Quote of the day
From TIME magazine, 23rd October 2006:
Boldness needs to be planned, not blurted–and there are all sorts of questions to ponder before he takes the next step. Would the arrogance implicit in running now, after less than one term in the Senate, undercut his carefully built reputation for judiciousness? Is the Chicago politician right about the need to be strong and simple in a run for President? Or can Obama overturn all the standard political assumptions simply by being himself? “In setting your expectations for me now, just remember I haven’t announced that I’m running in 2008,” he concluded. “I would expect that anyone who’s running in 2008, you should have very high expectations for them.” (read the full article HERE)
Witanagemot Blogs
Absolutely overjoyed that McCain/Palin lost. I don’t expect much more than mild Clintonism from Obama, but at least we’ve woken up from the Republican nightmare.
I had been expecting to exult at the wingnuts in this country being really upset, but I’m not. I must be feeling all conciliatory, either that or it’s too ealy in the morning & it hasn’t sunk in that this Lysenkoism is done for.
Amazing result but there was only 2.5% or so in between the candidates in terms of the popular vote so there’s not really been a revolution in opinion in the US.
My belief is that Obama will be Blairesque; elected from the left, governing from the right and this will go down well in the US, provided they can overcome their innate anti-intellectualism, but its going to disappoint a lot of the Moonbats on the Left in Europe.
Unlike Asquith I am keenly looking forwards to seeing people like Melanie Phillips implode in their own outrage. In her mind, the Americans have just elected someone she feels happy to compare to Hitler!
I wonder what they will do when this socialist disaster doesn’t materialise?
Presumably they’ll just go their merry way without even the vaguest hint of shame
You talk about left-wing disenchantment, but I don’t recall there being much in the 1990s. People more or less realise that America won’t go far-left, nor do they really want it to.
Wonderful wonderful result.
I just want to know why we don’t have any politicians as inspirational as Obama in this country. Somebody to overcome the apathy of young adults like he has.
I think it’s a shame when most people in this country know more about politics on the other side of the pond than they do about our own country.
“…its going to disappoint a lot of the Moonbats on the Left in Europe.”
And back in the US.
If Shaun’s scenario materialises, will they turn on their ‘messiah’, as people governed by emotion do tend to?
“I just want to know why we don’t have any politicians as inspirational as Obama in this country. Somebody to overcome the apathy of young adults like he has.”
We did, Stu. We had Tony Blair. Remember ‘Things can only get better’..?
Remember how it turned out?
“If Shaun’s scenario materialises, will they turn on their ‘messiah’, as people governed by emotion do tend to?”
JuliaM // November 5, 2008 at 8:56 am
I couldn’t begin to say – while I make glib Blair comparisons and so on, we are clearly in quite unprecedented times. First black President, first President ever elected having spoken warmly (if vaguely) of redistribution, an epoch-making financial crisis, bank nationalisations in traditionally centre-right economies… anything could happen!
I think Obama will be much more centre-ground than his Democrat roots might suggest, a la Blair. Having said that, Labour didn’t turn on Blair for ten years because he kept getting them elected so I see no reason why Obama couldn’t pull off the same cover story for eight years if he wanted to.
JuliaM I accept your concerns, but I don’t think the Blair comparison is valid. Blair was more like Clinton – an interesting fusion of ideas and some fancy packaging, but essentially no different from what had come before (a privately educated, well-spoken, all-round nice chap)
Obama represents a significant break, in background, in upbringing, in history, in personal connections – yes, in race too – from the previous Presidents (think Bushes, Clintons, Kennedys). He doesn’t just have different ideas, he’s an utterly different person from those who have held office before.
Whether you feel that will turn out to be a good thing or not is dependant on whether you’d rather think optimistically or cynically, I suppose.
“Whether you feel that will turn out to be a good thing or not is dependant on whether you’d rather think optimistically or cynically, I suppose.”
Well that’s me stuffed, then. How many elected politicians haven’t disappointed bitterly when put into office?
Cynicism is hard to avoid, given our experience of New Labour. The Major government was disliked by many, but at least people still felt that politics was important.
Labour have destroyed any belief that we once had in our political system and we need Cameron to inspire the country if we are to drag ourselves out of this doldrum. Maybe he should have a chat with Obama?
“…dependant on whether you’d rather think optimistically or cynically, I suppose.”
Or whether you’d rather think idealistically or realistically, natch…
At least there were two credible candidates on offer. We wouldn’t be all that upset if McCain had won, but I’m glad he didn’t.
There’s nothing “realistic” about a relentless barrage of negativity.
“There’s nothing “realistic” about a relentless barrage of negativity.”
Ah the Hazel Blears argument, shortly to be used to attempt to muzzle independent bloggers. Sometimes, the actions of a government, a party or an individual can be so consistently shoddy as to merit criticism which only becomes a barrage due to the ongoing volume of screwups.
This happened to Major (think Sleaze) and Blair (think Sleaze, from Eccleston via Mittal to Levy, the escapades of David Blunket or Keith Vaz, Mandleson, Mrs Blair and flats, Carole Caplin and her pet fraudster and so on…). While obviously partisan supporters of such cliques, such as Blears, portray this as ‘a relentless barrage of negativity’, its actually simply a consequence of the political discourse not going their way and the very statement represents a desire to stifle debate and neuter criticism. For shame!
I’d rather take a chance and be disappointed than suffer eternal mediocrity for fear of suffering a different mediocrity.
And, having taken that chance and been disappointed, I’d rather take another chance and be disappointed again than continue to suffer never-ending mediocrity for fear of real change.
But maybe that’s just me.
Stu, the grass is always greener. A lot of swing voters think in precisely the same way.
I stick to my principles and would be loathed to vote for a Conservative Party that doesn’t adhere to them, but the next election will be about getting elected rather than telling the country what they really think. Lots of voters will be attracted by change Obama-style in 2010, even if they don’t believe in the policies behind it.
I was so pleased this morning to realise that my nagging doubt of the American voters didn’t come to fruition. Congratulations Mr. Obama, a well deserved victory – and one in which you must thank Sarah Palin for her help in destroying any hope of McCain winning.
I do have a small point to make. All this chatter of race and Obama isn’t the first black president at all. I believe that he is 50% black and 50% white. So to say he is the first black president is also saying that anyone NOT completely white must be another race!! Is this not just inherent racism? What we can say is that he is the first non-white president but as for a black president, we may have to wait a little longer.
???
Wasn’t it the apartheid regime in South Africa that was obsessed with how much ‘coloured blood’ a person had, and accordingly had a whole system of classification for their people?
Guess it hasn’t completely gone away…
You haven’t quite understood my point JuliaM. I’m not advocating a dulux scale of colour!! I’m merely suggesting that colour should not matter – it is who the person is and what they stand for. The world has seen its fair share of terrible and great rulers from every nationality, religion, race etc etc. So we shouldn’t focus on Obama as the first black president but as the 44th President of the US. We’ll see how he copes with the mammoth task of turning over all the terrible foreign policy that he will inherit from Bush. Lets face it – even if he tried, he couldn’t be worse than the 43rd president of the US.
“I’m not advocating a dulux scale of colour!! I’m merely suggesting that colour should not matter – it is who the person is and what they stand for.”
Glad to hear it!
In a nutshell its that sort of ‘identity politics’ that annoys me most about the American political landscape. The idea that you should vote for me as I’m a woman/black/old white dude and you’re a woman/black/old white dude so in the crudest sense I ‘represent’ you and so you should vote for me is the shoddiest form of political shorthand I’ve seen. And yet it runs through US politics – look at Hillary/Palin as transparent appeals for women voters. At least in the UK Harriet Harman was villified for trotting out that trite line (‘lets see some female representation, mkay! Oh, I’m female, I mean vote for me)…