easy being president."
As far as popularity goes, Jean would be the winner in a landslide in his home country. His presence and stature has been amplified among his countrymen since the January earthquake that rocked Port-au-Prince.
By organizing celebrity benefits and collecting donations and cash for those suffering in Haiti, Wyclef has been hailed as a hero and savior to his people.
But even his good deeds have come with a bit f controversy, a fact that won't easily be lived down in a hotly contested presidential race. Elections will be held Nov. 28.
Wyclef's Miami charity troubles will quickly rise to the forefront and a recent report that he owes his new home, America, thousands in unpaid taxes could become a major factor during the campaign.
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Money management - or more appropriately mismanagement - is kind of a big deal in Haiti and with most leaders eventually accused of corruption, Wyclef's accounting practices would make him an ideal target for allegations.
But anything is better than what Haiti has endured in the past, some Miami Haitians said Wednesday.
“He doesn’t have too much experience," Little Haiti resident Derv Polydor said, "but he will be better than the leaders they’ve had in the past who just took the money and ran."
