6 posts tagged “barack obama”

So how do I feel knowing now that Barack Obama is the new president of
the USA?  Well, excited of course. It says something particularly
important that Barack Hussein Obama, an African-American, married to an
African-American woman with African-American kids is going to be in the
White House. This election will confirm to a lot of people that the USA
is still an exciting leader of the world. It will change attitudes
around the world.

I hopefully also look forward to a competent and intelligent presidency.
I believe he is a uniter, and that should be good for the USA and the rest
of the world.

But ... I see that his margins were actually not that huge in many
states. His popular vote share is only 3-4% ahead of McCain. This was a
closely-contested election despite the appearance of a massive
landslide. He used his slight advantage across many states to accumulate
enough winner-takes-all electoral votes.

I am also reminded that he is part-Caucasian; this played an important
role in securing many white voters. He may have a strange name (for most
US citizens) but he has balanced it well with his autobiographical book
(which helped cement his image of "the typical American story") and his
Christian awakening (the US would not have elected a Muslim BHO).

I do not think he will change things radically foreign-policy-wise. The
US system ensures that the president is "contained" by Congress.

This election is a momentous one for US citizens primarily, not for the
rest of the world so much. It marks the USA's transition into a new era
where race is less of an issue than previously. It particularly marks a
very important transition for the status of Black people in the USA.

Barack Obama is an interesting, unflappable, intelligent guy; but he is
largely untested. He has promised a lot. God only knows how much he will
deliver. By the end of the campaign he was already breaking some of the
Change ideas he started off with (such as accepting private donations).
He has been assisted by a terrible outgoing president, bad economic
circumstances, and an opponent who never felt 'right' (and made a few
mistakes too).

Nevertheless, here is to a hope and a wish that he rises up to the
occasion and produces streams of good, sound decisions that not only
stand his country in good stead, but also the people of the world.

Earlier this evening, on Old Brompton Road - close to South Ken
station - in London, I noticed a big TV screen displaying a live news
channel. There were clips of Barack Obama striding on to a stage,
then of him giving a speech, then there was a series of pictures of
his grandmother and grandfather. The news item's caption was
"Decision Time USA". I had come to a complete halt and was watching
from across the road. I thought there was something new.

The TV screen hung on the wall inside the Foxton's Estate Agents
office that was across the road. I noticed I was standing next to a
bus stop, and that two young women were standing there. We had all
been focussing on the Obama clip. Obviously, the estate agents office
was closed, and we had no idea what the clip was saying. Then, I
noticed they were also looking at me; laden as I was with rucksack
and various other bags, I had stopped to watch the news clip.

The editors of the clip had picked only those shots that flattered
Obama; he looked dynamic and utterly presidential. One shot had him
framed between two US flags. It hit me: this man really does not fit
with the usual image of a US president. Had he been running for
president of Brazil or South Africa, there would have been no
surprise. And we would have seen very little of him on TV,
presidential as he may look.

The young women at the bus stop were probably white English folk. We
were all united in finding something eye-catching about Obama. We are
preparing ourselves to getting used to seeing him on television all
the time. Had he been running for the presidency of Brazil or South
Africa, I doubt they would have looked up. I doubt I would have
stopped dead in my tracks.

For me, an Obama win (looking very likely now, and a landslide too)
will be very interesting for one main thing: the campaign's
organisation. This is a man who was helped up by a hope-inspiring
speech, and who has been in the Senate for hardly four years, and look
where he is.

Look who he beat: Hillary Clinton. Look who he is leading
comfortably: McCain. Tainted as these personalities are (Hillary by
her husband's time, and McCain by his association with the Bush
administration), imperfect propositions as they were, they are two
formidable politicians who would have filled the president's seat
comfortably (McCain may still do?).

I remember talking to people in London about Obama a year ago, no one
was sure who he was. No one ever thought he'd win. I remember being
at a dinner party with a bunch of young bankers from New York, and
when I mentioned Obama's name, the New Yorkers laughed out loud. "In
America, to be in powerful positions, you have to be a man and you
have to be white. Okay?"

I do not know how he did it. But the word on the internet is that his
campaign has been one of the most organised in history. This David
Axelrod fellow seems to have been on the ball from day one.

This Washington Post article provides some clues on how Obama went
about cultivating friends, picking subjects to focus on since his first days
at the Senate. I am not sure if Obama wanted to be president as soon
as he joined the Senate, but it is clear that he planned for the option,
should he choose it.

When Obama won Iowa, on the back of his vision and personality, he
put the Clinton campaign in disarray. Given the doubts that the
commentators had about Hillary, they wrote her off: if an upstart
like Obama can dislodge her in Iowa so classily, how can she ever
win? She proved them wrong; she bounced back and fought hard. And she
would have won, had it not been for the foresight of the Obama
campaign.

They planned right from the start to have a presence in every state.
Hillary's people thought she'd have the nomination wrapped up early
on, and were lax about their organisation in the smaller, mid-race
states. Come mid-race, with both candidates tied, her campaign was
scrambling to have a presence in 12 states when the Obama people had
been there for months. Those states were crucial in handing Obama his
win over Clinton - she had, after all, won most of the big states.

Few people are aware that one of the reasons for Obama's handsome
surge in the polls is his campaign's spending on TV ads. He regularly
outspends McCain, sometimes with a huge margin. Obama is loaded,
and he burns through the cash super-fast.  Why shouldn't he, he is always
raising new money - see the recent Powell surge.

Howard Dean may have invented internet-based grassroots organisation
but Obama's campaign seems to have made all that look like ancient
history. They raise money at every opportunity. Hillary is
super-tightening the race? We need your support. Palin's just
appeared on the scene? Hey guys, time for your donations.  McCain
is running attack ads? Money please. Powell's just endorsed us?
Greenbacks, please. The campaign's default answer to any situation
is: "Dear supporter, here is how you can help: send us a check."

You cannot win with only money.  He stands for something, and put against
John McCain he is showing he is a better candidate.  His appearances on
Letterman and Leno about two years ago revealed a guy with a sense
of humour, intelligence, and a presidential look. It is now apparent he is also
a highly-focused candidate. I love the way he has matured over the past year;
he used to be a single-issue, Iraq-war guy with a unique name. Now he
speaks with ease on any number of topics and conducts himself with such
terrific judgment.

"Don’t feel defensive. Stay calm, cool and collected."- seems like his motto.

About an hour ago, shehab forwarded me a youtube vid. I watched it
and instantly was in a great mood.

As I write the McCain gets Barackrolled youtube vid is shooting
through the charts. When I first watched it about an hour ago, it had
4,000 hits. Now it has 61,000. Exponential growth, anyone?

It really hit the spot for us Barack supporters: McCain made a great
move selecting Palin and since then it's become more and more certain
it will be a tough, tough fight. For the first time, I could see McCain
pulling ahead. Now the youtube vid comes and like an aptly-timed joke,
discharges tension, relieves worries, restores confidence: "Yes,
sireee Bob, we have ourselves a winner. Obama can dance, thank God."

What I find most interesting is that in these crucial moments, when
we really needed a vid like that, it was a geezer in Australia (g'day
mate!) who put the clip together.

Is that not a great tribute to Obama? Does more need to be said?!

You know what would have been funny?

If Barack Obama had announced an African-American VP candidate.

Imagine if his 3am text message had announced Marvin F Glover as his
VP running-mate. People would say "Who?" (Exactly the same reaction
I had to Joe Biden.)  But his name would not really matter; all the New York
Times would do is put a picture of congressman Marvin Whatever
alongside the banner headline: "Obama commits suicide".

Imagine the scene at Obama HQ after he's gathered his aides to
announce his selection. His senior strategists would say: "What are
you doing!" And Obama would say: "He's the most competent
running-mate I could find." Silence.

Five minutes later David Axelrod and the rest of the HQ staff would
come in to see Obama: "Barack, we need to talk." 

"It's not you, it's us."

Colbert would go on his show and say: "Senator Obama [coughing] (who
is insane) [coughing] has announced his choice of vice-presidential
nominee. Marvin F Glover, a junior congressman from Alabama, ... is
someone you will never hear of again after today".

NBC's anchor, Tom Brokaw, would have Obama on the line: "Senator
Obama, wtf? M'f'er wtf?"

Oprah would run a three-hour special with Phil McGraw on the Obama
psychology. Dr Phil would get real on Obama's ass: "We don't need two
black men on the ticket, one is enough, is that clear? Do you think
you're not black enough, is this what this whole thing is about?"

I write as Obama and his family and Biden and his wife are waving
to the Democratic convention crowds. Barack Obama has just finished
giving his speech. The crowd is ecstatic. The stadium is awash with
energy; and majestic-sounding music is playing.

My favourite line was "It is not about me, it is about you". He is
right: it is the people of the USA who put him there, as nominee of
the Democratic Party and probably (I think) the next President. The
people of the United States liked him, they liked what he was saying,
and they felt that voting for him would send the right message about
themselves to themselves first and foremost, and to everybody else.

Fundamentally, what he said was mundane. He amalgamated his candidacy
with the multitude of everyday issues that the common people of the
USA face. He went through many challenges and promised a lot. One has
to remind oneself that all political leaders are, at heart, servants
of the people. Their work is actually quite banal. In some respects,
if they do not desire for publicity and acclaim, they would not seek
such positions.

Barack Hussein Obama, not content with being the son of a Kenyan
father whom he more or less never saw, not content with being raised
a part of his life outside of the USA, not content with being
unconventional in many respects, including his great talents, what
does he do, he seeks the position of the world's number position.
Isn't it amazing?

I re-read my words: "not content". Yes, he was not content: people
want to have fathers, they want to blend in, they want not to stick
out, but with this man, these dis-contents transformed themselves
into a "message". If I can do it, everybody can.

That's what the Obama candidacy is all about.

Change we can believe in.
Yes, we can.
The audacity of hope.

PS. Of course, very few people can.  Very few people possess his
intelligence, his charisma, his way with words, his careful, balanced
sense of judgment.

PPS. Great story about the speech that made Obama back in 2004.

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AFTERWORD on 30.08.08

It seems the editor of The Times (of London) has similar thoughts to mine.

The Illinois senator insisted on Thursday night that “this election has never been about me. It's about you.” This is not true: it is very much about him.

Mr Obama's exceptional gifts as a politician - his intelligence, his charisma and his composure - brought America to this milestone. In the two months ahead, anyone with an interest in America's future will want to question his budget plans, his foreign policy judgment, his personnel choices and his personal detachment. But his nomination is a very personal achievement, a singular example of the meritocracy of America at work. As a result, the 2008 election is shaping up to be a referendum not so much on George W. Bush, but on Barack Obama.