Obamarama

[peteryoung]

Four years ago on George W.P.E. Bush's re-election I briefly posted something along the lines of 'Global depression sets in'. And it baffles me how, this time around, anyone could in all seriousness vote for such an angry and desperate man as John McCain.

So, many congratulations to all my American friends on Obama's emphatic win, and let's look forward to the return of some political Common Sense and the rejection of the kind of negative leadership that brought about some things as low and undignifying to the world as the invasion of Iraq and the horrors of Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib.

And with such a return of confidence, I expect it's possible the world can head off a global economic depression aswell. I hope this sudden momentum will last a good while longer.

Comments

[maryread.livejournal.com]

At least when he tells us the bad news, it will be in complete and well-crafted sentences!!!

What a relief that is to contemplate.

[twinfair.livejournal.com]

Sadly, it looks like Proposition 8 and the others are going to pass albeit with a much much smaller majority that last time the issue was voted on (just over 51% in favour by the looks of it). SF voted hugely against (big surprise!), LA split 50:50 and rural CA voted heavily in favour).

[peteyoung.livejournal.com]

Another one of those northern vs. southern Californian differences, like when Schwarzenegger became Governor.

[the-magician.livejournal.com]

Someone did post a fairly analytical reasoning why people were voting for McCain.

I can't remember all the points but they included:
1) always voted Republican, don't trust Democrats
2) Democrats will raise taxes and bring in socialism
3) It's the middle of a war, we need a soldier with long political experience in charge, not a one-term pacifist who will make the wrong choices and make America look weak, hence inviting more terrorism etc.
4) He's white (some blatant racism, some cultural racism, some reactionary to "balance those voting for Obama *because* he's black ... that's not enough reason to vote someone in, so we have to vote the other way to balance things"
5) Palin is female (picking up the Hilary Clinton female demographic)
6) McCain is for supporting agriculture and rural areas and "American values of Joe Six-Pack/Joe the Plumber", Obama is a Chicago urban who will promote the liberal urban agenda and so farms and small towns will suffer under Obama (see where the Red states are!)
7) Obama would tighten gun control, and in an uncertain world with terrorism etc. an American's home is his arsenal
8) The American dream is being rich, and McCain is supportive of the rich keeping money, so as long as I think I will be rich one day, I'm in favour of treating the rich well ... (that was one I'd not heard of before, but it does make a weird sense!)
9) McCain has proved his patriotism by serving in the military and his strength by surviving the POW camp, he is an "American Hero"(tm) and so "deserves" the Oval Office.
10) The US political system works in "checks and balances" and the most important of those is the three sections of Executive, Judicial and Legislative. The President has the power to veto Congressional laws and appoint Supreme Court Justices ... having a Democrat Congress (both houses) and a Democrat President means that laws could be pushed through without the Republican voters being represented. As Republicans feel that the Democrats make the wrong choices when it comes to taxes, foreign policy, healthcare, trade, etc. etc. they want someone in the White House who will veto the worst excesses, and so it has to be the Republican candidate, no matter how "angry and desperate" because the alternative is so much worse ...
11) Like the animal poachers who say "yes we know they are
endangered, but I need to feed my family *today*" ... there are many Americans who understand that global climate change requires one course of action, but at the same time want their cheap gas, cheap imports etc. ... and someone that promises they can have their 401(k)s back and gas back to $2/gallon will get a lot of votes, even if achieving it dooms the planet long term.

I'm sure there's more ... and I don't agree with many of those points ... but it wasn't a simple black & white decision (if you will pardon the deliberate pun), there were many reasons why Americans would choose to vote for McCain ... and I know a few who did ... but the vast majority of my US friends are indeed educated, urban, liberal, (small "L", large "L" is an insult apparently!) Democrats who oppose the war, worry about global climate etc. and so they (plus most of the rest of the world) don't see why people would vote for McCain.
For example see The Ferett

Don't know if that helps, but I think it explains why so many Americans voted for McCain/The Republican Candidate