Dear Dr. Jaforullah,
I have enjoyed your posts on the US election and election campaign
2008. I too have been forming an idea of the elections -- a lot
based on what you wrote and what my american friends have been
saying and the news. Much of which, I think, is probably old.
---
A little rebellion now and then is a good thing. - Thomas Jefferson
I guess the elections provide americans the satisfaction of
that 'little rebellion'. For a long time they used to be satisfied
by their periodic revolutions through polls... overthrowing either
the republican or the democratic govt (most of last century) and
replacing it with the other. However, there seemed to be only slight
differences between the two... and this time the Americans want a
slightly bigger rebellion. They do not want just to turn the coin
around look at the other side... they want real change.
This election is a measure of the degree of change they want... They
are even willing vote for a black man which, even a decade ago, was
unthinkable. They were also considering voting for a female
candidate. Both their options were unprecedented... representing the
desire for unprecedented change. Little rebellion will no longer do.
Apparently they are tired of the little revolutions where they swap
labels only.
Obama's comparative youth represents the they want a change -- a
change that will break from the past. Many do not want an older
president with old ideas, which they have experienced repeatedly.
They do not want to settle for the same old thing.
The deep seeded desire for change has even fear-forced the
republicans to compromise their traditional position... and adopt a
more liberal face. They have also recognised the public demand to
break from the past and have tried (may be, in vain) to create a
progressive image by selecting Pallin as their vice presidential
nominee. Her youth, unfortunately, does not possibly make her a face
of big change to most Americans, as her lifestyle and 'world
knowledge' make her a member of the 'elite America' that thrived in
the 'past'. Her addition might appear as a cosmetic touch on the
party's face.
Since this is an election testing the desire for change -- it will
be pit the american people's desire for qualitative change against
their lingering racial and pseudo-religious feelings. (pseudo
because Obama is not really a Muslim.) Even though the white
supremacists' recent actions may indicate racist inclined voting, I
don't suppose the majority of the americans care anymore. Even a
friend of mine, who does not think much of African Americans, has
decided to vote for Obama. Furthermore, I do not think the pseudo-
religion card trying to label Obama as a Muslim will be a big issue.
It has only probably succeeded in dividing the Bangalees in the
US... sad if it is the case. So I also think Obama will win. His
defeat will only lead to doubts about the fairness of the election.
I hope that the Bangalees will stop playing the British game and
stop being divided on the basis of religion. It is shameful if it is
true that they are divided between Obama and McCain on the basis of
perceived religion issues (arabic name). There are many Bangalees in
the US and they could unitedly become a sizeable vote bank. If Obama
wins, and US foreign policy is changed from its current hawkish
nature... a united Bangalee community could be beneficial for all
Bangalees.
I also hope that Bangalees will force the political parties of
Bangladesh to shift their positions for a qualitative change. AND
form a prosperous country with a system suited for Bangladesh, in
accordance with the culture and history of Bangladesh.
Che
--- In mukto-mona@yahoogroups.com, "Jaffor Ullah" <jhankar@...>
wrote:
>
> In which direction political wind is blowing in America?
>
>
>
> A.H. Jaffor Ullah
>
>
>
> On November 4, 2008 America will answer to this question. What
happens in America will impact the rest of the world. In 1980,
Ronald Reagan's brand of conservatism swept through America like a
wildfire and the nation headed in that direction. The world had
witnessed the rise in religious fundamentalism in many parts of the
world including India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Israel, etc. This
trend continued until this day.
>
>
>
> At long last, if the conservatives are defeated in America, then
there is a hope that liberalism will again gain its foothold in this
country. It is the conservatives that made the big "L" word. They
loathed the liberals. In 1984, when Vice President Walter Mondale
ran against Reagan he said that no matter who wins in the election,
the new president shall have to raise the tax. He was right.
Reagan cut the tax for the very rich but the middle class shared the
burden of Reagan's expansion of the government. The Republicans
have an epithet for Democrats - "Tax and Spend Liberals."
>
>
>
> Sarah Palin and McCain again labeled Obama-Biden ticket as "Tax
and Spend Liberals." This time this characterization is not gaining
any currency. Two days before the election most polls are telling
us that Obama will handily win the election. Is that so? For some
thoughts on that won't you please join us on the election night in
Mukto-mona? We would like to have an interesting discussion on
whether 'Bradley Effect' indeed had a shelf-life or not.
>
>
>
> There were few participants in this forum who made this prediction
that when the last vote is counted, McCain would come out
victorious. This would definitely go against the trend reported by
most polltakers.
>
>
>
> Avijit Roy posted a message in the forum telling us that he added
a link to the new Blog page where people can discuss myriads of
issues. I would request the moderators to allow us to post our
comments, write-ups, and whatnot to M-M forum and Blog page so that
we could discuss in what direction the political wind is blowing in
America.
>
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