[The Telegraph, U.K.]
La Jornada, Mexico
Obama the Only
'Surgeon' Capable of Excising 'Bushism'
"It's worth remembering that
in the Republic founded in 1776 by White slave-owners, the famous phrase, 'All
men are created equal' didn't apply even remotely to Blacks. … The United
States will not emerge from its deep structural crisis or its demented
warmongering course without major surgery."
By Ángel Guerra Cabrera
Translated By Douglas Myles Rasmussen
June 5, 2008
Mexico
- La Jornada - Original Article (Spanish)
An unusual event has occurred
that no one would have dared imagine six months ago let alone a year ago, when
Hillary Rodham Clinton appeared certain to be the Democratic Party candidate for
the presidency of the United States. Barak Hussein Obama,
of mixed race and 46 years old, son of a Kenyan Muslim and a White woman born
in Kansas, has surpassed the number of delegates needed to be nominated for
that position, which was supposedly predestined to be the noble title of his
rival, the cream of the crop of the imperial elite, who - of course - still
hasn't recognized defeat.
The mere fact - which now
appears unstoppable - that someone “of color” could for the first time reach
that position in the land of the stars and stripes, should be regarded as a
very significant and progressive change in the attitudes of millions in the
United States. This is even more remarkable since it's happening in the midst
of - or more likely as a rejection of - the unprecedented ultraconservative,
anti-populist, warmongering wave established in the eight long years with Bush
in the White House.
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Thomas Jefferson: He and most of the founders were slaveowners who may have planted the seeds of equality - but fell far short of making it a reality.
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It's worth remembering that
in the Republic founded in 1776 by White slave-owners, the famous phrase, “All
men are created equal” didn't apply even remotely to Blacks. Almost another
century had to pass before the Civil War did away with slavery, but not racism
or discrimination, which continued unimpeded up to 60s of the twentieth
century. And this was despite significant reforms having been achieved by the
determined struggle of African Americans and progressive Whites. Even today,
racism remains a serious social and cultural scourge that marginalizes a
significant portion of the African-origin population. There remain more than a
few Whites who claim that they would “never” vote for a Black man for the
highest government post.
Posted by WORLDMEETS.US
But there are other equally
substantive reasons that make Obama a very interesting and completely new
phenomenon in the U.S. political history. Although this young, charismatic and
intelligent politician is part of - and is a product of - the system, important
details of his career and his style of communication make him atypical. A
brilliant law student at Harvard, he preferred civil rights activism to the
comfort of a renowned law firm, which drove him to win successive seats as a congressman
and senator in the Illinois state legislature, and immediately thereafter in
the exclusive Senate in Washington, where he is currently the only Black.
But the thing that's really
unique about Obama is his capacity to mobilize millions of young people who
have been absent from politics in recent decades, and make them believe in the
possibility that with their participation, change can be achieved; the Internet
has helped him put together large networks of support. Reluctant to accept donations
from corporations, a large part of his funding comes from a multitude of small
contributions of his supporters, an stunning feat in a U.S. election campaign.
His domestic agenda has clear
social overtones which have long been absent from the politics of the country
to the north. In wanting to scale back the irritating tax privileges of the
wealthy, he values work and the worker as the source of wealth creation. On the
international level, he has not compromised on his call for a complete
withdrawal from Iraq, but his rhetoric on Iran, Palestine, Cuba, Venezuela and
Latin America has been kept within the margins of the system. Yet his stance is
far from the aggressiveness of Bush/McCain, and he has offered to talk to Raul
Castro, Hugo Chavez and Mahmoud Ahmedinejad.
The United States will not
emerge from its deep structural crisis or its demented warmongering course
without major surgery, even within the system. That requires first and foremost
the dismantling of Bushism - a difficult task that will
take awhile, and Obama is the only candidate with the support and the
indispensable social energy to do it … provided they let him reach the White
House.
aguerra_123@yahoo.com.mx
CLICK HERE FOR SPANISH
VERSION
THE WORLD OPINES ON OBAMA:
ASIA
The Jakarta Post, Indonesia
For
Indonesians, Obama is 'Everyone's Son or Friend'
http://worldmeets.us/thejakartapost000003.shtml
EUROPE [from French, Spanish, German,
Portuguese]
Le
Figaro, France
Obama: One 'Cannot
Praise America Enough'
http://worldmeets.us/lefigaro0000216.shtml
Le
Monde, France
Regardless of Who Wins, the American
Exception is Eternal
http://worldmeets.us/challenges000001.shtml
Le
Monde, France
American
Elections: Cause for Hope and for Disappointment
http://worldmeets.us/lemonde0000176.shtml
Le
Monde, France
'Obamania Sweeps France'
http://worldmeets.us/lemonde0000175.shtml
Liberation,
France
Obama: 'A Man
Who Will Restore America's Image in the World'
http://worldmeets.us/liberation000102.shtml
Liberation,
France
If Barack
Obama Becomes U.S. President …
http://worldmeets.us/liberation000103.shtml
Le
Figaro, France
Democrats
in France Impassioned Over Party Primary Race
http://worldmeets.us/lefigaro0000194.shtml
Die Zeit, Germany
'Obama is No Savior'
http://worldmeets.us/diezeit000028.shtml
Frankfurter Rundschau, Germany
'Lincoln,
Kennedy, Obama'
http://worldmeets.us/frankfurterrundschau000020.shtml
Financial
Times Deutschland, Germany
Obama's
Run: The 'Miracle' of America that Could Change the World
http://worldmeets.us/financialtimesdeutschland000060.shtml
Financial
Times Deutschland, Germany
Clinton
and Obama - Please Stop Them!
http://worldmeets.us/financialtimesdeutschland000059.shtml
Financial
Times Deutschland, Germany
2008
a High-Stakes U.S. Election Year for Europe
http://worldmeets.us/financialtimesdeutschland000048.shtml
Financial
Times Deutschland, Germany
Hillary's
Quest: Between Tears and the Throne …
http://worldmeets.us/financialtimesdeutschland000050.shtml
La Stampa, Italy
At
Parade of Blacks, Boos for Hillary and Applause for Obama
http://worldmeets.us/lastampa000013.shtml
Diario Economico, Portugal
Definitively,
Barack Obama is the Candidate of Europe …
http://worldmeets.us/diarioeconomico000014.shtml
Diario Economico, Portugal
‘I Got a
Crush on Obama’
http://worldmeets.us/diarioeconomico000012.shtml
THE MIDDLE
EAST [from Arabic]
Al
Gomhuria, Egypt
Can a
Muslim-Born Negro Be America's President? ...
http://worldmeets.us/algomhuria000007.shtml
AFRICA
[English]
The Daily Nation, Kenya
Why Africa Exults at Obama's Victory
http://worldmeets.us/dailynationka000005.shtml
Liberal,
Cape Verde
Obama: Good Luck Handling the
'Pitfalls'
http://worldmeets.us/liberal000001.shtml
This
Day, Nigeria
How
Far Can Obama Go?
http://worldmeets.us/thisday000003.shtml
Business Day, South Africa
Why
American Blacks May Be Obama's Great Problem
http://worldmeets.us/buisinessdaysa000001.shtml
LATIN
AMERICA [from Spanish]
BBC Brasil, Brazil
Obama's Victory: Reason to Believe in a Better World ...
http://worldmeets.us/bbcbrazil000003.shtml
Folha, Brazil
The
U.S. Presidential Election: The Greatest Show on Earth …
http://worldmeets.us/folha000004.shtml
Los Andes, Argentina
'Se Puede!'
http://worldmeets.us/losandes000002.shtml
Excelsior, Mexico
With Either Hillary or Obama, 'We All Win' ...
http://worldmeets.us/excelsior000011.shtml
El Tiempo, Colombia
What
Barack Obama Says About the United States …
http://worldmeets.us/eltiempo000045.shtml
El Tiempo, Colombia
What
Hillary Clinton Shows About the Status of Women
http://worldmeets.us/eltiempo000046.shtml
[Posted by WORLDMEETS.US June 8, 4:46am]
