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Obama and the politics of change
Betty Ann Blaine
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Dear Reader,
He's being described as the 21st century Bobby Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr reincarnated, and his pre-eminence on the American political scene is creating all kinds of waves across that country and beyond. Barack Obama, the young African American senator from the state of Illinois, has taken the United States by storm. Whether you like him or not, you have to admit that what has occurred over the past two weeks is phenomenal.
As far as I am concerned, it is no longer a matter of whether Obama will or will not become president of the United States. In fact, to focus on that alone is in my view, missing the point of what has already transpired. In my eyes, Obama has already won. Winning or losing the American presidency 10 months from now can in no way diminish the effect and impact he has already achieved in his country and on the world.
Obama's message of change is not just a breath of fresh air, but it is revolutionary within the context of a neo-conservative, capitalist society, driven by power, greed and rabid political partisanship. To speak about changing the status quo of the powerful Washington establishment where special interests dictate not only what America does, but what happens in the rest of the world, is as courageous as it is visionary. For Obama to be speaking about class divisions and about unity at a time when many believe that America is becoming more racist and more nationalistic is intriguing. What is even more amazing is that he is galvanising huge support from unexpected constituencies.
The senator's victory in Iowa can only be described as phenomenal. For a black man to come away with the majority of the votes in a state where almost all the voters are white, is virtually unexplainable, and must be analysed with thoughtfulness and insight.
My own view is that there is a philosophical and ideological shift that is taking place all over the world, as people are becoming more and more aware of the social and economic inequities, as well as who or what controls the levers of political power.
What Obama is doing is recasting and redefining a much-needed "balance of power", and the world is paying attention. The extent to which America is serious about a new global social order that will attempt to level the playing field and create the type of bilateral and unilateral platform of respect and harmony is yet to be seen. Obama may be speaking within the context of American politics, but his message of change is reverberating through all corners of the earth.
Whether he realises it or not, Barack Obama is loosening the chains of mental manipulation that have kept the American people hostage to upholding the status quo and ensuring that alternative social arrangements remain excluded. According to one writer, "Persuading the people to vote against their own best interests has been the awesome genius of the American political elite from the beginning."
It is not surprising that young voters are flocking to Obama's message of change and hope. Unlike their parents, young people are beginning to see the world differently - through a different set of lenses. Young people are more concerned about war and the environment than they are about loyalty to a particular political party. Perhaps for the first time in its history, American youth are adopting an "a-parochial" attitude, and are seeing the world as being much larger and more diverse than the American geographical borders. They are recognising that the North American continent is not the world, and as products of an ever-expanding technological world, their eyes are being opened to a world outside of America that their parents and grandparents ignored and in some instances, disrespected.
Even in the face of the greatest threat to American security, namely terrorism, young Americans realise that as far as their government is concerned, there is a "credibility gap". Many recognise that the "big lie" technique has been deliberately used to cover a vast system of executive secrecy, justified on grounds of protecting America's national security. Young people are recognising more and more that democracy and secrecy are incompatible, and that secret government breeds arrogance, self-righteousness and corruption.
What Obama has succeeded in doing is engaging the American people in a fuller, deeper and richer conversation about the possibilities of change, and the need for hope. When he says that the country is not about red states or blue states, but about American states, he is offering a divided nation the opportunity to find common ground so that it can move to higher ground. It is a message not just for America, but for such a time as this, all across the planet.
Nobody is quite sure how to answer the question, "Is America ready for a black president?" What seems sure, however, is that the country is ready for a new message, and a black man, Barack Obama, has succeeded in framing and articulating that message. What he is saying is not only stirring America, it is stirring the whole world.
With love,
bab2609@yahoo.com
Betty Ann Blaine
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Dear Reader,
He's being described as the 21st century Bobby Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr reincarnated, and his pre-eminence on the American political scene is creating all kinds of waves across that country and beyond. Barack Obama, the young African American senator from the state of Illinois, has taken the United States by storm. Whether you like him or not, you have to admit that what has occurred over the past two weeks is phenomenal.
As far as I am concerned, it is no longer a matter of whether Obama will or will not become president of the United States. In fact, to focus on that alone is in my view, missing the point of what has already transpired. In my eyes, Obama has already won. Winning or losing the American presidency 10 months from now can in no way diminish the effect and impact he has already achieved in his country and on the world.
Obama's message of change is not just a breath of fresh air, but it is revolutionary within the context of a neo-conservative, capitalist society, driven by power, greed and rabid political partisanship. To speak about changing the status quo of the powerful Washington establishment where special interests dictate not only what America does, but what happens in the rest of the world, is as courageous as it is visionary. For Obama to be speaking about class divisions and about unity at a time when many believe that America is becoming more racist and more nationalistic is intriguing. What is even more amazing is that he is galvanising huge support from unexpected constituencies.
The senator's victory in Iowa can only be described as phenomenal. For a black man to come away with the majority of the votes in a state where almost all the voters are white, is virtually unexplainable, and must be analysed with thoughtfulness and insight.
My own view is that there is a philosophical and ideological shift that is taking place all over the world, as people are becoming more and more aware of the social and economic inequities, as well as who or what controls the levers of political power.
What Obama is doing is recasting and redefining a much-needed "balance of power", and the world is paying attention. The extent to which America is serious about a new global social order that will attempt to level the playing field and create the type of bilateral and unilateral platform of respect and harmony is yet to be seen. Obama may be speaking within the context of American politics, but his message of change is reverberating through all corners of the earth.
Whether he realises it or not, Barack Obama is loosening the chains of mental manipulation that have kept the American people hostage to upholding the status quo and ensuring that alternative social arrangements remain excluded. According to one writer, "Persuading the people to vote against their own best interests has been the awesome genius of the American political elite from the beginning."
It is not surprising that young voters are flocking to Obama's message of change and hope. Unlike their parents, young people are beginning to see the world differently - through a different set of lenses. Young people are more concerned about war and the environment than they are about loyalty to a particular political party. Perhaps for the first time in its history, American youth are adopting an "a-parochial" attitude, and are seeing the world as being much larger and more diverse than the American geographical borders. They are recognising that the North American continent is not the world, and as products of an ever-expanding technological world, their eyes are being opened to a world outside of America that their parents and grandparents ignored and in some instances, disrespected.
Even in the face of the greatest threat to American security, namely terrorism, young Americans realise that as far as their government is concerned, there is a "credibility gap". Many recognise that the "big lie" technique has been deliberately used to cover a vast system of executive secrecy, justified on grounds of protecting America's national security. Young people are recognising more and more that democracy and secrecy are incompatible, and that secret government breeds arrogance, self-righteousness and corruption.
What Obama has succeeded in doing is engaging the American people in a fuller, deeper and richer conversation about the possibilities of change, and the need for hope. When he says that the country is not about red states or blue states, but about American states, he is offering a divided nation the opportunity to find common ground so that it can move to higher ground. It is a message not just for America, but for such a time as this, all across the planet.
Nobody is quite sure how to answer the question, "Is America ready for a black president?" What seems sure, however, is that the country is ready for a new message, and a black man, Barack Obama, has succeeded in framing and articulating that message. What he is saying is not only stirring America, it is stirring the whole world.
With love,
bab2609@yahoo.com