Palin
Thoughts on the US Election
05/11/08 19:36 Filed in: Politics
I don't think anyone who knows me will be surprised
to read that I was very pleased by the results of the
US Presidential election held yesterday. Despite
having a very bad day pain-wise, I stayed up long
enough to watch Barack Obama's speech on the basis
that this is indeed history in the making and an
excellent step toward rehabilitating the reputation
of the United States in my own mind and, apparently,
in the minds of many people around the world.
Like so many people, I have been impressed with Mr. Obama since day one, since he first stepped into the ring to take on Hilary Clinton for the Democratic nomination. Mr. Obama is a thoughtful, intelligent and well-spoken man who seems to have a strong moral compass. He comes across to me as a peace-maker and a bridge-builder but I also think those in the world who think they might be able to push him around are going to get a very powerful surprise.
I look forward to the coming four years with a lot more hope than I have had in recent days, especially since my own country re-elected a conservative Bush-ite in Stephen Harper. Mr. Obama faces significant challenges — it's amazing to think of the fairly strong state the US was in when Bush stole power compared to the disastrous condition in which Bush leaves it to his successor — and his road will not be easy. The level of expectation he has engendered in all Americans will probably not help him as he tries to clean up Bush's significant messes. He's going to disappoint people, not because he will do a bad job but because no one, no matter who they are, will be able to turn things around overnight.
I wish Mr. Obama well as he works to turn America around and, with it, the world.
All of that being said, I feel completely put off by the self-congratulatory tone taken on since the election was decided by the American media (especially CNN, whose coverage I watched last night). They are talking as if the election of Barack Obama as President has, in a single stroke, eliminated the huge problems of racism, homophobia, Islamaphobia and all other forms of discrimination in America. Mr. Obama's election is a huge step but the campaign itself proved that there are many reasons to continue to be concerned about the climate for certain communities in the US:
1. Mr. Obama himself had to fight off rumours that he was Muslim in order to be considered an electable candidate. The assumption was clear: if he was in any way associated with Islam, he would not and could not be elected. And the Republicans used the nation's Islamaphobic streak as a weapon against him. I was disappointed, as well, with how Mr. Obama dealt with this issue. In going out of his way to prove he was a Christian with no ties to Islam, he failed completely to address the abhorrent underlying premise: that it is inherently wrong and evil to be Muslim. I would have liked to have seen him stand up and state clearly: Though I myself am not Muslim, it is unacceptable to suggest that, if I were, I would be less worthy a candidate in this election.
2. In the same vein, Elizabeth Dole attempted to undermine her opponent in the race for the Senate in North Carolina by claiming that her opponent was "godless", had received funding support from a "godless" group and had publicly stated that "there is no God". Thankfully, Dole's efforts failed miserably and she lost the election.
3. Several state-level ballot initiatives that were clearly designed to undermine the rights of the Queer Community were successful: CNN reports that both Arizona and Florida voted in favour of propositions that would define marriage as being between a man and a woman, thus banning equal (or same-sex) marriage; fifty-seven percent of Arkansas voters supported a ban on adoption by unmarried people, a measure clearly aimed at queer couples who are not allowed to marry in Arkansas; and the California initiative to ban equal marriage was still too close to call at last report (CNN's video report said it had passed while its print report said it failed — update note, it is now reported that the California initiative passed and equal marriage will no longer be allowed in California. I find it absolutely unfathomable that the fundamental human rights of vulnerable communities are actually put to a vote in the States, where the majority of the community can actually vote to treat others as lesser human beings. Unbelievable.).
4. CNN reporter Carol Costello, who filed the video report on the state-level ballot initiatives, seemed to think that this assault on the rights of the Queer Community was a joking matter, reporting on it in the same giggling tone of voice one might report on a hot-dog-eating competition.
5. One of CNN's analysts on election night (sorry, I don't now his name) responded to the Obama victory by suggesting that at least it would mean that people can no longer complain that they have been prevented from doing something or faced discrimination or harassment on the basis of their race. Fifty-three percent of Americans voted for Mr. Obama — that fact alone does not mean that racism is now erased from American culture. In fact, I would expect to see a strong racist backlash in the coming months, a backlash which already started to rear its ugly head during the campaign.
The fact that a man with a black father has been elected President does not, in one stroke, change the overwhelming whiteness of the American establishment, nor does it result in a sudden change of heart by the white people who have enjoyed power for as long as the country has existed. The people of America elected Mr. Obama, yes, but the people of American will not be there in the halls of power when Mr. Obama face all the subtle forms of racism he is bound to encounter.
I am impressed with Mr. Obama but I fear that, even though he already faces one of the toughest tasks ever put before an incoming US President, his job will be made even more difficult by the racism (in its many and often subtle forms) he will face as he attempts to address the massive problems Bush has left for him. And he will be under incredible scrutiny — both from the people who support him and want him to succeed and from the people who are hoping, deep in their hearts, that he fails miserably.
It's no easy task he's taken on. Let's just hope his friends keep in mind the challenges he faces and his enemies keep in mind the good of the country they purport to love.
Like so many people, I have been impressed with Mr. Obama since day one, since he first stepped into the ring to take on Hilary Clinton for the Democratic nomination. Mr. Obama is a thoughtful, intelligent and well-spoken man who seems to have a strong moral compass. He comes across to me as a peace-maker and a bridge-builder but I also think those in the world who think they might be able to push him around are going to get a very powerful surprise.
I look forward to the coming four years with a lot more hope than I have had in recent days, especially since my own country re-elected a conservative Bush-ite in Stephen Harper. Mr. Obama faces significant challenges — it's amazing to think of the fairly strong state the US was in when Bush stole power compared to the disastrous condition in which Bush leaves it to his successor — and his road will not be easy. The level of expectation he has engendered in all Americans will probably not help him as he tries to clean up Bush's significant messes. He's going to disappoint people, not because he will do a bad job but because no one, no matter who they are, will be able to turn things around overnight.
I wish Mr. Obama well as he works to turn America around and, with it, the world.
All of that being said, I feel completely put off by the self-congratulatory tone taken on since the election was decided by the American media (especially CNN, whose coverage I watched last night). They are talking as if the election of Barack Obama as President has, in a single stroke, eliminated the huge problems of racism, homophobia, Islamaphobia and all other forms of discrimination in America. Mr. Obama's election is a huge step but the campaign itself proved that there are many reasons to continue to be concerned about the climate for certain communities in the US:
1. Mr. Obama himself had to fight off rumours that he was Muslim in order to be considered an electable candidate. The assumption was clear: if he was in any way associated with Islam, he would not and could not be elected. And the Republicans used the nation's Islamaphobic streak as a weapon against him. I was disappointed, as well, with how Mr. Obama dealt with this issue. In going out of his way to prove he was a Christian with no ties to Islam, he failed completely to address the abhorrent underlying premise: that it is inherently wrong and evil to be Muslim. I would have liked to have seen him stand up and state clearly: Though I myself am not Muslim, it is unacceptable to suggest that, if I were, I would be less worthy a candidate in this election.
2. In the same vein, Elizabeth Dole attempted to undermine her opponent in the race for the Senate in North Carolina by claiming that her opponent was "godless", had received funding support from a "godless" group and had publicly stated that "there is no God". Thankfully, Dole's efforts failed miserably and she lost the election.
3. Several state-level ballot initiatives that were clearly designed to undermine the rights of the Queer Community were successful: CNN reports that both Arizona and Florida voted in favour of propositions that would define marriage as being between a man and a woman, thus banning equal (or same-sex) marriage; fifty-seven percent of Arkansas voters supported a ban on adoption by unmarried people, a measure clearly aimed at queer couples who are not allowed to marry in Arkansas; and the California initiative to ban equal marriage was still too close to call at last report (CNN's video report said it had passed while its print report said it failed — update note, it is now reported that the California initiative passed and equal marriage will no longer be allowed in California. I find it absolutely unfathomable that the fundamental human rights of vulnerable communities are actually put to a vote in the States, where the majority of the community can actually vote to treat others as lesser human beings. Unbelievable.).
4. CNN reporter Carol Costello, who filed the video report on the state-level ballot initiatives, seemed to think that this assault on the rights of the Queer Community was a joking matter, reporting on it in the same giggling tone of voice one might report on a hot-dog-eating competition.
5. One of CNN's analysts on election night (sorry, I don't now his name) responded to the Obama victory by suggesting that at least it would mean that people can no longer complain that they have been prevented from doing something or faced discrimination or harassment on the basis of their race. Fifty-three percent of Americans voted for Mr. Obama — that fact alone does not mean that racism is now erased from American culture. In fact, I would expect to see a strong racist backlash in the coming months, a backlash which already started to rear its ugly head during the campaign.
The fact that a man with a black father has been elected President does not, in one stroke, change the overwhelming whiteness of the American establishment, nor does it result in a sudden change of heart by the white people who have enjoyed power for as long as the country has existed. The people of America elected Mr. Obama, yes, but the people of American will not be there in the halls of power when Mr. Obama face all the subtle forms of racism he is bound to encounter.
I am impressed with Mr. Obama but I fear that, even though he already faces one of the toughest tasks ever put before an incoming US President, his job will be made even more difficult by the racism (in its many and often subtle forms) he will face as he attempts to address the massive problems Bush has left for him. And he will be under incredible scrutiny — both from the people who support him and want him to succeed and from the people who are hoping, deep in their hearts, that he fails miserably.
It's no easy task he's taken on. Let's just hope his friends keep in mind the challenges he faces and his enemies keep in mind the good of the country they purport to love.