I spent the day listening to and watching the talking
heads describing the US elections. Coverage from the Australian Broadcasting
Commission, and also from the USA. It was an interesting day, fraught with the
normal election tension, coloured by the more and more sophisticated visuals
with maps and numbers and percentages.
I am personally happy about the outcome, being an old
lefty from way back. And I would dearly love for the Australian election next
year to be as interesting, and to have a similar outcome, although it does not
appear likely.
All of the talking heads concentrated on the economy, and
there was a lot said about how difficult it would be for Obama, how he really
had not realised his potential, how he had not lived up to the hope and hype of
2008, and so on and so on. The talking heads from the right were more
vociferous, the talking heads from the left were milder, there were no real
surprises in the commentary.
The thing that totally blew me away, though, was seeing
the crowds waiting for Obama in Chicago and Romney in Boston. I do hate the
flag-waving, I feel that kind of nationalistic fervour is a little creepy. But
ok, it’s their day of days.
It wasn’t the flags that blew me away, no. It was the
composition of the crowds, the ultimate difference between the Democrat
supporters and the Republican supporters. Here in Australia we instinctively
know that the Republicans are more middle and upper class, the Democrats will
appear a little less well-dressed, will be perhaps a little more rowdy, a
little less restrained. We do tend to equate the Democrats with our Labor party
and the Republicans with our conservative coalition party.
But for heaven’s sake, take a look at the visually
striking difference, so very, very obvious last night in those arenas. The
Democrat crowd was black, white, brown, Asian, young, old – a fabulous
kaleidoscope of humanity. A reflection of what a healthy nation should look
like.
And the Republican crowd?
White.
The talking heads can say what they like about the
economy – and sure, it matters. But for heaven’s sake, the Republicans need a
big reality check. The world is moving on from when the values of the white man
and his wife were the only values that matter.
Don’t they get it?
“...........the idea that if you’re willing to work hard, it doesn’t
matter who you are or where you come from or what you look like or where you
love. It doesn’t matter whether you’re black or white or Hispanic or Asian or
Native American or young or old or rich or poor, able, disabled, gay or
straight, you can make it here in America if you’re willing to try”.
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