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El Pais, Spain

Barack Obama 'Has Already Triumphed'

"The doomsayers have already begun to sow doubt about how long that star will shine … But whatever happens from now on, Obama has already triumphed. His name will forever be written in the history books as the African-American that saved the political class at a crucial moment."

By Antonio Caño

Translated By Fernando Uribe

January 5, 2008

Spain - El Pais - Original Article (Spanish)

In life it seems that each moment of hope is offset by doomsayers that remind us that logic always triumphs, that the strong always prevail, and that dreams are just that, dreams. This is also the case in politics. Those lights that sometimes ignite spontaneously here and there are almost always snuffed out by the power of those that count most: the machinery of the political parties or other interests. Last Thursday a new star was born in the United States, but the doomsayers have already begun to sow doubt about how long that star will shine.

They are correct in that this is a long race in which Barack Obama isn't supported by any of the main centers of power in the Democratic Party, that he is far behind in the polls in Florida and New York, that he hasn't generated enough trust among Hispanics to win California, and that it will take a lot to convince voters in the White racist states of the south.

The doomsayers are correct that electors like to flirt with novelty but in the end tend to get behind what is familiar to them. They reason that Obama is young, that he is Black, and that it's still too difficult to pronounce these eight words in English: The President of the United States, Barack Obama.

All of that is true. But this is Obama’s moment and that can’t be taken away by anyone. Obama has already made an invaluable contribution to United States society by giving it back the passion and hope so squandered by the obscurantism  of the last two administrations.

Whatever happens from now on, Obama has already triumphed. His name will forever be written in the history books as the African-American that saved the political class at a crucial moment.

But it's also possible that the doomsayers are mistaken and that the chapter dedicated to Obama will be much longer. The traditional tools of political calculation aren't valid in this case; here we are confronting a new phenomenon. Something is happening that is difficult to measure, something that can be seen on the streets, something that's felt when attending an Obama event or when one speaks to his followers, but it is difficult to analyze and even harder to explain.

Has the political orientation of the voters changed? Somewhat, but that's not it. Has the time come for a Black man to occupy the White House? Perhaps - but that’s not it either. We are not simply witnessing an understandable increase in left-wing voters after eight years of extreme right government. Neither are we facing a renewed push from civil rights groups with new complaints against the White majority.

It's something different from all that. It would be difficult to categorize Obama as a leftist in terms common to the European left, and he's clearly not a follower of the civil rights movement. Obama is, as it happens sometimes, a figure that appears when the country is calling for something new, sufficiently progressive, adequately independent, and close enough to lead the way toward change without risking a rupture, so that the partisan divisions suffered during past years can be overcome and a majority of the nation can be brought together.

Here Obama has also triumphed. His message that there is no red or blue [America] has permeated. Anyone who wants to be president of the United States from this point on cannot forget that point. This country has suffered much during these past years which have been full of bitter political confrontation and near hatred among adversaries, brought on primarily as a result of the Iraq War. That division has hurt Hillary Clinton, who the press has pigeonholed as a polarizing figure. Clinton herself spoke very conciliatory tones during her last speech in Iowa.

The North American people want to be rid of George W. Bush and forget that period, but they don’t want to do it by replacing him with the opposite side of the same coin, thereby generating new hatred and new resentment from the defeated. They want to begin a new period in their history, and Obama seems tailor-made to lead the way.

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