Obama: President-Elect

And so it has come to pass.

It seems more a relief than anything else. I am overcome with a strange unfamiliarity (I am not a U.S Citizen)  and uneasiness with the USA that this new era heralds in. A humbler, battered down America that doesn’t look arrogant, ignorant or unnecessarily hawkish (potent combination), with a long road to recovery, and almost inspirational once again. Is change that easy?  Obama does seem to have a lot on his plate even before he gets inaugarated, and as Biden puts it bluntly, he will be tested. I can’t wait to see something test his mettle.

Presumptuous?

Delaying the broadcast of thw World Series? Campaign Ad stretching 30-min in length?

Is it bordering on prima donna-like behavior? It seems to ride on the presumption that such an inconvenience would be more than accommodated by the audience. The well-scripted, montaged, edited infomercial did not add to more of what we are used to – slick, scripted campaigning. Some saw Hillary’s possible turning point when she went off script. There has yet to be a moment for Obama. But if I had to choose between one who, mostly, stays on script and one who doesn’t, I’d go with consistency.

Here’s a parody of the infomercial, at least what they imagined it to be given Obama’s already gaping lead.

Is there such a thing too far above the fray?

From the very beginnings Obama has been maintaining a slightly ‘holier-than-thou’ disposition, staying out of the drama generated by the race. McCain, on the other hand got his hands dirty (arms, shoulders, knees too….) trying to sling mud at his opponent.

While I do not condone McCain’s behaviour, I sometimes wonder if Obama is too ‘hands off’. The word professorial, cerebral and elitist have been thrown around more than once. In mud-slinging situations it’ll be great to stay above the fray, but the recent financial crisis and the whole presidential-debate-vs-negotiations-at-the-hill issue seemed a tad too pertinent for any hint of being ‘hands off’. While McCain’s 1 or 2 phone calls seem laughably undeserving of a campaign suspension, at least it contrasts nicely with Obama’s seemingly steady and calm stance. But if one is only watching the fire, it isn’t hard to remain calm. The ‘cool customer’ has not truly been tested, and perhaps he missed a great chance – or avoided a calamity, by staying so far above the fray.

Will he crack or thrive during crunch times? I think his strategists want Americans to know the answer AFTER he wins.

This One’s for Keepsake

I don’t know who convinced them to pose for this picture but I think its brilliant – parodying a parody, who else but Colbert and Stewart to pull this off? The original New Yorker cover showing Michelle and Barack Obama fist bumping alluded to certain right-wing commentary that their post-speech fist-bump had terrorist undertones.

The original

The parody

It Was A Matter of Time Until Palin Unraveled

Trust Fareed Zakaria to weigh in on the Sarah Palin issue. I mentioned a little about him in this post and he has not disappointed with this concise (and slightly sarcastic) critique on Sarah Palins apparent lack of substance. And he makes a great point – that McCain might have put his campaign before country by selecting her.

Incidentally, I think Obama’s reluctance to postpone the debate seems like a manifestation of the classic assertion that he ‘rather lose a war than an election’. I actually managed to follow McCain’s arguments better than Obama’s… maybe he is too used to soaring, tele-prompted rhetoric.

Read the interview here.