Slipped in another Thought for the Day for the BBC this morning. Couldn’t resist Obama and the American election. But of course I should really have been talking about Donald Trump and his dune-destroying golf resort. I listened to the First Minister talking about the jobs which will flow and I wondered whether it could really be so. Aren’t many of them likely to be the catering industry pattern of seasonal, low paid and temporary?
Meanwhile we are settling down for a long night here at Blogstead. My Chaplain mentioned almost wistfully that he found strong-minded women of faith like Sarah Palin ‘very, very foxy.’ But he’s out on his own there. I am impervious to her charms, her glasses and her moose-shooting abilities. To be [relatively] serious for a moment .. it seems to me that all American politicians sit well to the right of the political spectrum on which we live. Meaning that Obama is roughly where or to the right of where the Cameroons are. So Blogstead’s support for Obama has more to do with support for rationalists over against irrationalists. Or do I just not understand it?
For the most part, the people in the U.S. are center right. They are not and will not accept socialism the same way that Europe has. Also, since the style of government is different in the States than in Europe, socialism would not look like it does in Europe.
One final thought, at the time of this post, President Elect Obama received 63 million votes, however, over 55.5 million voted against him. You will not hear much about them in the coming months and they will be discounted by the press in the States. But trust me, ignoring this large of a voting block could make Obama a one term President, especially if what he plans to do causes more havoc. The elections in 2010 will give us all an indication of Obama’s true ability. It will be interesting to watch.
rosy spectacles are very much in fashion today. It makes a change…
Thanks – always risky to measure people elsewhere against one’s own grid. What you describe is the very best of America – particularly in terms of church life and the involvement in thrift shops, lunch clubs, etc
I think the seeming lean to the right reflects ‘hot issues’ that they have to be careful with to get elected. But it is also the case that liberal America functions differently to Britain, through charity and activism more than through socialism. Lots of volunteering, lots of aid/ scholarship, lots of on the ground involvement — so much of what goes on is driven locally rather than by government policy. Obama is well placed to stir that activism since he has people thinking about hope and vision again.
There was one blog post I saw that summed up a difference between Obama and McCain like none other…