[Le Temps, Switzerland]
[Click for Jumbo Version]
La Jornada, Mexico
A Dire Midterm Result
for the U.S. and the World
"What
happened yesterday in the United States is the triumphal return of political
and social conservatism, vanquished in 2008 in such an overwhelming fashion
that it seemed to have been a rout of lasting consequences. This will have
negative consequences for the U.S., and unfortunately, for the rest of the
world."
EDITORIAL
Translated By Halszka Czarnocka
October 3, 2010
Mexico - La Jornada - Original Article
(Spanish)
Yesterday's midterm elections
in the United States brought devastating results for the party of President
Barack Obama. Although the worst case scenario failed to materialize - the loss
of a Democratic majority in both houses of the Congress - the Republicans
gained control of the House of Representatives and took over several
governorships. This means, in fact, the end of the political momentum that the
current President rode two years ago, and the beginning of a period of fading
expectations for change he incited during his presidential campaign.
Beyond strictly partisan
boundaries, what happened yesterday in the United States is the triumphal return
of political and social conservatism, vanquished in 2008 in such an
overwhelming fashion that it seemed to have been a rout of lasting
consequences. The inevitable conclusion is that the vacillations and
inconsistencies of Obama himself over the first two years of his term, as well
as the stubborn resistance organized against him on the ground by the so-called
Tea Party, culminated in a severe failure of the progressive movement, proponents
of the welfare state, the secular sector, women, ethnic and sexual minorities,
migrants, workers and in general, groups that are less favored economically and
socially.
Indeed, if the first
African-American president hasn't managed to carry out a substantial part of
his program of change while the House of Representatives was dominated by his
fellow Democrats, it seems impossible that in the second half of his term, and
with the House under Republican control, he might make significant strides on
the tortuous road that so many aspects of U.S. society demand.
Posted by WORLDMEETS.US
A bleak but unavoidable prospect
is that for the next two years, with a president trapped in foreign policy by
his own ideological inertia, with corporate powers that have obstructed his
agenda for change and predominantly Republican lower house, the broad informal
coalition that brought Obama to power in 2008 will dissolve in discouragement.
Another equally significant result
of yesterday's elections in terms of measuring the mood of U.S. citizens was
the sound defeat in California of an initiative to legalize marijuana, which had
been submitted to a referendum. According to the polls, it was rejected by 57
percent of voters. Thus a door was closed to the possibility of exploring a way
to combat addiction and drug trafficking that would be different from the
current ban and police persecution - methods that have already shown their
complete ineffectiveness.
To sum up, a majority of U.S.
society expressed its rejection of these changes and left the country without a
way to deal with the evil, misery and distortions that inflict it economically,
politically and socially. The triumph of conservatism and the failure of Obama will
have negative consequences for the United States, and unfortunately, for the
rest of the world.
SEE ALSO ON THIS:
Le Monde, France:
Charting the Tortured
Path of the Tea Party
Le Figaro, France:
Tea Party: An 'American
Fever' that Will Quicky Pass
Wen Wei Po, Hong Kong:
Blaming China Led Obama
to Midterm Defeat
Le Temps, Switzerland:
Obama Pays Big for Anemic Growth
News, Switzerland:
Obama: Don't Bargain with Your 'Political Assassins'
La Jornada, Mexico:
Obama 'Bit Off More than He Could Chew'
Le Temps, Switzerland:
Cheap Advice for President Obama
Tageblatt, Luxembourg:
Prepare for 'Tea Time' in America
El Pais, Spain:
As U.S. Exposes its Divisions, China Powers Ahead
Global Times, China:
The West is Forming an 'Axis of Evil Ideology'
Hispanidad, Spain:
How Spain Can Build its Own Tea Party: Copy Palin
El Universal, Mexico:
Immigration Reform: Obama's Ace in the Hole
Le Temps, Switzerland:
America's 'Cry of Agony' Through the Tea Party
Izvestia, Russia:
Evil Obama and China's Yuan: It's About the Midterms
Liberation, France:
Christine O’Donnell at the 'Oral Stage'
Financial Times Deutschland, Germany:
West Must Halt Slide Since 9-11
El Mercurio, Spain:
The 'Neo-Nazi' Campaign Against President Obama
El Mundo, Spain:
Beck and Palin Search for Mythical 'Paradise Lost'
Der Standard, Austria:
In Despair Over Democracy - Both America's and Ours
National Post, Canada:
U.S. Democracy Suffers 'Death By Talk-Show Host'
La Jornada, Mexico:
Beck and the New U.S.-Right: 'Like a Horror Movie'
Iraq News Agency, Iraq:
Sarah Palin: The 'Seductress' of the American Election
CLICK HERE FOR SPANISH VERSION
[Posted by
WORLDMEETS.US November 4, 10:49pm]
