Wildcard Hung Takes Gamble on Taiwan Presidency for Ailing KMT

choi

AFP, July 12, 2015.
https://au.news.yahoo.com/world/ ... ncy-for-ailing-kmt/

Quote:

"her nomination for the leadership is still expected to be endorsed by the KMT as the party's traditional big hitters opt to stay on the sidelines of what is expected to be an electoral defeat.

Jonathan Sullivan, associate professor at the University of Nottingham's China Policy Institute: "Her nomination has many KMT politicians worried, either because they dislike her political views or view her as an impending disaster."

" 'Tsai [Ing-wen] is not going to rock the boat," says [Jean-Pierre] Cabestan[, professor of political science at Hong Kong's Baptist University].  'And in a way that has forced Hung and the KMT to become more rightist than they would have liked. The centrist position is already occupied by Tsai, so how do you differentiate yourself?'

" 'Her clear-cut and direct speaking style was credited in the beginning, but then she made some verbal mistakes on mainland policy,' said George Tsai 蔡逸儒 of Taipei's Chinese Culture University.  'She might have to become prudent while speaking on such sensitive issues, but then she may lose what originally attracted voters. This is her catch-22 situation.'

Note:
(a) wild card (n)
(i) definition
(A) "a person or thing whose influence is unpredictable or whose qualities are uncertain"
www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/de ... ild-card?q=wildcard
(B) “an unknown or unpredictable factor"
www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wildcard
(ii) etymology
“1950 in figurative sense, from literal use in certain forms of poker (1941), from wild (adj.) + card (n.). The phrase was used occasionally c. 1900 in British and Irish writing to mean ‘drinking, free-spirited man.’ "

(b)
(i) Regarding the title “Wildcard Hung Takes Gamble on Taiwan Presidency for Ailing KMT."  It being a title (with limited space), the "a" is dropped, which should otherwise be in between "takes" and "gamble."

gamble (n, v) definition
(i) “1: (vi) gamble (at/on) something <to gamble at cards>  <to gamble on horses>
2: (vt) gamble something (on something) <He's gambling his reputation on this deal>
3: (n) <She knew she was taking a gamble but decided it was worth it>”
www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/learner/gamble
(ii) examples as a noun:
"• He was taking a (big) gamble. [=doing something that could produce a (very) bad or unpleasant result]
• Many people are willing to take a gamble on the new treatment. [=to try the new treatment]"
Merriam-Webster Learner's Dictionary
http://www.learnersdictionary.com/definition/gamble