As an Australian, people wonder why I care so much about US elections. Well, they matter (to paraphrase a failed past presidential candidate), and this election has mattered more than any I have been around to follow. The reasons are well covered, and Barack Obama noted most of them in his superb acceptance speech today.
Political correctness aside, a non-white guy leading the most powerful nation (and still justified lead country of the free world) on earth is huge, and a symbolic victory for minorities everywhere. He speaks in common sense terms, has a sense of humour, and can relate to people on a level I haven’t seen before on the world stage. He’s either a really, really nice guy, or a brilliant con man. Having been vetted for the past two years, it would be surprising if the latter were true.
His victory is a defining moment in history. It has made many of us hopeful of a calmer world order, and an America we can look up to again. To see crowds in Asia, Africa, Europe and the Middle East celebrating his victory speaks volumes about what this means for America.
Truth be told, at the start of the Democratic primaries, I wanted Hillary Clinton to succeed over Obama. I didn’t think he was ready. Well, he proved in the primaries that not only was he ready, but able to outshine an increasingly suspect Clinton as the more measured, articulate and decent candidate to take on the Republicans. It took me a while to be sold on Obama, but I am now certainly lining up for more.
Let’s hope he can keep special interest groups under control, retain his nobility (and humility) in power, and most importantly: deliver real change.
The following fifty posts were made to Twitter over the past couple of months, in descending date order. What a campaign. What an emphatic victory. GOBAMA!!
- Gee. Wow. So… I guess life can resume now. Good work, America
- CBS calls it for Obama! F*CK!
- Stuck at a slow moving British Airways office while Obama takes over the world. Grr
- VOTE, y’all
- Melbourne Cup and US Election on the same day. If only they were in the same timezones, we’d have a two-for-one get-jiggy day
- The Economist 4 Obama: “..the exceptionally assured way in which he has run his campaign is a considerable comfort” http://snurl.com/4yoic
- Palin is nailin’ it in Pennsylvania at the moment. Doing her 2012 election candidacy chances no harm whatsoever…
- Sadly for McCainPalin, support for Obama from real people on Twitter will probably outnumber the McCainPalin propaganda-bots
- Looks like McCainPalin have hired a spam company to flood Twitter with “Vote McCain” scripts. See Twitter election tracker and hot topics
- I was (expectedly) impressed by Obama on the Daily Show last night. Tho, thought he lost some composure when talking about “tree huggers”
- Barack Obama on the Daily Show: candid, relaxed, with a dash of humour. Dammit America, do not screw this up. http://www.thedailyshow.com
- From June, here’s “Why white supremacists support Barack Obama”.http://snurl.com/4u4u6 They also hope Obama will energise their base
- Alaska’s major newspaper endorses “steady hand” Obama over “erratic” McCain, calls Palin “too risky” a VP prospect. http://snurl.com/4powe
- Palin annoyed & off the leash, insider indicating she would “like to go more rogue”. Yeh, bring on raw maverickism! http://snurl.com/4pnsk
- Monday’s Daily Show was brilliant. Jon Stewart at his best, some of the US at its worst. Check it out. http://www.thedailyshow.com
- Powell does a Lieberman (tho more tolerable), and endorses the opposition; Says Obama would “talk to people we haven’t talked to.” Exactly…
- Sarah Palin was a good sport on SNL: http://tinyurl.com/6dr72u
- The money’s on Obama, and the money is rarely wrong:http://snurl.com/4flnc Please, America, do not prove the money wrong
- McCain is sounding dodgy. Obama in prime form with a nice defence of himself. Go you good thing
- McCain, nothing to lose, talks crap, reckons he’ll be stoked if he can be “half as good” as Sarah Palin was in her recent debate. Crikey!
- McCain “in danger not only of losing the election but of tarnishing his reputation for honour.” http://snurl.com/4a9d9
- Lame duck removes N.Korea from terror list, ball-breaking Kim JI lights a cigar, & insipid McCain gets in a tizzy: http://snurl.com/49wv5
- I don’t get it. In a time of crisis, the conservative US mouthpiece endorses McCain because he’s more daring. Que? http://snurl.com/49irm
- So, Palin abused her power in Alaska. http://snurl.com/49fq7 … Imagine what she could do with all the toys in Washington
- And his thoughts on Barack Obama: “Clever, healthy, handsome.” Yep, that sounds like the kind of US President the world needs 😎
- One of my local guys learns about Obama and McCain from The Daily Show. Brilliant 🙂 “I’m worried about McCain’s health,” he says.
- “McCain has moved remorselessly rightward” … The New Yorker endorses Barack Obama. http://snurl.com/41tdu
- Taking my Australian self to a Canadian Buddy’s place to watch the US VP debate. In China. Ahh, if only we had a vote…
- Wheels slowly misaligning on the Republican campaign just like they did for the ‘conservative’ side in Australia’s 2007 election. Good.
- Now that the US presidential debate is over, we can get on with the main event of the day: The Australian Rules Football Grand Final 😀
- McCain doesn’t talk like a leader who would preside over a peaceful world
- For a debate supposedly on US foreign policy, where was the China focus? Disappointing.
- League of democracies? A good boys club? C’mon John. Kudos to Obama for reserving to right to engage at the highest level, with anyone
- Yes, that’s what we need at a time of global instability: Mavericks!
- This “Main Street” sounds pretty rough. Remind me not to live there
- McCain can be a fluffy little puppy can’t he?
- WTF, McCain does a backflip and triple somersault… bring it on?
- Divide & conquer? Democrats moving to fasttrack bailout to force a Republican rebellion? Or does McCain have a silver bullet? Hard to read
- Ahhh McCain, you’ve done it again…
- “Bush Doctrine” coiner takes on those who took on Palin for looking like a dunce re the Bush Doctrine. Hmm. http://snurl.com/3q962
- On barackobama.com, you can create a “MyBO” account. Guys, seriously, what were you thinking?
- Sarah Palin “… an absurdity… a joke.” http://tinyurl.com/525qut
- Joe Lieberman, you’re a twat. Go away.
- “As a pro-life super-achiever, puts feminists in a tizzy.” The Kooky Standard outlines Palin’s pros: http://snurl.com/3l2jv
- Sarah Palin irks the crap out of me. Smart choice, though. Peh!
- The Australian endorses Biden… http://tinyurl.com/5nys8d
- “Realpolitik never died”: http://tinyurl.com/5tcjdo
- Sullivan lays into McCain.. http://tinyurl.com/6oe563
- Good old Aussie conservative Ms. Albrechtsen takes on Obama:http://tinyurl.com/57es8k
- Can someone please smack Obama and Clinton supporters into line? United we stand, divided we all get smacked with Republicans again! ARGH