2008 5
Managing the feelings of others
Published by MartinVarsavsky.net in General with No Comments
- Image by jmtimages via Flickr
This morning I was struck to see that McCain lost by so little, that 55 million people out of 131 million actually voted him. That he got 46% of the vote after 8 years of failed Republican policies that resulted in two wars and a financial meltdown. I also could not believe this considering that I do not know of a single friend who had voted for McCain. So I started digging into the election results and it became more and more obvious how deeply divided USA is today. The two places that I spend the most time in the States in, Manhattan and San Francisco both voted 85% for Obama. The rest of the country is another story. Texas for example was 55% McCain. And the story of the Red and the Blue states continues in a way that people in the “United” States alternate in feeling that they are being governed by foreigners. Most of my friends felt that Bush was foreign to most of what they stood for. Now people in Texas and the Midwest and in the countryside in all states, will feel the same. And the divide is quite complicated because it is partly geographic and partly generational with younger people favoring Obama 2 to 1.
While the mood today is of celebration we have to realize that Barack Obama has a real tough job ahead not only unifying the country but also getting it out of political and economic bankruptcy. And when the honeymoon is over those 55 million people, those people who now feel as we used to feel when Bush was in power, will start making noises, loud noises. And Obama, managing the country with the biggest debt in the world, will have very limited room for maneuver. Obama was fortunate, that the financial meltdown and the biggest nationalization of banks and mortgages did not happen during his tenure. If Obama had to act the way Bush and Paulson did the derogatory socialist campaign that McCain ran against him would have made him almost unable to make decisions. It is a paradox that it took a neocon government to implement state dirigisme in America and that it will be up to a Democratic president to manage a government that is much more involved with the economy than when Clinton left power. That will be hard. Reading the global press today I see that Obama has already made tremendous progress on one issue and that is to repair the damage image of USA abroad. Let´s hope he is as successful in repairing most of what is wrong with USA at home.
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anne on November 5, 2008 ·
I worked his last rally in Manassas, Va on Monday and was at the Whitehouse last night. In Virginia 100,000 people waited in the dark on a field for many many hours in the cold and he was an hour and 15 minutes late. But they were so so hopeful and inspired. I felt like I was in a church. Even little children were moved. I knocked on doors in Virginia this last month and talked to a lot of people and also on the phone in Iowa and Pennsylvannia. Some undecided. Some for McCain. Even some Obama people hung up on me. But the Obama voters were all excited and hopeful even in the face of this horrible depression. And the undecideds and leaning-McCain voters all felt wretched. I feel compassion for them. Because to be without hope in our time right now is scary. Walking around DC all day yesterday was amazing. People were so happy. Strangers were talking to each other and hoking at each other. Last night was insane! People ran up to cars to hug other people. Everyone was crying. It was like being in a European city during the World Cup. He gave a great speech last night. I loved the part when he said … “the true strength of our nation comes not from the might of our arms, or the scale of our wealth but from the enduring power of our ideals democracy, liberty and opportunity and unyielding hope.”
Maradonalds on November 5, 2008 ·
Martín,
As basketball TV people say: You nailed it!
Congratulations for this post.
Stephen G on November 5, 2008 ·
Anne,
>> I felt like I was in a church.
YOU nailed it.
Hopefully there will be tolerance for us non-believers.
Gustavo L on November 6, 2008 ·
Last night was one of those moments that you will always remember where you were when the media announced that Obama was declared the victor. My wife and I sat and watched both MSNBC & FOX to get a sense of the impact from two outlets that are complete opposite.
I can honestly say that I had positive chills running through my body. Of course, knowing how difficult Obama’s tasks are going to be is frightening. On the other hand watching my wife literally cry with tears of joy is what makes one appreciate the magnitude of this election.
The press releases I’ve read across the globe from different governments bodies signifies that real change was needed in America. Now we can start to rebuild our financial system while also reaching out to great allies of the past that this current administration has turned its back on.
Yes, the world is flat!
GORA OBAMA!! in IDAHO on November 6, 2008 ·
Boise Mayor Dave Bieter leads the crowd in a Basque chant for Barack: “Gora Obama! Gora Obama!” Barack Obama won over 80% of the votes both in Ada County and Idaho. Gora Obama!
Mayor Bieter gave a speech supporting Barack Obama at the Ada County (Boise, ID) caucus on Super Tuesday. State turnout was over 20,000 (4 times the number of people who caucused in the last record caucus in 2004). Obama won Idaho with 80% of votes to Clinton’s 17%. Sorry for the video quality, I was excited.
GORA OBAMA!! in IDAHO on November 6, 2008 ·
I forgot to put the link
Peter on November 6, 2008 ·
I was for Obama because of his message too, but I was astonished not by the absote percentage, but by results that show black people where really racist and discriminatory towards the white candidate. I really can`t believe that the black americans voted so massively 96% for a black man. I supose, Amercian people still have a long way to go, and as most of us white men today, look further than the colour of the skin. The percentage should have been the same independently of race and gender, and not so dispar. Agree?
Eric on November 6, 2008 ·
Just remember that more white people voted for Barack Obama than they did for Al Gore, John Kerry, or even Bill Clinton.
It was the first time since Jimmy Carter that a Democrat got over 50% of the vote. Even though Bill Clinton had a large number of electoral votes in 1992 and 96, Obama got a higher percentage of the popular votes than Clinton ever did.
That the spread may seem small is a question of perception. We still live in a time of sharply divided political ideologies, regardless of the names on the ballot.
And for Peter, to call blacks racist for not voting for the Republican is utterly absurd. The Republican platform is not blatantly racist, but the all white face of the party and small town, creamy whiteness of its rhetoric has alienated not only blacks but has also disenfranchised other minorities. It’s a gamble that is not smart for the long term.
Peter on November 10, 2008 ·
@eric: I understand your reaction. I don’t know the US nor your political parties. What I commented is the impression I got just by seeing the numbers from an outside country where people really don’t care about your skin colour. So according to you, those percentages have more to do with the republican party than the american people? ok
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Rafa Garcia on November 5, 2008 ·
The first step is taken. Let´s inject some optimism in this frightened humanity of today.