because of what you said - because you decided that change must come to Washington; because you believed that this year must be different than all the rest; because you chose to listen not to your doubts or your fears but to your greatest hopes and highest aspirations, tonight we mark the end of one historic journey with the beginning of another - a journey that will bring a new and better day to America.

Because of you, tonight, I can stand before you and say that I will be the Democratic nominee for president of the United States of America.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7434843.stm

Media marvel at Obama phenomenon
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7435580.stm

He was projected to win months ago. I enjoyed watching the media tell a different story here, confirming their bad standards.

Steel,

Yes the contest wasn't quite what the media made it out to be.

Would have preferred to know about him a little more and he were ten years more experience. That said, he seems less plastic that Clinton the Second. I am sure Australia will work-in okay an Obama administration, if he wins the big one.

After all that has gone on, intersting it is The College of Electors, whom choose the US President and VP; usually, but not always, following majority vote.

“because of what you said - because you decided that change must come to Washington;”

As they say, talks cheap.

We see it in Krudd.

I trust the Americans will see it in Wam-bam-man too.

Americans are extremely conservative at the core, it is one reason why they have the most productive economy and highest standard of living on earth, somehow, I cannot see Obama happening. Hilary was a better bet but who knows what fixes were in to make sure Bill did not get to stain the bed sheets in the white house again.

I might be wrong but I don’t think he is a slam-dunk for anything.

The significant differences between Democrat and Republican do not exist, in the context of differences we perceive between labor and liberal and there are alot of card-carrying white democrats who are not fanatically anti Republican.

The man who was born around a time when blacks had to sit at the back of the bus has become the first African-American who could sit in the Oval Office.

More than 80% of Americans believe the country is heading in the wrong direction, according to a poll last month.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7434740.stm

Antonios Symeonakis
Adelaide

Col Rouge,
Again you? OK! I respect your right to make mistakes!

1. About the most productive economy According to ILO
The average annual rate of productivity growth in the United States was 1.7% between 1980 and 2005, per hour.
in British 2.4% per hour.
In France, 2.2% per hour.
In Germany 1.8%
In Italy 1.4%,
In Japan 2.5%
Norway was the most productive.

2. About 1% of American population is in prison, WORLD RECORD! No money or interests for social programs. Where is going this country?

3. Huge military expenses!

Allocation of US 2007 Taxes

43% CURRENT MILITARY SPENDING AND COST OF PAST WARS
11% Interest on non military share of federal Dept
20% Health reaserch & services
12% responses to Poverty
7% Government operations
3% Social Programs
3% SCIENCE, ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT
1% Non military International Programs

USA need Obama to stop its high, fast decline.

Antonios Symeonakis
Adelaide

Obama will be the next president of USA!

According to NYTimes/CBS poll
on health care 63% Democrats while only 19%Republicans,
on economy, 56% Democrats, 28%Republicans,
on moral values, 50% Democrats, 34% Republicans
on Iraq, 50%Democrats, 34%Republicans.
The Democratic Party has a 52 percent favorable and 41 percent unfavorable rating; the Republican Party has a 33 percent favorable and 58 percent unfavorable rating. 63% percent say the United States needs to withdraw from Iraq within 12 months;

Obama in a Blowout
http://www.alternet.org/election08/87225/

Oliver
"I am sure Australia will work-in okay an Obama administration",
I am sure USA will improve their relations with all countries world wide and any country will work much better with Obama administration than with Bush administration.

ASymeonakis I will ignore your spray of wannabeism.

As to “I am sure USA will improve their relations with all countries world wide and any country will work much better with Obama administration than with Bush administration.”

I recall John Howard, who happened to be in USA at the time of 9/11 was the first

I repeat the first foreign head of state to commit support to the USA in the aftermath of that tragedy.

Not that it was poor before but from that moment on the Australian / US alliance was one of the strongest and most committed in the world.

Now that was when John Howard was the prime minister of Australia.

How the relationship is after six months of the slimey skank “Krudd” in the prime position is yet to be observed but

to your comparison Obama : Bush, the only way relations could improve between Australia and any possible Obama administration versus the Howard / Bush relationship would be if Obama was to give Krudd a good rodgering.

Col Rouge
I agree with you that the relations between Bush and Howard was very strong! Also I am sure that Bush popularity is under 27% partly of cause Howard! and Howard did not elected even MP probably of cause Bush and their relations.
WE DO NOT WANT ONLY GOOD RELATIONS WITH AMERICA BUT ALSO FOR THE RIGHT REASONS!
I am sure Obama and Rudd will improve the relations between Australia and USA for the benefits not only for both countries but for the whole world

Obama will be president. The rich minority won't out vote the frustration of the majority. Exactly like what happened here.

Clinton backs Obama
Hillary Clinton has told her supporters to unite behind Obama. "all who poured [their] hearts into this campaign" and urged them to "take our energy, our passion" and help elect Barack Obama."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7441941.stm

Welcome StG, I missed you. You have good ideas, you are a very good person, do not disappear! 5-6 years before the kkk killer of black HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVISTS in Mississippi State said in his apology that he "DID NOT KNOW THAT KILLING A BLACK WAS ILLEGAL" and learned it when he was soldier.
Today American people gave their preferences to a black man.
LONG LIVE THE PROGRESSIVE AMERICANS!

Democrats in rural strongholds refuse to give backing to Obama

the uglier truth is that part of white America remains secretly - or sometimes openly - deeply distrustful of the idea of a black president.
This state (West Virginia) is white, elderly and working class. This is not natural Obama country. People are not used to having black politicians on the ballot

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/jun/08/barackobama.hillaryclinton

Antonius

I am hopeful that the need and desire for change is strong enough for the more racist elements in the Democratics, to finally rally them together and vote Obama into office.

Hilary has a chance to add her influence and unite the Democrats for a new America.

Fingers crossed.

:-)

Fractelle
Read the dramatic speech, of Chris Hedges "America's Democratic Collapse"

'Our state, our nation, has been hijacked by oligarchs, corporations and a narrow, selfish political elite, a small and privileged group which governs on behalf of moneyed interests." by the end of 2012, 12.7 percent of all residential borrowers in the United States will be forced out of their homes.
The U.S. economy has 3.2 million fewer jobs today than it did when George Bush took office, including 2.5 million fewer manufacturing jobs.
In the past three years, nearly 1 in 5 U.S. workers was laid off. Among workers laid off from full-time work, roughly one-fourth were earning less than $40,000 annually. A total of 15 million U.S. workers are unemployed, underemployed, or too discouraged to job hunt.

The defense budget for fiscal 2008 is the largest since the Second World War even as we have more than $400 billion in annual deficits. More than half of federal discretionary spending goes to defense.

Eighteen thousand people die in this country, according to the Institute of Medicine, every year because they can't afford health care.

Four media giants -- AOL-Time Warner, Viacom, Disney, and Rupert Murdoch's NewsGroup -- control nearly everything we read, see and hear.

George Bush, has done more to shred, violate or absent the government from its obligations under domestic and international law. He has refused to sign the Kyoto Protocol, backed out of the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, tried to kill the International Criminal Court, walked out on negotiations on chemical and biological weapons, and defied the Geneva Convention and human rights law. He has set up offshore penal colonies where we deny detainees basic rights and openly engage in torture. He launched an illegal war in Iraq based on fabricated evidence we now know had been discredited even before it was made public.

http://www.alternet.org/democracy/86973/?page=2

Antonios Symeonakis
Adelaide

ASymeonakis “am sure Obama and Rudd will improve the relations between Australia and USA for the benefits not only for both countries but for the whole world”

Like I said “the only way relations could improve between Australia and any possible Obama administration versus the Howard / Bush relationship would be if Obama was to give Krudd a good rodgering.”

As for “WE DO NOT WANT ONLY”

I only attempt to speak for myself, I figure you do the same. So stop trying to pass yourself off as the mouth piece for some sect, group or tribe.

The big battle for the White House is about to start. Who has the wind behind him, Barack Obama or John McCain? What hurdles do they face and what strategies can they employ to overcome them? Five leading US pundits give their views.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7443467.stm

Antonius

Coincidence, a friend had already sent me a link to Chris Hedges "America's Democratic Collapse" speech.

It is a terrific compilation of facts and analysis - I too share your concern of the 'corporate state'. It is true that Democrats are influenced by the big monopolies, however, as with Labor, there is still an thread of ideology towards the good of the average person.

If Obama proves to be as impressive a leader as he is an orator - we have a good chance of moving towards a more equitable global SOCIETY.

Whatever the result in the USA, it will have ramifications around the world - we are all in this together.

Cheers

Fractelle
"If Obama proves to be as impressive a leader as he is an orator - we have a good chance of moving towards a more equitable global SOCIETY"
I am internationalist and I support any move which bring people, nations, countries closer to each other. I prefer strong international bodies and I wish the conversion of UN to an international government.

Fractelle
I wanted to finish with this thread and move to an other thread, in really I tried to create a new thread about the future of Australia but it REJECTED, did not open the thread! I am against any free trade and free movement with Asian countries because I believe it could destroy the labors and small business and disappear our civilization but Pericles and Col Rouge do not leave me! Thank you for your understanding!
About the "Natural childbirth would become obsolete" Last year my daughter was pregnant and see was overdue about two weeks. From hospital advised her for Natural childbirth, one day visited her a nurse and said her not to worry, no risks for the child, next day it died!
My daughter is again pregnant but this time she left Australia and went in Cyprus for better and more responsible support, a Cypriot professor in London University said, in Europe in overdue child cases, doctors analyze in laboratory various factors every 10 hours, to be sure that the child is not at risk. Here about two weeks overdue and they did not analyze anything, One day the nurse said do not worry and next day my grand son was dead! In our days doctors save the life of 5-6 months old baby and my grandson died two weeks overdue.

Col Rouge,
There are good and bad employers, a good employer usually is a successful businessman/woman a bad employer usually is a bad businessman/woman but some times they can succeed too if they avoid the prison.

rehctub,
you are not so bad as I thought at begin, "I manage to work about 80 hours per week" I do the same thing but I am not sure if I need a mental doctor or not, I can not explain why I am working when all other people are enjoying their life.
Antonios Symeonakis
Adelaide

ASymeonakis

"Col Rouge,
There are good and bad employers, a good employer usually is a successful businessman/woman a bad employer usually is a bad businessman/woman but some times they can succeed too if they avoid the prison."

Interesting post, maybe I am a little obtuse this today -

but what the farck has it got to do with the thread or what I have posted here?

Key US states to watch
As in the previous two presidential elections, there are about a dozen states that could swing in 2008.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7449629.stm

Col Rouge
You have right this was for an other thread!
YOU HAVE RIGHT, IT IS VERY LATE, I OPENED MANY WINDOWS AND I POST IT TO THE WRONG ONE!