Obama The New President

Has anyone noticed that Obama only beat McCain by 7%?

53% to 46%.

Having only barely more than half the group on my side wouldn't really give me a feeling that I was really in control.

Imagine 100 people in a group - 53 on my side, 46 on the other. And then there's a fight.

Hmmmmm.

Methinks that the entire system is skewed when it works like this.

The thing that any savvy US politician will understand is that having 100 million US citizens on your side isn't worth a helluvalot. They're all to worried about game shows, terrorism and filling up with fast food and gasoline.

Having around 300 or so of the most powerful figures in the military and civilian ruling elite is what's important.

And that lot are greedy devils who care about only money and power.

Obama isn't going to change a damn thing until the US is no longer run by them.

And he knows it.

Percentage of popular vote is a bit of a red herring with this historic system as has been accepted in the USA for many years.

The vote is by States, which have a number of votes in an electoral college (I believe in proportion to population). So a person's vote is actually for how their State's electoral college should vote, for x or y.

This is a bit like the British system where it is the number of MPs elected that determine the Government, not percentage of the total popular vote. The total number of votes cast varies from election to election.

Regarding Obama, although you say there's only a 7% difference, in reality this is one of the larger margins in US Presidential electoral history, certainly this century. By any measure, and especially at an election of such high turn out, it is a clear mandate by either percentage of popular votes or number of electoral college votes. (Unlike fraudulent Dubya last time.)

Infrastucture. Unlike the UK where the Civil Service is apolitical, the US has political appointments. Obama is already in the process of appointing his new team. This is one advantage over the British system. 12 weeks between election and inauguration in which to get the team lined up, briefed and ready to get on with it.

James

quote:

Originally posted by DAVOhorn:
DEar All,


If America was predominately Black and that the underclass was white would Obama be protrayed as the saviour of the European Americans as his mother is European and therefore he is a European American.



regards David

As a biography, she was born in Kansas in 1942 during the height of WWII, but raised in Seattle Washington. She died in Hawaii in 1993 of cancer.

quote:

Originally posted by Blueknowz:

quote:

Originally posted by DAVOhorn:
DEar All,


If America was predominately Black and that the underclass was white would Obama be protrayed as the saviour of the European Americans as his mother is European and therefore he is a European American.



regards David

As a biography, she was born in Kansas in 1942 during the height of WWII, but raised in Seattle Washington. She died in Hawaii in 1993 of cancer.

You do not seem to fully understand the old-fashioned, narrow-minded mentality of davohorn. To him, there are only two kinds of peoples populating the earth - European and Black!

you mean Northern European. People from countries whose shores are washed by the North Sea or the Baltic. <g>

quote:

Originally posted by fred simon:
Aside from his galvanizing enough people to decisively rebuke the right-wing neo-con agenda and ............

Fred, mate,..... you won. You can stop now.

The electorate of the US has made its democratic choice, and seemingly straight-forwardly, and decisively - thanks be for that.

I am sure the many peoples of the free world will be pleased that the US has chosen Mr Obama, not least because his foreign policy shows the potential for being more informed than what the other candidates' knowledge of world affairs and geography might suggest was likely had they been chosen - and perhaps even more importantly the foreign policy of the current administration.

I suspect that world peace has a greater chance with Mr Obama as US President - WW3 is more likely to be averted.

I could not care less what may be his classification [in this or that aspect], though I am getting heartily sick of the media coverage [including the BBC radio on the serious Radio Four] which all of it seems unable to mention Mr Obama's victory without harping on about his possible classification as this or that, and thus pandering to those who consider this has any relivance.

It has none.

What I think is heartening is that Mr Obama has already demonstrated a high degree of skill in choosing help in running a very effective [and communications is a vital skill in the modern instant news world] election campaign, and has commanded popular support and successfully raised a huge amount of money from grass root supporters. This is surely a good sign in terms of comanding popular support in what are certainly going to be challenging times for any person in the job of US President. It is good to see an effective organiser in place whose vision takes in the situation and allows effective action to follow. This is far more important than the shades given in public utterances, which remain important only in the sense that allow for popular support for or at least understanding of what will prove for many quite uncomfortable policies, necessary to counter the economic situation pertaining in the USA and the rest of the world.

Such efficiency and effectiveness, already shown, bodes well for what will undoubtedly be a challenging job in the White House. As much as anything the President is a team leader. Let us hope that Mr Obama fulfills the promise shown so far with the same skill in getting the right people into the right jobs to manage the US economy, home and foreign policy, and world diplomacy that he has shown in running his election campaign.

I am sure that the economic situation will constrain him, so the best that can be hoped for is few mistakes, effective communication, and a high degree of efficiency and effectiveness in coping with a period that will continue to be beset with financial, banking and economic crises for some years to come.

I wish the US people well in their choice, and Mr Obama every good fortune in his choices of cabinet and particularly wish him and the US people the best for the difficult times ahead.

Those who get stuck on classifications really are making a mountain out of something that is not even a mole hill, so please, let us try to get behind the man, for all our sakes. and the sake of the whole world's better well being. Now is not a time to be fomenting divisions, and those that do are despicable, and selfish, most particualrly small-minded, prefering to grind some pathetic little axe, when everyone certainly needs to be pulling together and forgetting to some extent their personal little priorities, for the good of all.

Sincerely, George

amen to that george.

quote:

Originally posted by csl:
amen to that george.

Seconded. You can print that and send it off to the NY Times OP/ED page.

He was not shoved into this position. He asked for it.
He ran the finest campaign I have seen in my years.
There is no such thing as a person who is ready to be POTUS.Not even the VP after 3 years in position.
EGO? If you don't have a huge ego and have great sense of self worth? Wrong position to take on.
The chance of him getting killed in office are the same as any other.Think about it.
There is a greater chance in the first year of office that we have another 9/11.But this would only be true if those believe he to be weak..

Didn't vote for him but he is my president. God bless him and god bless the U.S.A..Please...

Dear All,

So i am a racist because i choose to say that Mr Obama is of miexed race parentage.

Simply restating what Mr Obama has already stated about his parentage is not racist.

As an aside i was born in Nairobi Kenya and lived in Hong Kong for 20 years and currently live in Australia. So i believe i have seen a bit of the world and have lived as a racial minority in Hong Kong and Kenya.

In Hong Kong i was always referred to as European and Not White.

In Hong Kong you were referred to by your country or continent of origin and not by colour. I personally have always objected to being called white and much prefer European.

So please do not suggest that i am racist because i commented on Mr Obama's parentage and Ethnicity and not his apparent colour.

regards David

quote:

Originally posted by DAVOhorn:
Dear All,

...

Simply restating what Mr Obama has already stated about his parentage is not racist.

As an aside I was born in Nairobi Kenya and ...

...

In Hong Kong you were referred to by your country or continent of origin and not by colour.

I personally have always objected to being called white and much prefer European.

...

regards David

Dear David,

According to the definition you point out from the Honk Kong, then you are African. Why would you prefer to be called a European rather African?

I am not sure that this is any more significant than any classification you think it is important to place Mr Obama in.

Please read the post at the head of this page for why.

There are many more important things to worry about, like pulling together, and reducing the significance of difference in difficult times.

George

quote:

Originally posted by DAVOhornlease do not suggest that i am racist because i commented on Mr Obama's parentage and Ethnicity and not his apparent colour.

I think it's more to do with your apparent insistence on racial labels. Mr. Obama defines himself as black, i.e. non-white, therefore we respect his right to determine his own identity. Getting all hung up on degree's of racial characteristics has deeply racist implications whether this was your intent or not.

Best drop it.

Those smileys are real buggers aren't they? You can't even use normal punctuation these days.....

quote:

Originally posted by DAVOhorn:

So i am a racist because i choose to say that Mr Obama is of miexed race parentage.

Simply restating what Mr Obama has already stated about his parentage is not racist.

American courts have ruled that an American may be legally considered African-American if they have ANY known African ancestry (the "one-drop" rule, as in "one drop of African blood"). The US Department of State and Federal Census Bureau follow the 1977 definition of "a person having any origins in any of the black racial groups of Africa".

I'm not saying you're a racist; I'm just saying you're wrong - he's African-American, under any definition that's relevant in the United States.

And it still shouldn't matter so much.

i voted for obama, so did my wife :-)

quote:

Originally posted by joe90:
Has anyone noticed that Obama only beat McCain by 7%?

53% to 46%.

Having only barely more than half the group on my side wouldn't really give me a feeling that I was really in control.

Imagine 100 people in a group - 53 on my side, 46 on the other. And then there's a fight.

Hmmmmm.

Methinks that the entire system is skewed when it works like this.

The thing that any savvy US politician will understand is that having 100 million US citizens on your side isn't worth a helluvalot. They're all to worried about game shows, terrorism and filling up with fast food and gasoline.

Having around 300 or so of the most powerful figures in the military and civilian ruling elite is what's important.

And that lot are greedy devils who care about only money and power.

Obama isn't going to change a damn thing until the US is no longer run by them.

And he knows it.

Are you serious? In this sort of election it's a massive majority. A landslide, as has been stated by many informed analysts. As far as I remember Margaret Thatcher won an election with a minority of the votes cast. Perhaps somebody can clarify that. Make no mistake this is a massive endorsement of Obama.

quote:

Originally posted by munch:
I just hope with all my heart he can stay alive till Jan 2009 to start his new job.
And then stay alive for the next four years.

You have seen too many violent movies, munch!

Obama winning is the best news for a long time IMO.
Bias 'would hamper British Obama'

quote:

Obama winning is the best news for a long time IMO.

Let us hope so. His choice of his Chief of Staff does not fill me with confidence. The whole Islamic terrorist threat has its roots in the Arab-Israeli conflict and he will need an even-handed approach.
Ken

I think it goes back further Ken.

quote:

Originally posted by KenM:

quote:

Obama winning is the best news for a long time IMO.

Let us hope so. His choice of his Chief of Staff does not fill me with confidence.

Seems like a normal enough guy...

"The night after Bill Clinton was elected, Emanuel was so angry at the president’s enemies that he stood up at a celebratory dinner with colleagues from the campaign, grabbed a steak knife and began rattling off a list of betrayers, shouting “Dead! … Dead! … Dead!” and plunging the knife into the table after every name. “When he was done, the table looked like a lunar landscape,” one campaign veteran recalls. “It was like something out of The Godfather. But that’s Rahm for you.”

The Dead, Dead, Dead, dialog is lifted directly from "The Untouchables" though the Capone/De Niro character did not do the knifey/stabby thing, I think that it was more of a finger/ stabby thing.

I would rather have Rahm as Chief of Staff and under Obama's thumb, than number three in the house, angling for the Speaker position which would put him mostly under nobodies thumb.

DCT

quote:

Originally posted by 555:
I think it goes back further Ken.

555,
There have been middle-eatern conflicts for a long time admittedly, and it would be possible to argue that there have been problems since Biblical times. But I think that the present situation arises mainly from the Franco-British carve-up of the region following WW1 and the Balfour Declaration, leading to the formation of the state of Israel.
Whatever the rights and wrongs of the situation, it's a mess and only the US has the clout to bring about a negotiated solution. That will require an approach which is, and is seen to be even-handed.
If you have a different perception, I'd be interested in hearing it.
Ken

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