I think because I’ve been in the mindset all week of trying not to get my hopes up too much, it’s now hard to digest that yes, Obama really is President Elect. All seems a bit unreal. According to news reports, he was there to send his kids off to school this morning. Imagine heading off to school and sitting in class, knowing your Dad is now President. I suppose they’ve had a while to get used to the idea, but still….
In some ways last night was a bit of an anti-climax as it became obvious so early on that he was on course for victory, especially because the biggest blue state, California, comes in late – so as soon as he won Pennsylvania and we started getting stats on how he’d got the white working class vote, he’d got the women’s vote, he’d got the Hispanic vote, it was game over for McCain.
There was no nail-biting, not mounting sense of anticipation. Plus we were all absolutely shattered. We started off briefly at Sky’s White House, (along with Trainspotting author Irvine Welsh, who has an apartment in Miami and was being interviewed by them), but left pretty quickly to go to the Democrat party at Jungle Island so we could be with people who had spent most of their political lives campaigning for this moment. (Although actually, at the Obama campaign centre yesterday, there had been 150 volunteers signing in before lunchtime, and most of those we spoke to had never been involved in any election campaign before.) Best moment was when he came on stage in Grant Park; we were all standing on chairs watching it on a giant screen. Phenomenal speech. John and Greg blubbed. (John has been trying to get a mention on my blog all week, so there you go John).
Anyway, someone else (John, there's your second mention) has joined me and I can’t blog when I’m being watched! So, will finish this some other time…
Wednesday 5 November 2008
Just the beginning of change...
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6 comments:
All the Obama hype is very overdone.
He will do only what the corporations who really run the show will allow him to do. He is the choice of the establishment just as much as McCain.
He wants to expand foreign wars (try telling the mother in Afghanistan whose family was wiped out by US bombs about Obamas 'surge' plans for that country..)drill for oil offshore causing untold damage to the marine environment and he panders to the gun lobby.
The poor will not get the real health system they need because corporate power which runs both the Republican and Democrat parties will never allow it.
Behind all the showbiz of this win is nothing more than the continuance of the status quo. No wonder New Labour MPs are so gushing about it.
If anyone can get positive, realistic dialogue going in the Middle East, it is Obama. He himself leading a Country which until relatively recently was still oppressing his own people, the Black Americans.
Obama sucks up to AIPAC and has refused to comment on the cruelty of Israeli action against Palestinians in Gaza.
Obama won’t get rid of NAFTA and has allied himself with the Brookings Institute as well as Rob Rubin, remember him?
I see he is already surrounding himself with the right wingers from Clintons administration.
Yes. But what about the really important issue. What dog is Obama going to get for the White House?
Do you think he has a team of image consultants on the case to ensure the dog is suitably presidential?
I always preferred Buddy, Clinton's gormless Labrador, to Bush's irritating spaniels and terriers.
I think you can be pretty sure it won't be a pitbull, lipstick or no lipstick.
The election of Obama is all about looking to a positive future. He has the mandate to deliver that change and that's why we are all so encouraged by him.
People like Mark and others are just commenter's on the world problems. They offer no suggestions to make a difference and offer no hope to those who need it the most.
They can continue to commentate if they wish. I am going to support those who bring about change.
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