While we celebrate the historic ascendancy of Barack Obama, we must temper our rejoicing with the realisation that he was elected to be the president of the United States and so his first obligation is to protect and expand American interests at home and abroad.

Not surprisingly, there has been broad consensus among analysts that his first priority will be to fix the US economy, with many of them suggesting that getting Congress to approve tax cuts promised on the campaign trail may be a good start toward tackling the problem. The expectation is that the tax cuts will stimulate the economy.

If he gets the tottering economy back on track, experts say, the political momentum from his extraordinary electoral victory will help make it easier for Mr. Obama to keep his other campaign promises on alternative energy and getting health care for millions.

Globally, he is expected to move quickly to wind down the war against Iraq; respond to threats of terrorism from Al-Qaeda along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border region without getting bogged down in an unwinnable military conflict; prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons without increasing Arab-Muslim distrust of American motives and actions in the Middle East.

But as the analysts have been pointing out, setting and sticking to priorities often means navigating treacherous waters. And if the past is any guide to the future, then we know that there will be turbulence.

Mr Obama, the first black man to be elected president of the United States-a country racked by racial prejudice and injustice for most of its history, is taking office at one of the most daunting periods in recent history.

The US economy, reeling under the failed economic policies of current President George W Bush, is in its worst shape since the 1929 stock market crash. The impact on the world is real and pressing as the contagion continues to spread.

Thus, for many around the world, a politically liberal president with his Kenyan, Hawaiian, Kansan, and Indonesian background is being hailed as a transformational leader who will point the way to a new era of global economic and political cooperation.

THE WORLD REJOICES

As a result, Mr Obama's win has been greeted positively around the world. A brief sampling of US media reports of global coverage summarised on usnewsbulletin@bulletinnews.com emphasises the point.
The Wall Street Journal reports, "From halls of power in London to his relatives' ramshackle village in Kenya, people in many parts of the world on Wednesday looked at Barack Obama not just as the newly elected president of the United States, but as the new global leader." The CBS Evening News said: "It almost seemed he'd been elected president of the world, if the celebrations were any indication."

The Washington Post, in a story titled US Again Hailed As 'Country Of Dreams,' reports from London that "through tears and whoops of joy, in celebrations that spilled onto the streets, people around the globe called...Obama's election Tuesday a victory for the world and a renewal of America's ability to inspire."

The Washington Post also notes the exhilaration in Kenya, where "the news of Obama's triumph" arrived "as the sun rose Wednesday." The Post adds that "within minutes, a wave of euphoria - and some serious reflection - washed across this East African nation, where weeks of violence after a presidential election in late 2007 left many people deeply pessimistic about democracy."

As he took the stage to make his acceptance speech in Grant Park, Chicago, Tuesday night it was clear that president elect Obama, president-elect was aware of the burden of expectation as he prepares to take office as the 44th president of the United States next January 20.

Will he succeed? Time will tell. What we expect is that the personal attributes that helped take him through this extraordinary journey-the calm temperament, intellectual rigour, organisational and political skills, the steady approach to policy combined with his legendary capacity to inspire-these same qualities and style will make him an extraordinary leader.

We also expect that the mass movement based on progressive ideas for change, and linked by the Internet, may not only change the relationship between politics and the people in America but may have global reach.

The US media appeared divided as to whether the scope and sweep of the win for the Democrats-for the presidency, the Senate and the House of Representatives-reflected a realignment of American politics.

McClatchy, for example, reported Wednesday in a widely distributed story that Sen Barack Obama "didn't get all the way there Tuesday" and his win "fell short of the kind of realignment that would've immediately altered the political landscape and forged an enduring majority that could dominate the national agenda for years."

But in a contrary view, the Wall Street Journal reports, "Tuesday's substantial victory by Barack Obama, together with Democratic gains in the Senate and House, appear to have accomplished a fundamental political realignment." The WSJournal adds, "If the future President Obama makes progress on solving the huge economic and social problems facing this country, and on securing the country from future terrorist attacks, he may well be viewed as the Democrat who created a long-term new political majority not seen since FDR."

In the new political map, Mr Obama carved out spaces in places where the Democrats have not succeeded before. The Washington Post reported on its front page Wednesday that the Democrats ascended "in the suburbs and among the moderate, college-educated voters who dominate them".
He also made inroads in the South which has shunned the Democratic Party since President Lyndon Johnson pushed through the Voting Rights Act of 1965, giving blacks the right to vote.

The New York Times reported that Obama made "inroads" in the South which was "important symbolically and historically". The Times adds, "Political analysts attributed his victories in the South to an effective ground operation and an increase in non-Southerners and younger, educated workers." The Times adds that political analysts "also credited a high black turnout" and "dissatisfaction with President Bush, which pushed many independent voters into the Obama column".

These inroads may have important lessons for us in Jamaica where garrison politics has rendered many areas and constituencies uncompetitive strongholds in which the ruling Party cannot be contested.

Similar to garrison politics, the United States also has huge areas of uncompetitive politics (minus related political violence as a tool of control). In their case, it's the result of racial segregation and gerrymandering-the practice of carving up districts for political advantage. The result is a country with many closed political enclaves where incumbents are almost always assured of victory.

Less than 10% of the seats in the House are competitive and the country is presumed to be divided into 'red' (Republican) and 'blue' Democratic states that are virtually impenetrable.

Mr Obama ignored those rules, campaigning everywhere and capturing several 'red' states. He had the money, organisation and message and a new approach to politics that said no part of the country was off limits. My greatest hope is that that message can resonate with us. The idea of West Kingston and South West St Andrew becoming open to free and open politics is tantalising beyond words.

Wonder if that thought crossed the minds of Prime Minister Bruce Golding and Opposition leader Portia Simpson as they, like all Jamaicans, revelled in Barack Obama's historic realignment of American politics?

kcr@cwjamaica.com

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