Comments on: Rundle08: Tears and laughter. This is what Obama means

By: Ian McFadyen

Ian McFadyen — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000

Wow. Amazing what lack of sleep can do. Guy is certainly enjoying a bit of revolutionary euphoria here. Just a couple of points. One: the Left in America is roughly the equivalent of the Right in Australia. Two: there is a vast difference between what is promised during the campaign and what is possible in office. Perfect example - Mr Rudd who swore to implement massive changes if elected and so far has done nothing except apologise to indigenous Australians and decide to give away half the surplus to prop up an non-ailing retail sector. As the guy in Charlie Wilson’s War says “Wait and see.”

By: Dan C

Dan C — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000

Crikey, I hope you’re going to compile Guy Rundle’s articles and put out a book. I’d be keen and I have several friends in the US I’d want to send copies to.

By: AR

AR — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000

JamesGuest - even if what you write were true (cf Pontius Pilate) what has it to do with the price of fish?

By: Brad

Brad — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000

Once again you capture the moment perfectly Guy. I urge Crikey to collect your articles over the entire US Election campaign and release them as a book, I would buy it in an instant.

By: Diana

Diana — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000

Guy, what a beautiful closing comment on a very surprising outcome. Thank you for so many months of wonderful entertaining, articulate, provocative coverage.

By: James Guest

James Guest — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000

You have transcended the petty parochial leftishness of op-eds in The Age and I salute your very readable and interesting cover of the US presidential election campaigns. Mind you, out of sheer caution about the unknown and untried I could have voted for the man who made that magnificent, no-notes, concession speech. What a pity about 2000 (that the Bush forces dudded McCain). I don’t know that Gore would have been a great alternative to George the Less, but, in practice he would have left the US and the world in much better shape because all the money squandered in Iraq would probably have gone into making toxic debt more bearable and even leaving the hopeless banking/housing policies started under Clinton a little easier to handle. Now we have to hope that Obama really has grown, emotionally and intellectually beyond “Dreams of my Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance”. Paradoxically the near certainty that it was virtually co-authored by Bill Ayres may make that more plausible, and, on consideration, the absence of acknowledgment of his (probable) ghost is no worse than JFK’s similar failure in relation to “Profiles in Courage”. I concede that my early suggestion that he was in the Disraeli mould by talent and temperament puts his literary abilities on too high a plane.

By: Romina

Romina — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000

If you want to see some graciousness in that moment, read (sections of) the US conservative press. If you want to read bitterness and incomprehension about it, read Albrechtsen and Sheridan in The Oz today.

How very true. I bought all the papers in Sydney to read about this momentous occasion and Sheridan sounded bitter and petty. He could learn a thing or two from Senator McCain about how to be gracious in defeat.

By: AR

AR — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000

Never have I been so glad to be so wrong, wroNG, WRONG!!
Like Guy, I thought that BO was going to blow it by being too centrist, too polite, too decent to deal with Repug campaigning by the likes of Turdblossom. My favourite moment was when he admitted it was all over on (their) Sunday.

By: Marilyn

Marilyn — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000

I know it is only a teensy little thing but Obama’s book was written and ready for the publisher before he even met Bill Ayers.

By: Marilyn

Marilyn — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000

I was astonished to see such a stunning win - 349 EV and counting with two states too close to call - and then howled like a baby when I saw Jessie Jackson crying like a baby.

I glanced at Janet and Greg’s columns and laughed out loud.

By: Michael de Angelos

Michael de Angelos — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000

You’ve done a great job Guy and received the greatest accolade-praise from Phillip Adams !. Anyone who didn’t shed a bit of a tear over Obama’s win is in the words of Bob Hawke “a b*m”. Reading Janet & Greg this morning-what a hoot. Talk about bad losers-even John McCain showed more grace than these 2 nutters. Wonder how much longer Sheridan will be able to cling to his belief that George W.Bush will be remembered as the “greatest US president ever”?. Why is this man writing on foreign affairs? He’s about as knowledgable as Lord Downer was.

By: Michael W

Michael W — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000

A thousand &one thankyous for your wonderful work,Guy.the hyperbole was hysterically funny at times, sometimes harder to comprehend but you always managed to reach inside to the heart of things.again thanks.
I thought the important statement today was “not because of what Obama will do.but of what he will not do”. I so much hope this is what happens as J.W.Bush gave such licence to do things (& others followed),I could not believe the direction we all were headed.As I now approach 70 I am grateful for the prospect of hope where virtually none existed. Your Borges quote I feel was apposite to the time.
You’r one of my Australians of the year,Guy .May your tribe prosper

By: James Guest

James Guest — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000

AR - you ask what Bill Ayres’ (or some other ghost’s) has to do with anything that matters. I suspect, from your anonymity, that you knew your comment lacked the benefit of even a moment’s thought. It probably matters little that Obama had an unacknowledged ghost, or that the ghost was Ayres, though nearly all public figures in the US do acknowledge such assistance (e.g. McCain for his five books). As I noted JFK seems to have had an unacknowledged ghost. But so little is known about Obama either as to his history or his capacities that it is naturally alarming to many sensible Americans if he is suspected of lying or active concealment of this or something more important. So it is worth discussion, not dismissal as some superficial right-wing bloggers fantasy. As far as I am aware there was nothing more than his allowing a ghost to remain - well, ghostly. Another question, now pretty well irrelevant, is what his true abilities are. His academic record has been kept from public disclosure, one knows that his parents were obviously at least as bright as he sounds (though pretty wacky in ways he is not), he was elected president of the Harvard Law Review which may be a popularity contest but is still something in that intellectual powerhouse, but does he really have a talent for the written word as “Dreams” would suggest. Maybe never very important but when there are so few reliable clues about the man for those considering whom to vote for it naturally engaged people’s interest.

By: Patrick Howard

Patrick Howard — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000

Thanks for all the hard yakka, Guy. It’s been compelling reading to accompany you around the US during the past few months. Your craziness and clear-sighted comprehension of what was at stake make me realise the value of the individual voice, the single take. Among the millions of words pouring out now about the Obamafest, yours are the ones’ I’ll return to, because it’s like we’ve done this together, gone down the road a little ways.
Good onya.

By: dermot

dermot — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000

darren guff is a collective not a singular noun . your statement is therefore nonsensical.

By: David Sanderson

David Sanderson — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000

I can’t let the ‘Bill-Ayers-wrote-it’ bullshit pass by. The Republican crank who put forward this theory asked a British academic to computer-analyse the text. When the academic agreed to do it he did so on the condition that the results be published regardless of the outcome. Said Republican crank then disappeared down a rabbit-hole and the analysis was never done.
Conspiracy theory nuttiness of this kind is tedious and frankly an indication of a weak or unstable mind - nothing more.

By: James

James — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000

Why can't people (the right) be gracious in defeat? Imagine that? How hard can it be for them?

I reckon how people accept victory is just important as how they accept defeat. When the GOP won in 2000 and 2004, they behaved appallingly in victory. They rubbed people's noses in it. Now in defeat they already seem destined to hit new lows.

BHO's speech was gracious, deliberate, inspirational yet grounded. No doubt a sign (?) of how he plans to lead.

Let the party goers party for as long as they need to. They have surely earned their time in the sun.

Once again Guy, bravo to you for scratching the surface and finding all sorts of interesting things below.

cheers mate

By: David Sanderson

David Sanderson — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000

The fair and balanced Fox News video clip that Guy Rundle refers to above is here:

http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=MWZHTJsR4Bc

It details her ‘Africa problem’, “Hard to control emotionally”, ‘refused preparation’ etcetera, etcetera.
She was the girl from Wasilla and she was determined to stay that way.

By: Judith James

Judith James — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000

Congratulations Guy on your coverage of the US election. I will miss your often surreal posts. I feel as though I have got under the skin of America thanks to you. Yes, bring on the book.

Yesterday was amazing. Never before have I felt so connected to an election in another country (and very concerned about the result).

Waking up the morning after, life at home feels a bit tawdry. Let's hope other world leaders catch some of that vision and hope.

By: Darren

Darren — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000

sorry Dennis - actually my problem with Barack Messiah is that he is too far to the right - his banishment of Jimmy Carter from the stage of the Democrats conference was enough for me

By: David Sanderson

David Sanderson — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000

Gail Collins of the NYT has an amusing piece that deals with the post-election fallout:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/06/opinion/06collins.html?hp

By: robert

robert — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000

Of course, only slightly more than half of the USA is happy. The Huff Post has a round up of “right wing” blog responses to the upset. Funny, sad and very scary.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/11/05/a-childs-garden-of-right_n_141609.html

By: Leigh Simpkin

Leigh Simpkin — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000

I get what you meant Guy. It's important that he didn't start with money and turned down the law firm jobs when he was offered them out of Law School. He took a high moral road. Good luck to him too.

Guy, you have single handledly turned me, a overworked under-stimulated middle aged WA suburban mum and wage slave, into a US political aficionado. I waited for your emails every day and then went to Slate and Politico and the NY Times, and I loved it all. Even the letter to Hillary which was completely hilarious and slightly shocking, too. BTW you are SO allowed to laugh at Palin.

Waiting, like Brad, for the book...

By: Darren

Darren — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000

‘His achievement before anything has occurred is this: that every vector of power — money, race, media’ - really - he out raised and out spent his opponents - and the media fawned over his every comment - laughed @ Sarah Palin and allowed Biden to make guff after guff - race yes - but Guy you are wrong on the other 2

By: Graham

Graham — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000

Never mind the detail. I agree with Brad and Patrick and Michael and Dan. Bring on the book.