Prepare
Yourselves for a 'Spectacular' Political Campaign
"Don't expect a duel
between the young guy and the villain in the style of the best American
Western. The choice between Obama and McCain is not between right and left,
between good and evil, between progress and backwardness, or between liberal
and conservative. … It's a formidable display from a country that has seen some
of its best traditions - amongst them tolerance, freedom of the individual and
opportunity for all - slaughtered by almost a decade of Bushism. Even McCain
recognizes that."
Barack Obama could seem young
to be a candidate for the presidency of the United States, but for someone who
wrote an autobiography at the age of 33 - as he did - he seems mature enough. Dreams
of my Father is a very expressive document from someone who spent the
majority of his adolescence trying to understand who he is, and at 27, what it
means to be ready for life. And, as brilliantly defined by The New York
Times, he remains a man that is “capable of inspiring devotion in
supporters and is inscrutable to critics .”
Never underestimate Obama, as
Hillary Clinton did, and never underestimate his Republican adversary, John
McCain, a war hero who is tougher, stronger, more loyal and more courageous than
any character from an epic film. Obama and McCain are living examples of
important political lessons, especially the ability to survive and cling to a
perspective. But in the United States today, perhaps the life story of Obama
will be better-able to convince voters.
ELECTION PARODY FUN: RED STATE
HILLARY UPDATE
Obama is considered a
political phenom, American sociologists say, especially given the
transformations that American society is going through. These are profound
changes brought about by immigrants and Blacks, and in the figure of Obama,
some argue, is focused the notion of some type of “justice.” This is clearly
not a characterization that can be safely applied to election forecasts. But in
the broadest sense, it is a political characterization.
Obama's inscrutableness, his
critics note, is knowing exactly what he wants. Some of the political and
psychological profiles of Obama (like the excellent The Conciliator,
from Larissa MacFarquhar published in the New Yorker on May 7, 2007 ) show a
personality that almost always abandons anger and protest in favor of conciliation
and harmony. But what does that mean when one thinks about Iraq? Or into what
proposals when thinking about the Doha Round [World Trade Talks ?]
Or about immigration?
Posted by WORLDMEETS.US
Again here, friends of Obama
prefer to point to his historical role, or even better, the historical role
that he represents. In this sense, when judging him as a figure, what he says
or does is less important than what is crystallized in his political and social
biography. It's an interesting point for sociologists, anthropologists and
political scientists, but it's going to create some work for journalists and
diplomats, who are the people most interested in predicting what will happen in
the short term.
On the day that Obama seized
the Democratic nomination (Tuesday, June 3), Jornal da Globo began
telling readers to prepare for a spectacular political campaign. Here, however,
is a note of caution. Don't expect a duel between the young guy and the villain
in the style of the best American Western. The choice between Obama and McCain
is not between right and left, between good and evil, between progress and
backwardness, or between liberal and conservative.
It's a formidable display
from a country that has seen some of its best traditions - amongst them
tolerance, freedom of the individual and opportunity for all - slaughtered by
almost a decade of Bushism. Even McCain recognizes that.
