Here in Australia we can shake our heads at the sheer razzle and chaos of US Presidential campaigns, yet it’s very exciting to see in these early stages a candidate who appears to have the goods in terms of substance and style.
Barack Obama’s campaign so far has been tight and effective; his organisation already spans most US states and his message
is simple: Vote for change, vote for hope. To a lot of African-Americans this will seem like an intangible dream; a dream of a black American President, one that conjures up Martin Luther King’s dream, but in the context of 21st century inclusiveness. In Australia, we can look forward to a President Obama working closely with the Rudd Labor Government to achieve better outcomes in our region and throughout the world.
But it’s a long long way to go. We have seen candidates pick up the first Iowa caucus in the past, only to be overrun by machine organisation and the sheer weight of campaign cash. Time will tell.
