Wednesday 5 November 2008

Congratulations America on your new president

Wonderful news for America, as Obama has won the presidential election by a landslide. And of course I am delighted for them, and positive he'll do a good job.

Trouble is, I can't get a note of sour grapes out of my mouth. The rally's in America, particularly the one in Washington was full of young people, black people, hope and fresh ideas. It all makes me a little sad. Mostly because it reminds me of us in the UK.

Remember in 1997, when Labour won the election? For us, in our twenties it was the first time we'd ever remembered or known a Labour government, and for lots of us we'd spent most of our teenage lives campaigning for one. We were full of hope and desire; world politics would be better, education would be free, the health service would improve. Now don't get me wrong, these things have probably, or possibly improved. But the UK was not better, it did not feel any different to live here, we still ended up paying student loans, we still went back to Iraq. And we've lost our innocence.

Please let politics still be a dream to the Americans, and what a wonderful dream; of a united country of the free.

p.s. Adding this two hours later, after coffee and a think. It is a great historic day today, and amazing to hear of the high turn out, and people who care. The world is not all bad. Way to go US of A.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

maybe JFK - ask not what your country can do for you but what can you do for your country..............
Obama will not solve all our problems but his call to service and personal responsibility are good. We are the only ones who can really change things.
lizzie

Anonymous said...

lest everyone forgets: mr. obama is the product of chicago politics.

he is no neophyte. he is a hard-edged realist who ran a wildly popular campaign based on personal celebrity and little else. he is a brilliant politician, rather like clinton and reagan rolled into one.

live in dc, i see this stuff up close. he is stocking his staff with seasoned clinton-ites (so much for "change") and will have his hands full on day #1 with russia and a woeful economy.

as a cold-eyed realist in all thing political, i think he'll do fine. he is surrounding himself with good people (so far).

the biggest issue is that he has been oversold, and it will be IMPOSSIBLE for him to live up to the hype - unless, of course, he IS the second coming as some have suggested.