Agreed, babai. The President is just one man...very difficult for him to make any difference, specially in a lobby 'democracy' like the US. It is improbable that there will be much of a difference in the way the US is going to do things- specially for us here in India. But I am still impressed with Obama as an individual. He breaks the mould of the career politician. He is erudite, he is middle-class, he is an orator, he is black, and above all, he seems sincerely to want to change things. He may not achieve it- but he seems to want to try.
The entire campaign was a good testimony to the man's character- first the attacks from Hilary, and then McCain- you got to agree that he is pretty unflappable. If you have not heard the 'Towards a more perfect union' speech, you should (on Youtube). It was a bracve speech, given the circumstances.
And as for the anti-incumbency being the primary reason for his selection- I am not sure I agree. For instance, he had fought and won a pitched battle with Hilary. A desire to kick out the republicans would have been met by electing Hilary too...so why choose Obama? Probably because people are tired of the Clintons too- which is the point: people wanted something different. But the true factor probably is that Obama is very compelling- like I said, he reminds me of Lincoln in many ways.
Showing posts with label politics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label politics. Show all posts
November 6, 2008
Obama presidency
Me! I am the eternal dissident/Cynic.
So, let me say a few things--
1. A country lasts thousands of years and there will be many firsts. Really nothing to get excited about!! like a headline I saw in a newspaper yesterday.--the headline said record even for the young age (???). Inside it says --5th youngest. What kind of a record is that? Ok. There will be a woman sometime ( though they are still lagging behind--even their alter (old) egos-the brits had a woman premier already)
2. The career is not that great, as you can find several people with that kind of a thing and I donot believe that the American people chose him for his ideals etc. It is a pure anti-incumbency vote and if the candidates were reversed, I am sure McCain would have won. Poor McCain- a departing Bush left the legacy- of dissatisfaction and resentment of the people- to him and retired. He was the guy at the wrong place at the wrong time.
3. What is said in the campaign speeches and what is said in acceptance speeches is seldom followed through. Let us give him 2 yrs and then judge. ( even his stand against Outsourcing, H-1 visas and his relationship with India.) Most of the time Pragmatism rules the Whitehouse and not policy.
So, let me say a few things--
1. A country lasts thousands of years and there will be many firsts. Really nothing to get excited about!! like a headline I saw in a newspaper yesterday.--the headline said record even for the young age (???). Inside it says --5th youngest. What kind of a record is that? Ok. There will be a woman sometime ( though they are still lagging behind--even their alter (old) egos-the brits had a woman premier already)
2. The career is not that great, as you can find several people with that kind of a thing and I donot believe that the American people chose him for his ideals etc. It is a pure anti-incumbency vote and if the candidates were reversed, I am sure McCain would have won. Poor McCain- a departing Bush left the legacy- of dissatisfaction and resentment of the people- to him and retired. He was the guy at the wrong place at the wrong time.
3. What is said in the campaign speeches and what is said in acceptance speeches is seldom followed through. Let us give him 2 yrs and then judge. ( even his stand against Outsourcing, H-1 visas and his relationship with India.) Most of the time Pragmatism rules the Whitehouse and not policy.
Obamas election.
Turning cosmic elegy into creative psalm
that was the wish of late Martin Luther King during
his acceptance speech at the Noble Peace Prize Ceremony.
we tell the children the same has become true now in U.S.A.
but in India we have already dalit president,woman president,
muslim president.dalit speaker etc.So Indians are true torch bearers
ofDemocracy and secularism in the world .
that was the wish of late Martin Luther King during
his acceptance speech at the Noble Peace Prize Ceremony.
we tell the children the same has become true now in U.S.A.
but in India we have already dalit president,woman president,
muslim president.dalit speaker etc.So Indians are true torch bearers
ofDemocracy and secularism in the world .
Will the social sciences teacher comment?
On this momentous occassion (Obama coming to power), what is the teacher telling her students? What is her opinion about the whole thing? Cmon SSKgaru!
Kennedy or Lincoln?
People compare Obama to Kennedy- but I think he is closer to Lincoln. Be his oratory, his collectedness and his generally high self-belief, he rings familiar to Lincoln (as much as I have read of him). If you have not seen it, you shoud see his acceptance speech at Chicago on Nov 4th- it is really good. His career also seems to smack of a similar unorthodoxy as Lincoln's.
It may not make too much difference to us here in India or ultimately even to the US, but I do think this person is definitely breaking the mould for US Presidents. Check this link about his times in Harvard.
http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/01/28/at_harvard_law_a_unifying_voice/?page=full
Calif Bans Same Sex Marriages
California passed an amendment that limits definition of marriage to "between a man and a woman". Any comment?
November 4, 2008
A history making US presidential election
If Obama wins, which seems to be the most likely outcome, US will have its first "Black" president. If McCain wins, US will have its first woman vice president.
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