America's 44th President
Barack Obama has extended his lead over Hilary Clinton and will beat John McCain in the November election by focusing on domestic policy and 'working families'.
Barack Obama – the black, gifted and charismatic junior Senator from the US State of Illinois – will be America's 44th President.
I might be wrong, but doubt it. It's not such a big call. This morning – by convincingly winning the North Carolina primary and probably just losing the Indiana primary – he increased his lead over Hillary Clinton. He is now less than 200 delegates away from formally winning his party's nomination.
The mathematics is clear: there are simply not enough states and delegates left for Clinton to overhaul Obamas pledged delegate lead. Unexpectedly (for them), the bid by Bill and Hillary Clinton to extend the current 20-year Bush-Clinton-Bush rule has failed.
The pressure will now intensify on the Democrats to put this thing to bed”, as Americans like to say. They cannot afford the nominee brawl to continue until the August 28 convention. So called 'super delegates' will start moving quickly to Obama, to put further pressure on the tough minded Clinton.
Whatever way the pre-convention dust settles, however, there is no question that the times suit Obama.
The US economy has been faltering. The nation is suffering extended war fatigue. Billions are spent each month on trying to keep Iraq patched together. Jobs are being exported, factories closing, house prices falling, the cost of living is rising and confidence in Washington has never been lower.
At years end, a vote for the respected Republican nominee – the 71 year old John McCain - will be seen by an increasing number of Americans as a vote for more of the same.
For Australians, what stands out about underdog Obama's rise are not only his race and his rhetoric, but it's the issues he canvasses. They are our issues.
In his stump speeches and Town Hall meetings he talks eloquently about "ordinary working families”, the middle class missing out, corporate tax loopholes, rebuilding national infrastructure in roads, rail and bridges, investment in energy technology, investment in communications technology, increasing skills, lifting education standards and focusing on early childhood education, paying good teachers more and so on – sound familiar?
In almost every respect it is the identical 12 month narrative that propelled Kevin Rudd in his victory over John Howard.
Obama has proposed a $US60 billion National Infrastructure Re-Investment Bank (a similar function to our Future Fund), eliminating tax breaks for companies that export jobs, closing corporate tax loopholes and tax havens in return for middle class tax breaks, paying for university education in return for community service, turning empty car plants into plants that manufacture wind turbines.
He is not afraid to name companies that he believes are poor corporate citizens. He has taken specific aim at Shell and Exxon.
His rhetoric is a mixture of, dare I say it, the forgotten Mark Latham, of Kevin Rudd and much of the trade union movement. His policy direction is in absolute lockstep with that of the Rudd Government.
As President, Obama will focus his energy and taxpayers money on America's complex domestic problems. He sees his task as restoring working Americans' hopes, standards of living and opportunities to succeed. He sees his own personal story as his nation's ideal narrative.
He will be elected in November because he is the 'outsider' taking on Washington at a time when Americans no longer trust their Government. It's been done before, of course. Ronald Reagan never stopped taking on Washington.
Obama will refrain from outlandish foreign policy joy rides. He will turn his country's focus back on itself. He will be judged on heath care issues, kids education standards, manufacturing jobs in those big manufacturing States, and "real relief” for middle class families.
He will save billions each month by withdrawing US troops from Iraq, and spend that domestically. It's not only a telling message in his stump speech; it's what his nation wants.
America is about to enter a new dawn. It will be led by a remarkable young black man. He will attempt to rebuild his nation, and "reclaim the American dream”. If he can do that – a perhaps impossible task - he will send a signal to the world that Uncle Sam is again admired, envied, trusted and even respected around the globe.
I might be wrong, but doubt it. It's not such a big call. This morning – by convincingly winning the North Carolina primary and probably just losing the Indiana primary – he increased his lead over Hillary Clinton. He is now less than 200 delegates away from formally winning his party's nomination.
The mathematics is clear: there are simply not enough states and delegates left for Clinton to overhaul Obamas pledged delegate lead. Unexpectedly (for them), the bid by Bill and Hillary Clinton to extend the current 20-year Bush-Clinton-Bush rule has failed.
The pressure will now intensify on the Democrats to put this thing to bed”, as Americans like to say. They cannot afford the nominee brawl to continue until the August 28 convention. So called 'super delegates' will start moving quickly to Obama, to put further pressure on the tough minded Clinton.
Whatever way the pre-convention dust settles, however, there is no question that the times suit Obama.
The US economy has been faltering. The nation is suffering extended war fatigue. Billions are spent each month on trying to keep Iraq patched together. Jobs are being exported, factories closing, house prices falling, the cost of living is rising and confidence in Washington has never been lower.
At years end, a vote for the respected Republican nominee – the 71 year old John McCain - will be seen by an increasing number of Americans as a vote for more of the same.
For Australians, what stands out about underdog Obama's rise are not only his race and his rhetoric, but it's the issues he canvasses. They are our issues.
In his stump speeches and Town Hall meetings he talks eloquently about "ordinary working families”, the middle class missing out, corporate tax loopholes, rebuilding national infrastructure in roads, rail and bridges, investment in energy technology, investment in communications technology, increasing skills, lifting education standards and focusing on early childhood education, paying good teachers more and so on – sound familiar?
In almost every respect it is the identical 12 month narrative that propelled Kevin Rudd in his victory over John Howard.
Obama has proposed a $US60 billion National Infrastructure Re-Investment Bank (a similar function to our Future Fund), eliminating tax breaks for companies that export jobs, closing corporate tax loopholes and tax havens in return for middle class tax breaks, paying for university education in return for community service, turning empty car plants into plants that manufacture wind turbines.
He is not afraid to name companies that he believes are poor corporate citizens. He has taken specific aim at Shell and Exxon.
His rhetoric is a mixture of, dare I say it, the forgotten Mark Latham, of Kevin Rudd and much of the trade union movement. His policy direction is in absolute lockstep with that of the Rudd Government.
As President, Obama will focus his energy and taxpayers money on America's complex domestic problems. He sees his task as restoring working Americans' hopes, standards of living and opportunities to succeed. He sees his own personal story as his nation's ideal narrative.
He will be elected in November because he is the 'outsider' taking on Washington at a time when Americans no longer trust their Government. It's been done before, of course. Ronald Reagan never stopped taking on Washington.
Obama will refrain from outlandish foreign policy joy rides. He will turn his country's focus back on itself. He will be judged on heath care issues, kids education standards, manufacturing jobs in those big manufacturing States, and "real relief” for middle class families.
He will save billions each month by withdrawing US troops from Iraq, and spend that domestically. It's not only a telling message in his stump speech; it's what his nation wants.
America is about to enter a new dawn. It will be led by a remarkable young black man. He will attempt to rebuild his nation, and "reclaim the American dream”. If he can do that – a perhaps impossible task - he will send a signal to the world that Uncle Sam is again admired, envied, trusted and even respected around the globe.
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