GO-BAMA between Hope & Dreams

German & Texan sentiments

Friday, March 14, 2008

(Berlin, Germany - 1.30 p.m. local time)
According to polls more then 49% of Germans do in fact favor Obama as the next president of the US. That is quite surprising and represents another shift in the cultural divide between Europe and America. Or am I just getting older and might have missed something bubbling here?

Germans have long held Anti-American sentiments and their vote for Obama confirms, they hope for change in foreign policy on a massive scale too.
Do they have progressive ideas when it comes to German/European politics? The centrist German coalition government has decided to have Islam and Koran included as a curriculum in schools. Most of the Germans are vehemently against this (according to polls). Are there classic double standards at play here?
American politics might be another way to project social change overseas, when Europe battles with issues of xenophobia and race? But do Germans think Obama transcends all boundaries of class and race?

The presidential election comes really down to character and best quality in strategy. Most Germans surprisingly have withdrawn their support for Hillary. Maybe her style of calculated attacks and lack of leadership is too similar of old school politicians. And I guess even the majority of Germans are fed up with them. Maybe Obama functions as the redeemer for our own troubled inefficient ideas of government and politics - boredom with the old establishment.

If this is a collective sentiment, then I guess my being Afro-German, makes no difference in favoring Barack over Hillary. That fills me with a certain pride and hope for my German fellows and country men - and it really sounds strange to say my country. To hear somebody in Texas or Egypt feels the same way, turns us all into some sort of global hope mongers... You get my drift?

Although as a German of African descent I might have( only a perceived) better insight of where Obama comes from. I agree my own fascination and reason to explore the “Audacity of Hope”, was driven by the naiv desire to believe (again) in a true sense, that “another world is possible”.

On the contrary - I have read that FOX and ABC are starting to dig out Obama’s relationship with flamboyant Afro-American Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr., his associate in Trinity church of Chicago. The right wing media brands the pastor as a bigot and racist, because he spoke out forcefully against white racism: “Racism is how this country was founded and how this country is still run.” The rest of the world clearly has no problem with those facts...I think.

A bit of a surprise came the racist remarks of Hillary’s campaign adviser Geraldine Ferraro, who verified to me, that the sufferings of Afro-Americans throughout history, are long forgotten and their struggle is taken for granted inside the white liberal American establishment. What kind of collective amnesia and a bad timing by Geraldine! Well, Obama needs Hillary’s camp to make mistakes to win the next battle!

Obama has a mighty task to battle the amnesia of right-wing (neo-con) superiority politics. Although I presume it has been noticed by the rest of the world, that life’s of white Americans are worth more then those of Asians, Arabs, Latinos or Africans. Obama until his election victory is official, has almost no powers to change that perception or challenge the new world order plans of the administration.

His bonus as a Senator is, that he has learned how to speak about race in a constructive way. He will be historically associated with the civil rights movement. Although the paradox is that he draws from Afro-Americans legacy of battle with spiritual strength against oppression - evolution out of resistance to centuries of white oppression. To ban race and identity issues from becoming focus points in the battle for the White House is impossible. A thin line to stay clear from this rhetoric, especially when everyone reminds you that you are either too Black or not Black enough. I hope he does away with it in a generation X style - by any means necessary...

More tricky is criminal trial of business man Tony Rezko, who supported Obama with campaign funds. A stumbling block that is explosive and fodder for negative press. The corruption allegations associated with Tony Rezko’s wheeling and dealing got cleared by Obama himself, when he gave an exclusive interview in Chicago. He speaks about it lengthy on the Tribune Editorial Board on March 14th 2008:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-080314-obama-audiogallery,0,1284605.audiogallery

Anyway, here are polls from Frankfurter Algemeine (www.faz.net)

1. Who should be American president? (Wer sollte amerikanischer Präsident werden?)
   
   • Obama - only he will bring change: 17861 votes (49,61%) Obama, nur er bringt wirklich den Wechsel: 17861 Stimmen 49,61%)
   • Clinton she has necessary experience: 7353 votes( 20,42%) (Clinton, sie kommt mit der nötigen Erfahrung: 7353 Stimmen 20,42%)
   • McCain - he promises continuity in foreign policy: 51117 votes (McCain, er verspricht Kontinuität in der Außenpolitik: 5117 Stimmen 14,21%)
   • Does not matter, every one will be better then Bush: 5671 votes (Egal, jeder wäre besser als Bush: 5671 Stimmen 15,75%)
   
   
2. Resulting total votes: 36002 opinions (Insgesamt wurden 36002 Stimmen abgegeben.)