Left, Green and Green Left Views On Obama's Victory

The victory of Barack Obama and the Democrats over John McCain and the Republicans in the US elections brings a variety of comment from the political segments of the blogosphere that I regularly read, as would be expected given the fact that for most Left, Green and Green Left Bloggers these elections were a case of waiting to see if the slightly less aggressive capitalist party would win out. In Britain particularly there are eerie echoes in the euphoria over the election of Obama of the 1997 landslide victory of Tony Blair and New Labour - another politician who carried a huge weight of expectation. Another weird echo came today with the news that Obama has made his first appointment - a Chief Of Staff who bears more than a passing political resemblance to Peter Mandelson (aaargh!)

Nevertheless, in purely symbolic and social psychological terms the election of the first black US President is an important milestone, just as was the election of Britain's first women Prime Minister in 1979, or the first post-apartheid election in South Africa (the symbolic importance of both of which events was quickly overshadowed by the real political nature of the forces involved). The defeat and passing of the Bush regime, with its unholy alliance of ex-leftist Neo-Cons, religious fundamentalists, militarists, imperialists and neo-liberal ideologues is also something to celebrate, though with an eye on the likely continuing power and influence of the military-industrial complex, lobbyists and finance capitalists in the successor regime. The hope remains though, that there may be at least some relaxing of the anti-union mood and legislation to allow the long suppressed power of American labour to begin to reassert itself.

The Socialist Unity Blog has posted a variety of voices from the American Socialist Left. Andy Newman dismissed the Blair analogy, but provoked a lot of response with his article here.

Derek Wall at Another Green World publishes Ralph Nader's open letter to Obama, and the response to the US election of Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez.

Stroppyblog reflected on the mixed messages that came out regarding sexual politics and same sex couple civil rights during election night.

Jim Jay at Daily (Maybe)had a look at the response of Brit and US leftists who actively argued against voting for Obama and did not like what he saw, and strangely finds himself being criticised from the left by Rupert Read! (Green Party in-joke alert)

An Irish Left comment here from the Cedar Lounge Revolution Blog.

Septic Isle was cautiously optimistic, whilst noting the Blair parallel.

Whatever your view, we certainly are living in interesting times.