Yes they did - Obama wins!
Blog Post
Wednesday 5th November 2008, 3:48pm
by TimHollo in
What an extraordinary day! That the American people have elected - by a large margin - Barack Obama to be their President is something I can scarcely believe!
Bob Brown has welcomed the election result here.We must all hope that this can and will herald a new era for global politics - an era of hopeful, positive, visionary politics.
Now what will happen?
It's worth looking at Obama's climate and energy policy here. Note the EASI idea, the Green New Deal stuff, and, less positively, the clean coal support. There's some very positive analysis of Obama's energy plan here and some more critical analysis here.
Obama has also talked green rhetoric on the stimulus stimulus package here.
On Biden, it's worth reading this.
We've cracked the bubbly here, so I'm going to leave this post at that for today. Some more analysis later on.
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Obama and Australia?
Yeah this is good news for the western world. The loony ideas & theories of Bush and his weird warped vision are finally over. Whats more concerning to me is the fact that Meredith Burgmann newly elected Sydney City Councilor is over in the USA supporting Obama getting elected. I think her time would have been better spent here representing her voters in the City of Sydney council elections. Anyhow one of Obamas policy is to tax the wealthy and I expect Meredith from the ALP to ring Rudd when she gets back and tell him that if the worlds "Capitalism Cradle" can vote for this policy Australia can as well. This is something that the Greens need to be pushing here hard also.
A New President for the Good ol US of A
As expected the good ol US of A has a new President elect, well, will have in late Jan 2009, and by mid 2010 there will probably be noticeable change in US policy in many areas.
I suspect that many people / voters may be disappointed initially as they are expecting a better deal IMMEDIATELY for minority groups, however they will need to be patient for a few years, as we all know in Australia, that change can be painfully slow, especially where there are cultural and economic changes also required.
President Obama has a number of issues that will cause him much pain, I expect that trying to disengage in Iran will be one of them. From watching the usual news footage during the campaign, many people believe that he will pull the troops out immediately. However, anybody with military training knows that if he starts tomorrow, he may have most out in a year or 2, if the military leaders agree.
He has also promised universal health care for all (American Medicare), although it would be wise for his administration to look at Australia and UK, who have tried for many years, only to find that those with private cover still get preferential / priority treatment (from personal experience, heart tests and stents inserted in 1 week, no private cover a wait of up to 3 months) , and in most areas, people are still required to pay the doctor at the time of the visit.
Then we get on to the employment scene. Promises of employment in the predominantly manufacturing states, was not very bright policy, when a large proportion of the American manufacturers have already moved off shore, and if President Obama raises taxes against business, or their owners, the remainder will follow.
To me, the campaign and promises were remarkably similar to when Mr Mandela won the Sth African election, with promises of housing, health. employment and wealth distribution to, in his case the Native majority, only to find, major employers close shop, white Sth Africans walk off shore with their wealth, leaving a crime filled basket case of a country, although not as bad as the bankrupt ex Rhodesia. The majority are still waiting for the promised benefits.
Anyway, congratulations to President Obama, and I noted tonight that Mr McCain was unexpectedly cheerful in his losing speech. Maybe, like possibly Howard was, quietly relieved that he does not have to clean up the existing mess, and try to meet voters expectations for universal health, wealth distribution, housing for all, and employment to be returned from off shore sites.
"Not in my lifetime."
I have to agree with many African-Americans that believed until yesterday that what has happened would not be in my lifetime. But I thought that about the Cold War and the Berlin Wall too, so my track record is lousy. Just goes to show that there is always reason to believe that common sense will prevail over bigoted ideology.
Anyway the overwhelming message for the greens is to analyse the Obama 'grassroots' campaign and pull out ideas and applications that will translate to the Australian electoral system and campaigns. Hopefully you had a few people on the ground in the US seeing how it was done.
If a "skinny black kid with big ears" with the middle name Hussein and a Muslim dad can be elected POTUS, just what is possible here in Australia? A Greens majority in the Senate by 2015 along with a strong voice in the Reps?
Go for it!
Spare "change" and the mass delusions of the American Left.
I absolutely feel as though what has happened to America, is exactly what we here went through last year. Euphoria over a change in leadership, and mass (delusional) expectations of change in political and governmental philosophy. Unfortunately, the me-tooism between McCain and Obama is stark.
Obama voted to protect telecoms in the FISA debate, he voted for the heinous bailout without putting any regulatory strings on the deal, he doesn't believe universal health care, he has been aggressive toward Iran, Russia and Syria, he wants to expand the war in Afghanistan, appointing Rahm Emmanuel the chief of staff (a Clinton administration conservative). The list go's on. Make no mistake, the next US president is almost as hawkish as the current one. The US would be far better off if it elected Ralph Nader, or our own Green party colleague, Cynthia McKinney.
Prepare to be disappointed, utterly disappointed, just as we have been with Kevin Rudd.
The American political climate
I largely agree with Sean on this one; but the truth of the matter is, Obama is better than Bush. Clearly. For starters, he doesn't believe in creationism...and whilst that might seem like a given here in secular Australia, it's a big concept for many 'small-town' American folk brought up on on bogus biblical nonsense.
Having said that, not much was mentioned about 'Peak Oil', which I find sinisterly ironic, considering how oil-dependent America is; you'd expect at least some few billion dollars for oil-proofing America. It's no small task either.
Republic
Apparently the Greens are introducing a bill today to hold a referendum on a republic.
What is the Green's position on Aboriginal sovereignty regarding a republic?
He's only half-black. I
He's only half-black. I suppose that made it easier for certain white liberals to vote for him.
He'll just be another Rudd, full of warm fuzzies and no real action. I mean, what's he offered?
"Yes, we can!"
"Can what?"
"Well... get me elected."
"CHANGE we can believe in!"
"What change is that?"
"Well... that a man with dark skin gets elected in the US. Me."
The real inequality and injustice in the United States is economic. African-Americans make up something like 13.5% of the population. If they become 13.5% of the very wealthy and 13.5% the very poor, that does not change the fact that there are very wealthy and very poor people in that country.
Poverty is more oppressive than any Jim Crow laws.
Yeah, right.
Give the guy a chance, he doesn't get his hands on the levers until next January. He has already flagged reversing the "drill baby drill" mantra and allowing stem cell research, that's promising. Perhaps reserving judgement is warranted until the pudding is eaten and proved - black pudding of course.
There's More to it...
As an American I must express that the recent election represents much more than just the election of Obama. In many circles it has been identified as a new beginning where a new generation, inspired by the prospect of doing things better, is beginning to take the reins of American government control. A power shift of sorts, toward younger idealistic people, that the republican party will need to contend with in the future. What is even more significant is the shift from republican to democratic control of the House and Senate and locally (at the State level) a shift toward greater democratic control. So in large part, the playing field from the American presidency on down has been shaped to begin changing the way things have been done in the last eight years. As a grass roots supporter of Obama, I went door to door talking to people in rural white-bred communities to determine who they are supporting and what their concerns are. The consistent theme was the shaky economy. So I have to believe that the planets were aligned just right and an issue the hits close to home put Obama over the edge. Not to mention the fact that he is an eloquent speaker and all too aware of himself. As for Kevin Rudd, I’d say give him a break. While most Americans pay little or no attention to Australia, those who do, including myself see his election as a positive move in the right direction. At the very least look at your previous PM and his policies. Australians are better off with Rudd, as Americans will be with Obama. As for Nader…he’s a has been. While I agree with Green principles, I could never vote green until they produce a viable candidate worth voting for. At least around here.
Nader's a has been?
Vonic, what an entirely convincing argument for not voting for Nader, "he's a has been?" My goodness, all this time I've wasted, when I should have just seen the light and realised that despite all he's done for the American consumer, for shareholder rights, for the environment, that "he's a has been."
What about the issues he campaigned on that Obama didn't, are they "has been" issues? You say you agree with Green principles, but I'm guessing you didn't vote that way.
*National Health Insurance
*Ending ALL American wars (not just Iraq)
*Making Wall street pay for its own bailout
*Worker rights
*Bailouts for the poor and homeless
Neither Obama nor McCain came anywhere near these issues during the campaign, but I guess that must be because they are "has been" issues that don't count. Did you ever stop to think that the more people vote for a candidate, the more viable they are next time around? It's a self fulfiling prophecy.
Define: Hasbeen
Sean,
According to Wiktionary:
Noun
has-been (plural has-beens)
(idiomatic) A formerly popular or influential person whose popularity or effectiveness has peaked and is now in decline. Typically said of professionals or celebrities whose primary success is behind them.
It's not that Nader's issues are has-been issues, it is Nader himself. There have been many ethical and influential people in history, Nader included, but in due time many of these people loose their appeal. Nader included. If I gave my vote to Nader, I suppose I would have made the Green party more viable the next time around, but I would have not made the candidiate, Ralph Nader more viable. And in light of what happened to Al Gore and the whole discussion that Nader votes cost him the election in favor of Bush is STILL causing a divide between those who voted for Nader and those who voted for Gore. And those who voted for Gore who still supported Nader's issues. Perhaps if enough people voted for Gore instead of Nader, we would be that much closer to Green ideals. Instead we went in the opposite direction in a hurry and the damage will take a decade if not longer to repair. Sean, I'm not saying that your efforts are a waste of time-- they are not. Green ideals are the way to go, but to be effective you need to find a charasmatic candidate to deliver that message. Nader, being the Green presidential candidate for the last (how many?) presidential elections is clearly not the candidate of choice.
Republic Response
John T Nov 11 12:56. Not sure what you are looking for. Aboriginals are Australians like the rest of us, so the will have the same sovereignty as everybody else. If you are indicating that Aboriginals should have their own sovereign nation within Australia, it would never be accepted by the remainder / majority of Australians, so would not even be worth discussion or inclusion in any referendum.
republic/sovereignty/Greens policy
Grant,
You may well be correct that most Australians would prefer to ignore the issues of Aboriginal Sovereignty. They may find irrelevant the High Courts extinguishment of the doctrine of Terra Nullius, the underpinning of the British claim to sovereignty.
But my question is what are the Green senators going to do.
The number 1 Indigenous policy of the Australian Greens is......
"the Australian Constitution must recognise the prior occupation and sovereignty of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples."
This is of obvious relevance to the republic debate. The constitution cannot change without a referendum.
What I am curious about is whether the Greens will sweep this under the carpet because the red-necks wont like it, as appears to be what you are advocating they should do, or whether the Greens will embrace and promote their indigenous policy in the Republic debate which, so it seems, Bob Brown is trying to revive.
As for a separate Aboriginal sovereign territory, I do not agree with that model because every inch of this continent is sovereign Aboriginal land, there has to be some arrangement for shared occupation of the whole lot.
However the model is not as far fetched as you suggest, it is the model in U.S. and Canadian Law, so I don't see why it should be such an outrageous suggestion in Australia, unless Australians are more racist than Americans and Canadians.
I notice that Bob Brown took the model of a separate state to the 2020 summit.
One of his 12 proposals......"Kimberly, Arnhem Land and Cape York regional autonomy returns Aboriginal sovereignty. Australia follows Canadian lead in remote areas with dominant indigenous population."
http://bob-brown.greensmps.org.au/content/media-release/2020-summit
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