Obamaism

I am intrigued at the prospect of Barack Obama becoming the next president of the United States. It could represent a real shift away from the dark side in world politics.

And it really looks like it’s going to happen: he’s surging ahead of that evil, elitist, war-mongering bitch Hilary in the contest for the Democratic nomination, and I really believe Americans are sick enough of Republicans to vote for a Democrat in the next election.

I think Barack Obama – if no one shoots him – is most likely to be the next president.

Now, I don’t personally have any faith in him: you don’t get to the top of a corrupt system like the US government with your integrity intact.

It’s worth having a look at this graph from the Political Compass for a look at his politics in perspective.

He’s in the authoritarian, right wing quadrant – the dark side of the Force, and quite the opposite of where I, and all my friends, are (I am the one that’s almost off the scale of left wing lunacy):

And yet.

The US is the most powerful country in the world. White supremacy is still one of the most dominant political poisons in the world. For a Black man with a Muslim name – Barack means ‘blessed’ in Arabic – to become president has got to mean something.

Sometimes leaders are men or women of their times, people who embody something greater than themselves. Maybe Obama is a symbol of real change in America.

I hope so. And I hope he wins. A Black president of the most powerful country in the world would be a real blow to racists everywhere.

So, with great reservation, allow me to join in the chorus: Go, Obama!