Thursday, November 6, 2008

yes they could - and they did

I never thought they would do it, but they did. Despite all the slurs and half-truths and just plain lies, the American electorate voted for hope and change in the shape of a tall thin man of 47 with an African father and a strange-sounding name. An email from our NZ friend in the States caught the international mood perfectly - its subject line was "world saved".

But the choice facing New Zealand voters is very different. Except for his age and gender, John Key could not be more different from Barack Obama. Last week I put together a shameless cover version of a far-famed US piece, and called it "What I heard John Key say". You can read it on Scoop at http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0810/S00433.htm

See you at the polling booth on Saturday.

3 comments:

  1. Anyone with the stomach to trawl through all of Key's self-serving, contradictory utterances is made of stern stuff. We of more delicate sensibilities salute you!

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  2. The victory of Barack Obama spelt magic for most American people: Optimism. Euphoria. Confidence. Hope. Yes we can. Tears of joy flowed. Hope-filled congratulations and praise poured in from around the world. A common cheer among his supporters is that Obama represents a friendlier face to the world than both his predecessor and his opponent, and will restore America’s reputation and status as a beloved global power.

    Obama also received notable, if unwanted, endorsements during his election campaigns from North Korea’s Kim Jong II, Cuba’s Fidel Castro, Hamas adviser Ahmed Yousef and some America-bashers. Why would these sworn-enemies of American support Obama? You can be sure they’re not interested in a stronger America.

    The undeniable truth is, fervent anti-Americanism infects much of the planet, and a great many people support this man because they view his policies as being favourable toward America’s enemies. The large part of the world that wants to level the global playing field by knocking America down a peg appears to see an opportunity in Obama’s presidency.

    As his own running mate famously said recently, someone, somewhere, is bound to ignite an international crisis in order to test Barack Obama’s mettle. Things could get ugly very quickly.
    Many politicians, taking a cue from Obama style of diplomacy, are likely to adopt the rhetoric, which brought him popularity.

    (Hi Else: I am Robert George, a journalist/author. I shall highly appreciate it if you could drop me a line. Email: robert@antiquelimited.com)

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  3. John Key has said a lot since 2008 - if you have the intestinal fortitude to wade through the sewer that is his soundbites, we'd love to hear his latest contradictions!

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