I've made a point not to say too much about the American presidential primaries – partly because it was still such an open question, and partly because everyone else was busily going on about it and I felt I didn't have much to add. But I'm glad that it looks like Barak Obama will be the Democratic candidate.
Apart from the appeal of having a female presidential candidate, I was never a fan of Hillary. Maybe I'm guilty of blindly swallowing all of the rhetoric, but it seems like Obama might really be a force for change and renewal, and Hillary was just another party machine-man, albeit a female one. There is some intrinsic appeal in the idea of an Obama-Clinton ticket, even as unlikely as it might be, but I think that, in light of the open warfare between the parties for the primary, it would probably never work. I suspect that the best option would be for Hillary to quickly admit defeat and drop out of the process, allowing all of the Democrat resources to focus on Obama. Whether or not she can do that will be, I think, a clear test of her character – but I fear that her ambition might be greater than her concern for the damage she will do to her party.
I even feel pleased that there is a pretty credible Republican candidate in McCain. He's not an obvious idiot like Bush, or an obvious bible-basher like some of the other potentials. He's not exactly a moderate, but he's shown that he has a considered opinion on many of the crucial Republican issues, rather than blindly following the party line. From the perspective of a citizen of the world, I think Obama would make a much better president than McCain, but I don't think McCain will be nearly as bad as Bush. Given that I have no say in the outcome, it's not as bad as it could be.
Importantly, a Obama vs McCain presidential battle has something that Australian politics currently seems to lack: a clear distinction between the policies held by the parties. It's not as significant a difference as it used to be, but it's not simply a case of two equally timid conservative economic rationalists like it seems now to be here.
I'm sure that, even if elected, Obama will inevitably disapoint the true believers. I think America's problems are fundamental and systemic, and not something that can be solved in one or two terms, even by someone who is committed to solving them. I suspect that his presidency will be as polarising as Bush's was – with the added race dimension. Still, I'm looking forward to the chance for it to happen.
Apart from the appeal of having a female presidential candidate, I was never a fan of Hillary. Maybe I'm guilty of blindly swallowing all of the rhetoric, but it seems like Obama might really be a force for change and renewal, and Hillary was just another party machine-man, albeit a female one. There is some intrinsic appeal in the idea of an Obama-Clinton ticket, even as unlikely as it might be, but I think that, in light of the open warfare between the parties for the primary, it would probably never work. I suspect that the best option would be for Hillary to quickly admit defeat and drop out of the process, allowing all of the Democrat resources to focus on Obama. Whether or not she can do that will be, I think, a clear test of her character – but I fear that her ambition might be greater than her concern for the damage she will do to her party.
I even feel pleased that there is a pretty credible Republican candidate in McCain. He's not an obvious idiot like Bush, or an obvious bible-basher like some of the other potentials. He's not exactly a moderate, but he's shown that he has a considered opinion on many of the crucial Republican issues, rather than blindly following the party line. From the perspective of a citizen of the world, I think Obama would make a much better president than McCain, but I don't think McCain will be nearly as bad as Bush. Given that I have no say in the outcome, it's not as bad as it could be.
Importantly, a Obama vs McCain presidential battle has something that Australian politics currently seems to lack: a clear distinction between the policies held by the parties. It's not as significant a difference as it used to be, but it's not simply a case of two equally timid conservative economic rationalists like it seems now to be here.
I'm sure that, even if elected, Obama will inevitably disapoint the true believers. I think America's problems are fundamental and systemic, and not something that can be solved in one or two terms, even by someone who is committed to solving them. I suspect that his presidency will be as polarising as Bush's was – with the added race dimension. Still, I'm looking forward to the chance for it to happen.
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