At Platform 10, we have been pretty consistent in making the progressive Conservative case for Obama (although, as with most issues, not all contributors are on the Obama bandwagon). See here and here. The case is pretty straightforward. The USA has been a deeply polarised country for at least two decades and needs a figure who can go beyond partisan differences and begin to heal the wounds in American society. The image of the US in the world has also been deeply tarnished over the past decade and Obama is clearly the best candidate to do restore the image of the USAaround the globe. On a wide range of issues, from social liberalism to universal healthcare, Obama’s Democrats are much closer to the modern day Conservative Party than McCain’s Republicans. The smears, negative campaigning and pandering to the worst elements of the religious right that has come to symbolise the McCain campaign has only widened this gulf. At the same time, Obama’s message of hope and change is echoed by David Cameron’s rhetoric.
Over the course of this financial crisis, it is Obama who has remained calm and statesmanlike. He has looked, in a word, Presidential. In the past few weeks, McCain has shown all the calm of an erratic speed-freak (debate on, debate off; campaign suspended, campaign back on etc) – further highlighting doubts about his temperament.
Against this background, it is good to see that other Tory bloggers have followed our lead and backed Obama as the best candidate to heal America and restore the reputation of the US in the world. See this piece from Iain Dale this morning and his Telegraph column this morning about the number of Tory MPs backing the Democrat. The myopic world view of Republicans good, Democrats bad has been replaced in some elements of the Tory blogosphere with a desire to weigh up the candidates on their merits. That can only be a positive development.
On a bit of a tangent, Jon Stewart has been magnificent throughout this campaign. Check out this skit of McCain’s stage wandering in Tuesday’s debate, which should bring a smile to your face whatever your political preferences.
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Couldn’t agree more. You can also see a wide array of conservative commentators in the US disowning McCain and accepting some of Obama’s ideas and personality as the best choice this November. Christopher Buckley has chosen Obama and in his article he describes some of the appalling reaction by extremists toward anyone on the right who chooses Obama. The e-mail mentioned about Kathleen Parker, unrepeatable here, is abhorrent.
What disingenuous nonsense. Edward Heathcoat-Amory has just written an article which tends to suggest that Obama is no Messiah, just another product of Chicago machine politics, with all that that implies.
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