In Search of Pro and Anti-Americans (October 2008)

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If John McCain still harbours any notion of actually becoming the next President of the USA, he needs to think again after last night's debate. It is certainly no walkover, but Barack Obama is going to the White House, as I have said frequently on this column, despite all the negative campaigning by McCain, the mud-slinging by Sarah Palin and even his testy and meanspirited refusal to shake Obama's hand at the end of the debate.

The polls have registered for the latest presidential debate and most of the significant ones are revealing a landslide for Obama. A huge rout, an annihilation, call it what you will, Obama ("That One") has won hands down. John McCain might have improved his answers this time round, but Obama was far more convincing and effective in his. The main polls, as used for the last debate, reported the following figures (the first debate's results are also inserted in brackets for comparison):

CNN 79%OB 13%MC (51% Ob 38% Mc)
CBS 83 15 (39% 25%)
MSNBC 83 13 (52% 33%)
AOL 52 41 (46% 44%)
Wall Street Jo. 78 22 (58% 9%)
NY Daily News 92 8 (68% 32%)
Guardian 92 7 (58% 39%)

AVERAGE: 80% 15% (52% 35%)

There is no mistaking the trend this time round. It is infinitely higher for Obama than McCain with a clear 65% difference between the averages for both men. Whereas the first debate was more evenly split between the two men with a high percentage of undecided respondees, this time the verdict is unmistakeable, with no doubts for the watching public. While Barack Obama has improved on all the scores, John MCCain seems to be rushing in the other direction! Obama was the unequivocal victor, with McCain trailing so far behind as to be almost lost in the mist.

McCain will keep losing support because he has turned from a statesman, and Ameria's favourite POW, to a street brawler, interested only in slandering and smearing his opponent and calling him "That One" instead of his name. Those are not the qualities of a leader, not for the highest office in the land. Increasingly, he is being relegated to second best behind the real winner of the campaign, Barack Obama.

Which brings us to the single important reason why Obama will be the next president, as revealed by the latest msnbc poll, relating to his style, manner and actions. When asked who looked the most presidential, nearly 88% of respondees thought Barack Obama was the man in that respect, compared to only10.5% for John McCain. One cannot have a more resounding and decisive reply, or a bigger credibility gap, than that score. How the mighty keeps falling in the public eyes! He can thank Sarah Palin for the dramatic change of fortune as the public obviously do not like their kind of politics.

The trouble with perception is that once people perceive you to be presidential, to imagine you effectively in the role, it is but a very short step to being in the White House because perception is our personal reality!

A few months ago the New Yorker was in deep trouble for its cover cartoon of Barack Obama and his wife Michelle in suggestive terrorist garb being anti-American. It was supposed to be satire, to give everyone a good laugh, to show Republican smearers how ridiculous they were, as it couldn't possibly be true in any sense. But it backfired spectacularly as many, many readers, not too schooled in the art of satire, failed to see the joke and were not amused. Now, the latest October issue carries a ringing endorsement of Barack Obama as the next leader of the free world as yet unparalleled anywhere else.

If a picture paints a thousand words, then the 4000-word editorial, headlined simply and ominously, The Choice, explaining why Barack Obama is perfectly right as the next president of America, paints the most transparent picture of leadership, competence, suitability, good judgement, hope and change. No gushing words are left untouched to challenge readers into making the right decision on November 4th. The New Yorker sees the chance of leaping ahead of the media pack in acknowledging what now seems inevitable and is proffering the crown even before Barack is anywhere near the throne. At least they are not flogging the dead horse of expectancy relating to John McCain and Sarah Palin, but facing up to the grim reality of the strong, unified, bi-partisan leadership America now needs and the fact that it won't be coming from the McCain-Palin camp.

This is very brave of any medium just now to stick their neck out so unequivocally to endorse Obama when there are still 25 agonising days to go before the nation speaks, and anything at all could happen, including the assassination of the heir apparent, judging by the worried reaction of some concerned supporters following recent rallies of Sarah Palin and the racist behaviour of some of her supporters. However, one would hope that America has matured and moved a long way from those dark days of vigilantism and racist angst.

The New Yorker article is extremely interesting, informative and very timely. It is a shot in the arm for any wavering doubters and a stark reminder of why Barack Obama is truly formidable at this moment in time.

The excerpt below is nothing short of inspiring:

"We cannot expect one man to heal every wound, to solve every major crisis of policy. So much of the Presidency, as they say, is a matter of waking up in the morning and trying to drink from a fire hydrant. In the quiet of the Oval Office, the noise of immediate demands can be deafening. And yet Obama has precisely the temperament to shut out the noise when necessary and concentrate on the essential. The election of Obama, "a man of mixed ethnicity, at once comfortable in the world and utterly representative of twenty-first-century America" would, at a stroke, reverse our country's image abroad and refresh its spirit at home. His ascendance to the Presidency would be a symbolic culmination of the civil- and voting-rights acts of the nineteen-sixties and the century-long struggles for equality that preceded them. It could not help but say something encouraging, even exhilarating, about the country, about its dedication to tolerance and inclusiveness, about its fidelity, after all, to the values it proclaims in its textbooks. At a moment of economic calamity, international perplexity, political failure, and battered morale, America needs both uplift and realism, both change and steadiness. It needs a leader temperamentally, intellectually, and emotionally attuned to the complexities of our troubled globe. That leader's name is Barack Obama."

Amen to that! Is it time for America to stop resisting and let change take its natural course?

Enjoy: The Choice!

I had a lovely, inspiring poem and comment in my mailbox from an Obama supporter and it got me thinking a lot of things. Reacting to the disgraceful behaviour at the recent Palin rallies, Sue Shields wrote:

"What worries me is that Pandora's box has been opened and once again people will feel safe in using prejudiced actions and words in their daily lives. Maybe not as dramatic as burning a cross on someone's lawn or burning a church, but feeling comfortable to use their fear and hate to alter the destination of others in their daily lives and life pursuits. We have to be aware that discrimination is broader than fearing one's color or religion or gender---it includes fearing one's creativity, enthusiasm, intelligence and even one's hope.

This type of behavior has been rampant within the walls of corporate America, within neighborhoods, within schools. The faster the world changes the more people fight to hold on to their status quo through any means neccessary...."

Her sad words rang a great bell inside my head because her comment is really about CHANGE and how we each individually deal with it. Change can often make us feel threatened, vulnerable, exposed, unprepared, and insignificant, make us do things we wouldn't even dream of doing to resist it. New initiatives, new situations and new leaders tend to bring out the worst reaction in us, making us needlessly defensive of our territory while firing our natural instinct to protect the status quo at all cost.

It seems that accepting any form of change depends primarily on four key factors:
1. Personal perception of our individual situation;
2. Our vision of how we could be affected by something new;
3. Our degree of readiness for a different experience;
4. How much we perceive we have to lose and our level of confidence in dealing with the unexpected.

Having no vision means we can only see through a narrow tube of familiarity which gives us just a tiny part of the whole picture. For many people, particularly older ones, this partial 'emotional blindness' increases their fear levels and keeps them firmly where they are, gradually letting in less light as they close their minds to the alternatives, while being detached from both reality and the action. In this way they continue to have a distorted, jaundiced view of the potential effects of anything new in their environment, and to the detriment of their evolution and development.

The old days, old methods and old leaders look better because these people cannot cope with the new, especially when there are no consistent rules to guide them, when they do not feel included in its message and when the seemingly secure boundaries they are enjoying are gradually being stripped away leaving them feeling exposed. Most important, the past always looks better when we lack confidence because it allows us to dismiss anything remotely uncomfortable while we remain deliberately blind to what we do not wish to see. But this merely increases our sense of insecurity and keeps us on the periphery of change, feeling isolated and ignored - and desperately seeking scapegoats.

This is what's happening to the Republican party, especially it's members, at this moment. Facing defeat in the eye, their level of fear has been rising uncomfortably as they go through the five stages of grief, of acute loss, as they know it. They started off with denial, not ever dreaming that Barack Obama, a Black man, would triumph. Now that seems likely, they are at the next stage of anger - Pandora's box referred to above.

In fact, there are clearly TWO Americas in view at present. One a rainbow society full of hope, diversity and new understanding of each other, working together to elect a man who isn't white to the highest office in the land. This sits uneasily alongside another America which is virtually all-White, with hardly a Black person in sight at the rallies, wallowing in anger and blaming. In other words, one America yearning to build with hope while the other seemingly wants to destroy with hate and division. If they can't be the leaders in this new world they would rather destroy it by turning the people against each other instead. The GOP trapped in its own desire for power and perfection.

The trouble with opening Pandora's box of potential violence, especially a racist and divisive one, is that it is difficult to close again. When one has whipped up hatred and discontent for one's political ends, how does one put the genie of divisiveness back into the box? It is very difficult to do, and so I predict three things will happen after the elections.

First, that the Republicans who feel they have been 'cheated' will create mayhem, finding all kinds of reasons not to accept the results and will carry on their perceived 'grievances' for some time while it serves their purpose.

As that is likely to lead nowhere, they will take it out on each other which will see the disintegration of the GOP, with Sarah Palin being the main scapegoat for fanning the flames of anger and division. They will be out of power for some time.

Third, a new and more vibrant party, which is more reflective of the community, the times and the youngsters, will emerge. Much stronger for the change, in a spirit of acceptance and a focus on the future to complete the grief process. A little like the metamorphosis the British Labour Party had to go through during the late '80s to get itself elected again.

In essence, the GOP would have freed itself from its limiting past to become a more exciting and relevant adversary. In view of that, I think Sue's poem is most apt:

Let's take Freedom Seriously

S. Shields, 2008

Amen to that, and thank you! :o)

I came on Newsvine in the first week of July of 2007 and immediately got embroiled in heated debates about whether Barack Obama stood any kind of chance to be President of the USA. My belief in his eventual success was unshakeable, and stood confidently firm, even in the face of all the arguments. In fact it was a rather lonely time then, trying to defend my corner as a seemingly 'naive' newcomer in the face of so much scepticism and so many learned Americans telling me otherwise, especially when a few repeatedly pointed out that it was their country and they knew far more about the form than I did. But that cemented my belief even further. Often outsiders can see what we cannot because, being outside of the situation and untainted by its partisan nature, they can see the bigger picture.

I had nothing much to go on except my instincts and, to the smug political pundits, that was nothing on which to base such an important prediction in the face of 'past experience' and the 'evidence' against an Obama victory. However, being a confident person, I remained steadfast, as my instincts have never failed me in my life. I have not seen any reason whatsoever along the way to change my mind either. Even when I saw the dire comments of what would happen at various points in the campaign, especially how he would be beaten by Clinton, I still didn't budge. So when I now see those sceptical pundits announcing with a flourish that Barack will be the 44th President, I smile to myself knowing that they are ONE YEAR too late with their prediction. It's good to be smug sometimes, especially when one was supposed to have been so wrong and so ignorant of the form! It is fascinating to see them justifying his impending victory with all kinds of spurious reasons except the main one: that the man is extraordinary and exceptional in what he has done, considering he emerged from nowhere to beat everyone else to be the key leader for these troubled times.

A lot can happen in three weeks, of course, but barring any catastrophe, Barack is home and dry in the White House. It will have happened because of the reasons I stated one year ago. John McCain has said that even though Obama is currently 'measuring the drapes' he is a fighter and will carry on fighting with the hope of overturning the current position. He is not out yet. Well, I have news for him. None of the old comeback tricks will work this time, but I applaud him for continuing with that hope. It makes for a more interesting contest to the finish, and will give him an honourable exit as well. One cannot begrudge him that.

Written in July of 2007 and posted on Newsvine in November, 2007, Four Key Reasons Why Barack Obama Will Be The Next President demonstrates why Barack will be victorious as well as how belief and faith can move mountains and also confound the sceptics.

One year on, every word is a winner. Well done, Senator! :o)

For 12 years, from 1993, I was a very successful diversity consultant and trainer, advising all kinds of organisations in the UK - from huge companies like British Telecom, with 100,000 staff, and the Royal Navy, to small minnows like Coulsdon School - to encourage greater diversity and cultural understanding in the workplace. Being a pioneer in the field, it was easy for me to make a difference in corporate Britain by promoting effective personnel management as a business priority which impacted positively on the bottom line. I must have trained hundreds of staff across Britain during those years, primarily on the concept of diversity and appreciating its benefits and pitfalls. Through our magazine, New IMPACT, we also raised awareness of diversity, a relatively new import from America, and I also introduced the British Diversity Awards to recognise and reward good corporate practice. In that public way, winners could be useful champions to promote good management even further.

I thoroughly enjoyed what I did, and undertook a 5 year research stint into the topic, which led to the only definitive book on diversity in the UK (Managing the Diversity Maze). Throughout those years, though many people were very comfortable with difference and could understand the need to be tolerant, a growing number really felt threatened and this affected the personal perception of their lives. I found myself fielding questions, that appeared to relate to diversity, from very fearful, insecure people who worried about the effect of a multicultural society on what they held dear and how such cultural issues affected them personally. They wondered why they had to change to accommodate anyone else who was different when it was their country, especially when they did not share their values; they fretted about losing their traditions and history, blamed 'foreigners' for everything and complained of even losing their rights. Many of them came across as racist and intolerant, and were accused as such by others, despite their denials to the contrary and their deep ignorance of other cultures. However, I felt they were reasonable concerns cloaked under the label of diversity. They just sounded all 'wrong'.

Then there was another broad grouping who smiled a lot, took everything in their stride, was pretty knowledgeable on immigration and diversity issues, seemed to revel in solutions rather than just focusing on the problems and understood the benefits of diversity and how it could be used to full effect. They mainly needed affirmation for their beliefs appearing much more secure in themselves.

I pondered frequently on what caused the main difference between those two groups of people.

Our quality of life
Then it hit me six years ago, with my own marriage break-up, during one of those Eureka moments I seem to have often. I discovered that everyone of us, without exception, desired four main things to complete our life and find happiness. Each of us wishes to be significant (hence the obsession with celebrities), appreciated, valued and included, what I called my SAVI Self-Enrichment Concept. The degree to which we desire each item depends on what we place as priority in our life. A minority member, feeling excluded from mainsteam action, would value being included most, while an ambitious executive would yearn to be significant. A housewife or carer, toiling away unnoticed, is likely to put being appreciated and valued as tops in their needs.

The main difference between the two groups was one of emotional wellbeing- the quality of their life and their feeling of comfort with it. Those who felt good about themselves, who felt successful, wanted and valued in their relationships, who were dating successfully too and felt confident in their persona, had no time to fret and worry about others. They felt at peace with their world and did not see others as a threat. They did not seek scapegoats because they felt more responsible about their lives. They enjoyed being empowered to decide their own future and could understand the personal need for self-fulfilment, regardless of culture, creed, gender or race.

Others not so fortunate, who lived alone and felt lonely, who were not advancing in their jobs, who had a lot of hurt, disappointment and losses in their lives through failed relationships or stagnant careers, perceived things very differently. They genuinely did not know how to interact with others effectively, to get the necessary boost and reinforcement to their emotional wellbeing. The end result is that they felt limited in their aspirations, victim-like in their interactions with potential partners and afraid for the progression of their careers, often seeking scapegoats to feel better. This encouraged them to see anyone different, younger or older, male or female, etc., as a real threat; appearing as 'racist', 'ageist' or 'sexist' when that was perhaps not their intention.

Lack of emotional health priority
Both groups of people adopt different coping mechanisms, especially in the absence of good emotional health. Our society makes provisions for improving physical health and mental health, but the most important part of that wellbeing triangle, emotional health, is completely ignored. In a nutshell, emotional health concerns three major factors: self-love, self-belief and self-esteem, all three impacting on each other. They affect our level of achievement, the quality of our relationships with others and the way we view the world, whether positively or negatively. The state of our emotional health directly controls our physical one in the form of 'moods'. Continuing low moods keep us in a depressed state and ultimately lower our immunity, thus exposing us more frequently to clinical problems. Hence there is a direct correlation between our emotional health and how good we feel physically. (Sihera 2006)

One is usually expected to cope with a relationship breakdown - an essential aspect of our lives - at any time, while carrying on with our work as if nothing has happened. Yet, every crisis affects our perception of ourselves and when it involves rejection, it strikes at the heart of our esteem and robs us of our value. We would have been feeling very crappy, and incapacitated, with things falling apart around us. Only robots can ignore the fallout, long or short term, of a relationship crisis or loss of a loved one. Those two items cause the greatest distress for us but often lack the attention they require from others.

Emotional health and empowerment are at the heart of our existence and diversity management. The way we feel emotionally can attract or repel diseases. If we feel vibrant, happy and alive, we are more likely to remain healthy than someone steeped in unhappiness, depression, victimhood and regret. It is a simple equation. When we feel good, nurtured and valued, and we love and appreciate ourselves, we seldom feel threatened because we find it easier to empathise with others and their situation. It gives us the confidence to get out of our comfort zones, to experiment with the unknown and to share our lives and perspectives with others. With the life quality being dictated by personal feelings, if someone is unhappy in their personal life, feeling excluded and invisible, whatever is going on at work is going to suffer in a major way, hence why many people who are hurting emotionally vote with their feet from work through regular absence.

The key question is: How can you appreciate someone else, value someone else, celebrate their difference and diversity if your own personal life is falling apart, if you feel emotionally caustic or barren, culturally ignorant of others and a victim of life through hurt and loss? That's a very difficult thing to do in those negative circumstances. It's like asking someone to give away what they haven't got!

A lack of good emotional health is therefore responsible for a lot of things in our lives and that's where the main focus should be before physicians even treat ill-health. Take some time to find out something about the life of that person: their joys, their sorrows, their hopes, their fears, their desires because wherever there is chronic illness and strong prejudices, bad emotional health is not far from it! Charity has to start from within us. Only when we feel emotionally at peace with ourselves, enjoying greater self-confidence and high esteem, do we feel inclined to spread that joy outwards and value others, to really appreciate the empowering strengths of living in a diverse community and, most important, to appreciate ourselves and the amazing beings we are!

Senator McCain must be a very worried man today. His team has tried everything over the past few weeks to throw at Barack Obama, including the kitchen sink, and it hasn't worked.

Let's look at the current situation in the cold light of day:
1. His golden girl, Sarah Palin, has rapidly lost her shine and is proving to be as fake as can be, a long way from the genuine gold gem she was proclaimed to be. She is turning most women off instead of drawing them to the fold and her own insensitive stance relating to inciting a racist and prejudiced atmosphere has backfired badly.

2. Despite performing much better in the last two, McCain has lost all three presidential debates hands down to Obama. His 'experience' and 'hero' status have not helped him so far to change the public's negative perception of the Republicans, or to win him more supporters.

3. He has appeared increasingly weak and unsuitable for public office the longer he stays in the campaign, especially as he seems bereft of ideas and credible solutions

4. The absence of a clear campaign strategy has almost made him a laughing stock as he flip flops every day to suit the tide of opinion, desperately grabbing any new idea that appears expedient and suits the moment.

5. He is clearly out of his depth as he clutches at straws to halt the growing Obama tide of support.

So what can he possibly do now to change things in his favour?

Not a lot, as I can see it, but he might as well try the following three suggestions as he definitely has nothing to lose at this stage, and doing nothing is NOT an option if he still hopes for victory:

A. He could immediately dump Sarah Palin and have a brand new vice-presidential running mate who knows what they are doing and looks and sounds...well...Vice Presidential! That would at least grab some valuable attention away from Obama's rolling bandwagon.

B. He could do something entirely unexpected, extraordinary and infinitely cool like appearing on Broadway, being stuck in an air balloon over the London Eye, or doing the tap dance or hip hop on David Letterman.

C. OR, and this is the BIG one, he could change himself into Barack Obama, through plastic surgery and a little witch doctoring (might Sarah be able to help him on the witch doctor bit through her Reverend?). He has enough money to do that too. The trick here is that we would suddenly have a twin of Obama and the public wouldn't know which was which. He might sound even better than the real Obama and get into the White House that way. (Or is that wishful thinking?) :o(

Ah, well, back to the drawing board. If he doesn't like any of those ideas, there really isn't much left for him to do at this stage. But something new and dramatic would certainly make the race more interesting.

Over to you folks for your opinion to help him out, and keep it charitable! :o)

I was amazed when I received the video of Barack Obama speaking recently at the Alfred E Smith dinner for the great and good in New York. It expanded magnificently the warm side of Obama we have seen in small amounts during his stump speeches and gave greater insight into this incredible man. Barack is excellent at poking fun at himself, blessed with a fantastic sense of humour, shrewd at making observations of others and so down to earth in his manner, it is refreshing and heartwarming to experience.

Normally when we have big dinners in the UK attended by politicians, the speeches are always used for something important that the keynotes wish to say, and always very, very serious. Often, in fact, they are pretty boring. It is great to see that in America it is different, that the guests of whatever persuasion are just interested in having a good night with some great jokes thrown in.

The night certainly belonged to Barack and, if anyone is in any doubt as to who he is, this wonderful short speech emphasises what a great president-in-waiting we have in him. Some of his cracking lines including the following:

"Contrary to the rumors you have heard, I was not born in a manger. I was actually born on Krypton and sent here by my father Jorel to save the Planet Earth.

"There is no other crowd in America that I'd rather be palling around with right now!"

"Many of you -- many of you know that I got my name, Barack, from my father. What you may not know is Barack is actually Swahili for "That One.""

Touche. LOL

I haven't laughed so much in a long while. Enjoy!

With each unfolding day, Sarah Palin is proving why she is such a bad choice for the vice-presidential nominee. Like a loose cannon without any anchor, she is rocketing her partisan views across the country with as much sensitivity as a big wet sponge colliding with the nation's face. If she wanted support for that statement, the people of a normally red state, Virginia, that is rapidly turning blue, showed their disapproval with a vengeance. They sent her the strongest message of dissent when they turned out in their droves to hear Barack Obama at his rally on Saturday, over 100,000 to be precise.

How on earth can one of the top candidates in the election divide her country into good and bad, loved and unloved, kind and unkind? That is sheer madness when every vote counts and every voter who is not yet committed needs to be won over to the Republican side, if they have any hope in hell of winning. Does the woman engage her brain before she engages her mouth? One has to wonder at the latest gaffe if she is some brain cells short of a set!

According to Gov. Palin, she loved to visit the 'pro-America' (i.e sympathetic to Republicans or behaving like them!) areas:
"We believe that the best of America is in these small towns that we get to visit, and in these wonderful little pockets of what I call the real America, being here with all of you hard working very patriotic, um, very, um, pro-America areas of this great nation. This is where we find the kindness and the goodness and the courage of everyday Americans...

It seems that if you live in a small village with unyielding traditional and monocultural values, cut off from the rest of society's diverse throng, you are more for your country than the melting pot. You are more patriotic, and more pro America than the cities and suburbs. That's a very dangerous road for any politician to go down, for three main reasons.

A sure way to be exclusive
First, you don't divide and win. The minute you openly split your voting base you are going to lose because you immediately alienate one part of the country by implying that some people are better than others, that some people are more loyal and caring than others and some people are undeserving and should be ignored in favour of selected others. You become exclusive instead of inclusive and, worst of all, you drive away people who might have been swaying towards you in the very areas you reject. No election is about preaching to the converted and die hards. They are already in the bag. The real energy needs to be expended on those who are undecided or downright hostile. By jettisoning them in one fell swoop with her very juvenile and short-sighted comment, the Republicans have sealed their fate.

Second, any politician is elected to serve ALL the citizens of a country, not just the members of their own party. By deliberately implying that only the supporters matter, it sets up a precedent of resentment which will carry over into the governing process by breeding scepticism and apathy among those not so favoured! Many people will not trust such a government because they will always wonder whether they are being treated fairly, not being in a 'pro-America' state.

Third, by dividing the country in such arbitrary and insulting ways, she sets herself up as a dictator and controller who decides what is acceptable in the political fight and what is not. She becomes narrow in perspective by only acknowledging one part of the country instead of trying to appeal to all. She is deliberately divisive and she robs the country of the very diversity that makes America so outstanding by relegating what doesn't conform to her expectations to a low level of significance. Dangerous grounds, indeed.

Every part of American soil is 'real'. No part is more genuine than another. That's what makes any country so amazing - it's diversity and cultural richness. No country has unpatriotic people either. No matter how some people might protest, they love their country as much as anyone else, except that they show it in different ways. In fact, the greatest lovers of America, for example, are those who might seem unpatriotic and critical, only because their expectations are too high. They tend to expect perfection in government and there is no such thing. Someone will always be disappointed at some time because government is not for individuals. It is for the masses. That's the only way it can be effective.

To imply that anyone who doesn't care for one party or another, or does not conform to expectations, is unkind or unpatriotic shows a level of ignorance, control and meanness of spirit that is not only difficult to comprehend, but truly scary. Which makes one one wonders: How on earth can anyone still see such a divisive person as the best placed one to be president, should anything happen to McCain?

It really doesn't bear thinking about! :o(

If the Republicans are still reeling from Colin Powell's unexpected full endorsement of Barack Obama, they needn't worry about that too much. This is history already in the making. Barack Obama has won this election, barring the greatest fluke or skulduggery, and didn't really need any endorsement at this stage from anyone. But it's like an icing on the cake.

The Republicans have far bigger things to worry about than that, three of them in fact, and all of them pivotal to any re-emergence of a stronger, more inclusive GOP. These hidden factors were beyond the understanding of the McPalin's team, and they will remain ignorant of it until they remove their ostrich heads from the sand and wake up to the new reality that is dawning in politics.

The three hidden formidable factors, in order of power and influence, are:
1. The Internet. As of September, Barack Obama's website has had donations from 3.1 million members. That is awesome by any stretch of the imagination. That's bigger than the population of 85 countries(38%) in the world, including Jamaica, Kuwait, Botswana, Mauritius and Cyprus! In less than two years, this virtually unknown guy, the only Black male in the American Senate, not only took on the big boys and girls and beat them at their game, but has built a dynasty in the process, of members so fiercely loyal to him, one has to wonder how he does it. The Republicans have vastly underestimated the power of the Internet and Obama's ability to persuade and inspire. Being used to money from the traditional watering holes of cronies, corporates and cabals, the tsunami of Internet money has completely engulfed the efforts of McPalin and left them standing wet, naked and exposed in incompetent wonderment.

The Internet means instant communication, and COMMUNICATION, is the key word in keeping those troops informed, collecting the donations daily, providing emotional support and encouragement and, above all, giving a sense of ownership, inclusion and appreciation. It is quite an amazing experience to sit here all the way in England and see the mountain of emails coming to my inbox daily from Whites, Blacks, Chinese, French, Hispanics, Brits, Ghanaians, indians, Spanish, you name it, all with one voice about what they are each doing for their candidate, how much they have donated, advising one another, keeping the subjects on topic and positive, and following Obama's progress with owl-like intensity. It is truly quite astounding and sometimes even scary to see what is now possible on a global scale.

Power to The People!
2. The Grassroots Emphasis. By cleverly making each donor feel that their money alone is helping Barack on every step: just $25 dollars here or $10 dollars there, easily manageable, yet powerful sums in their own right, supporters get a feeling of significance, that they matter, that they have a hand in what Barack would do in the White House, and even in what he is saying now because they are a good sounding board for his ideas. They email headquarters the minute they see anything amiss, especially from the opposition, becoming the unpaid eyes and ears of the campaign. Not only that, they volunteer daily to sit on the phones, to knock on doors promoting the message, to have house parties at broadcast times, to attend fund raising events or to spread the word through print. It's all about ACTION which they control, not words. The network is growing ever wider and stronger and is cementing itself as a formidable force for change. By involving so many people across America, and the world, day in and day out, each with their own stake and their own dreams, Barack has brought his personal dreams to fulfilment ,while pledging to realise theirs.

This has been the People's Election which is why the tired old-fashioned and narrow ways of the Republicans could never hope to compete because their intention appears to divide Americans into pro- and anti-America, or racists and terrorists. No sense of unity, one cause or purpose. Obama's grassroot surge is like a close family protecting its star, where everyone across a rainbow culture and a receptive world, and where cultural barriers have been crushed, knows each other. It is like nothing else that has gone before it and just incredible to see its gradual development. People like to feel valued and significant and the Democratic campaign has made them feel just that!

As one female supporter puts it sincerely, succinctly: "I am an Admin Assist and I don't make much, but instead of buying new clothes, shoes, going out to eat, etc., I am taking my extra money and I have been giving it to Obama! I know there are millions like me too, because we want him in office so much. I have never given money to politics, and I have never volunteered, or been this passionate, but I am doing it all this time! Donating, volunteering, and praying, all for OBAMA! OBAMA! OBAMA! This is what they call a grassroots effort and they hate it that it's working! The rich cannot buy their election this time, because THE PEOPLE ARE SAYING YES WE CAN! YES WE CAN! YES WE CAN! Yeehaw!!!!"

The Colour of Money
3. Finally, there is The Money. Aha, one might say that is no hidden factor. Everyone knows that American elections cost big dosh. Yes, they do, but not on the scale that Barack's team has garnered it in, not so regularly and predictably. It makes every other election before it pales into insignificance. It is so easy to collect on the Internet, giving instant progress feedback, it is almost laughable. Everyone can see the money flowing in but what they do not realise is that a good deal of the September amount ($150 m), for example, was actually triggered by every negative comment Sarah Palin or John McCain made! Every time there was something negative, racist or untruth said in the Republican camp, supporters of Barack Obama donated even more. They saw that as the only way to 'fight' such misrepresentation: by making it easier for Obama to make rebuttal adverts and refute statements. I guess not even they knew how much that action would have yielded. So the Republicans must have thought they were being very clever attacking Obama constantly, yet all they were doing with such silly and short-sighted action was filling his coffers even more.

As two supporters said:
"How do we answer stuff like this? The answer came this weekend when Congresswomen Michele Bachmann opened her mouth on Hardball with Chris Matthew. It went viral and before 24hrs was up her opponent received $500,000. Oh, El Tinklenberg is her opponent. He went from $3,000 to over $500,000 because a few U.S. Citizens came together and made a difference. I gave $15.00. It felt good. it was like the first time I gave to Barack Obama's Campaign."

"Me too. Funny, every time they do something disdainful, we give more money to Obama! LOL! I just gave him $25 more dollars to fight the robocalls!"

So, if McPalin keeps doing what they're doing, they just keep boosting Obama's fund balance and clear his path even more to victory!

Using the decidedly simple but highly organised grassroots Internet strategy that Team Obama has developed and maintained in a most effective way, they could make anyone a president, if they have the talent! Expect to see much more of this type of kingmaker action. The GOP should be lining up for lessons! Leadership starts from the self. How one manage's one's househld, or run one's own campaign, is a signal to how the White House will be run too, and there has not been a more efficiently-run campaign than Barack Obama's. Just on that management form, he deserves to win.

The Republicans need to wake up now and realise that they are in a new age, a new dawn of ideas dictated by technology and a new burning desire for change from the old ways. Fifty years from now we might all change back again to something more traditional as the life cycle relentlessly whirls around us. But just now, this is not some electoral fluke in Obama's favour. These are vibrant times with the Internet, blogs and individual voice and effort at the core of it. Anyone who is not equipped to be part of these times will be left behind in a fossilised rut, clinging on perilously to outmoded and outdated ideology while they wonder just what has hit them!

Everyone has their favourite in an election, and, I daresay, there are tons of people in the US who like McCain as a person, while some will be voting because he is the official nominee of the Republican party. However, not all is well in the GOP and he really should be given a miss for all kinds of reasons, especially these seven key ones.

In order of crucial importance, they are:

7. He is out of his depth. It really is time he retired and enjoyed his family.
This guy has had his chips. His moment has come and gone in 2004 and he should have retired with some grace at that time. He would then have been remembered fondly as one of America's big heroes and elder statesmen. instead, he will be remembered for quietly condoning racism and aggressive reactions at his rallies and for choosing, possibly, the most awful vice-president in US history. The only saving grace is for him to do something really gracious and unexpected towards Obama before the elections are over, otherwise memories of him and Ms Palin won't be at all pleasant after that.

6. He seems too fragile and detached to deal with any crisis.
McCain seems to be displaying signs of senile dementia. To call a rally crowd "my fellow prisoners" is not an error. It reflects what is happening inside his head, and the confusion that is probably developing as he ages. He was a POW, after all, and that usually carries its own traumatic legacy, depending on what he experienced then. He seems to be ageing faster than the average 72 year old so anything could be happening psychologically which no one knows about. Worst still, to send a fundraising letter to the Russian Embassy, then said it was a mix-up, says it all. It shows how detached he is even from the questionable activities of his own team!

5. As a Washington insider, he is too controlled by all the corporate and lobbying interests.
The world of John McCain is as an established politician in Washington. That's what he grew up in and what he has enjoyed. His campaign funding has come mainly from the usual suspects. Once he gets in, his hands will still be tied by all the people who are expecting some payback for their support; all the fat cats who expect business as usual, despite the state of the economy. That is one connection he won't be able to break, which means more of the same in economical terms.

4. He shies away from tough economy issues and rather incompetent at dealing with them.
It is clear that John McCain knows damn-all about the economy and couldn't care less about. But that's not surprising. How on earth can a very rich man like him, who would hardly have mixed with anyone in the middle/lower classes, truly understand what it is like to lose a house, or lose something cherished, or even lose a job? It is difficult to empathise if you never have to worry about a meal, about your possessions or about your own progress. Obviously trying to solve the economy would not be one of his strong points because it really doesn't affect him in a dire way.

3. He has an ignorant running mate who will be divisive rather than inclusive, should anything happen to him.
Sarah Palin has got to be one of the worst potential leaders running in an election, if her performance so far is anything to go by. To actually divide America into pro- and anti-Americans says it all. Yet without every American pooling together to build that country, the pro-America part would suffer just as much as the rest of it. A country can only thrive if all it's citizens are moving together: not being divided into desirables and undesirables by the very people who should be uniting them. Sarah Palin needs some urgent lessons in people skills, how to appreciate others who might then, in turn, show her some due respect.

2. He would simply be a continuation of the last eight years of failed policies and poor decisions.
John McCain supported George Bush countless times in policy matters, including the ill-fated war in Iraq. They are both Republicans, they have the vested interest of seeing the Republicans continue in power and will do anything to achieve that, including being totally negative and disrespectful to the Democrats. But in any democracy, parties come and go. That's the inevitable democratic process. Take it or leave it. Otherwise the country would be a dictatorship.

And, most important,

1. He lacks essential leadership at a time when his country badly needs it.
John McCain is no leader. He simply wishes to have power. To be a great leader is about UNITY, VISION and INSPIRATION. But that does not come without RESPECT to others or INCLUSION. When we seek to divide the very people who might wish to vote for us, that shows a gross lack of understanding and appreciation of the diplomatic and sensitive needs of being at the helm. The president of the USA does not represent a single party. He/she is for everyone, regardless of culture, creed or colour. By likening the opposition to terrrorists, and not saying a word of condemnation to the people who shouted to kill Barack or accuse him of being a terrorist, McPalin is nurturing and encouraging two different societies based on colour and culture, in particular, and is fomenting the seeds of division instead of unity.

That is no way to lead a country, let alone build it or get the best from its varying cultures. In fact that is the surest way to lead to civil conflict and hatred which would be disastrous for such a diverse society, like going back in time to the days of segregation and division. One cannot imagine anything worse.

There is a farcical belief that every Black voter would be lining up behind Barack Obama simply because he's Black and they are desperately in need of a Black president in the White House. Nothing could be more ridiculous because that kind of narrow thinking takes no account of human diversity in every culture.

The Black community, if there is such a thing, is like any other community based on class lines: the rich, the middle classes and the lower classes. It might not be as pronounced as in the White section of the population, as their upper echelon has much more power and privilege than their Black peers, but it is still very clear to see in perspectives, behaviour patterns, expectations and achievements. It follows that there will be lots of Black people who won't like Barack Obama, especially if they have leanings towards the Republicans, or are actual members of the party themselves. They would be the saddest people now leading up to the elections because they would be political minorities in every sense of the term.

In view of that, they would have a major dilemma in voting, caused by the recent antics of Sarah Palin, in particular. Each person must be asking him/herself: Do I cast my vote for a man whose party I do not like, whose principles I am not comfortable with but who seems to be very popular at the moment? Who reflects me in colour and seems to treat people like me with respect, which would mean going against my own beliefs and allegiance? Or do I vote for the party that I feel comfortable with in ideology, that represents my concerns and expectations but does not reflect me at all, that is not really recruiting people like me, or treating me with any respect; one that is implying that all people of colour are terrorists, are responsible for the mortgage debacle, responsible for the problems of America and we are a different group apart? A party that has been overtly racist and divisive compared to the unity being shown by the Democrats?

My guess is that those pressing questions will become more pronounced with each day that the election approaches. It is no easy dilemma, when one just wants to make the right choice at this crucial time, especially in view of the latest endorsement from Colin Powell, the lack of clear positive leadership from the Republicans, and not really having a 'home' to call their own.

It really isn't an easy time to be a Black Republican sympathiser when there is the possibility of a Black president on the horizon. In fact, it could be the hardest time to be Black in the face of the low road taken by the Republicans so far which appeared to have forgotten about their Black members while they strive to separate people into pro- and anti-America, and covertly by their colour. It would have thrown up a lot of dissonance in who to vote for mainly because we all seek, without exception, to be significant (i.e to matter), to be valued, included and appreciated. The greatest attributes of RESPECT.

The Republicans have not shown that respect to anyone else of late. Thus it should be interesting to see just how minority Republicans, this forgotten group, will be voting in the next two weeks, if they do it at all, and why!