Remember, remember the 5th of November
It may have been remember, remember, the 5th of November for us Brits, isolated as we are on our little island, but yesterday was a day many Americans, and indeed, many people worldwide will never forget. Not just because Barack Obama is now (as of January 2009) the first black president of the United States of America, but because the record turn out demonstrated a dramatic change in mood of the American people. It demonstrated, in a world turned upside down by the oft-spoken of credit crunch, that hope is not dead. Democracy is not dead. And the American people are fed up of the Bush regime. Even in the run up to the election, it looked good for Obama, but no doubt, many people were remembering the farce over the 2004 election, where millions of ballot papers were mysteriously lost. Faith had indeed been lost during the corrupt Bush/Regan government, and no wonder. Yet, this time, there could be no dispute and no need for a recount. Obama won by a 349 majority, over McCain?s 147.
It won’t be easy for Obama and his government in January. He enters the Whitehouse with all hopes pinned on him, as the man who will rebuild the US, and by proxy, the rest of the world, after the on-going financial crisis. No doubt there will be propaganda and sleaze reports from all sides. No doubt there will be desperate attempts to find something scandalous in his past. Maybe even a extra-marital sexual liaison will be discovered. But I?m hoping, as are millions, that we do not forget what?s important here: that Obama won?t forget his election promises, and will remain true to his beliefs.
I couldn’t resist having a peek on angry bloggers on the notorious Fox News site. And although I expected the usual indignant comments of the losing party, I still found myself shocked at the oppressive and racist views held by these people. Many, if not all, called on “almighty god” to rescue America from the alien/monster/creature that was “taking over the Whitehouse”:
“This farce of an election was bought and paid for by men who hate America and wish to see her destroyed. Laugh all you wish, left wingers. History will prove this to be one of America?s darkest days. God help us all” says Ann in the Why did Obama Win article in Fox News.
And:
“I can imagine all those zuloos from Obamas Kenyan family being secretly flown into the White House to get a taste of luxuries, lol while the republican supporters slave away to keep their houses. In all honesty, it’s a joke. In Kenya they don’t have toilet and I hope they don?t go out on the streets of Washington to dump their loads.” Says Adam888 in block capitals. (I’ve added punctuation to create some kind of order to this otherwise stream of consciousness.)
I glanced at the Daily Mail, too (shh, I don’t think anyone saw) to see what they had to say, but their headline ran in much the same manner as other British papers who used words such as “victory” or “glorious” and “hope”. The only hint that the Mail was utterly disappointed with the result was their laughable mention of McCain’s acceptance speech which they described as “gracious”.
I suppose it would have to be. Even our own Gordon Brown in an interview said of Obama, “we share values”. Which values two unlikely chums share, remains to be seen. Perhaps I’m being unfair.
I confess to being disappointed at the lack of obvious distress spewing forth from the Mail and other such papers, and even The Sun ran with a quote from Obama’s speech, “Change has come to America”.
However, a quick scrawl through the archives and you find amusing headlines such as “You don’t have to be black to get Barack Obama” where reporter Shaun Bailey is obliged to point out to Sun readers that his politics are not just related to skin colour.
There follows the usual sex-related articles, linking Obama to celebratory sex parties and the like. Yawn.
Speaking of parties, I wonder how the Mail and it’s readers will be celebrating this unprecedented victory. Despite the Mail’s apparently genuine support of the new US president, I do not believe for a moment that their notorious bigoted racist views that have defined the paper for decades, have at all altered. So when it comes to a party of celebration, I suspect it will be more like commiseration. Shame that.