I See Red

No we didn't - bugger!

YES WE CAN (AND DID!)

     

President Obama

I probably won't get time to blog tomorrow, so I'll do it now.

Tomorrow Obama will win the US Presidential election by an Electoral College landslide (closer to 400 than 300). Just 40 years from the end of racial segregation and African American disenfranchisement Obama will be the first African American President.

After 8 years of Republican rule that has left American weaker militarily and economically, Obama will face a variety of challenges including two wars, an economic crisis and climate change crisis. Don't expect any leftist extremism. Obama will be a moderate President, restoring balance after 8 years of hard-right government.

He will bring a responsible end to the Iraq war. He will make a massive investment in science and technology so that American can become energy independent while also creating millions of new jobs. And he will help work on building a more regulated economy with greater oversight.

Obama's great opportunity lies in engaging the millions of grass-roots activists that have supported his campaign to build change from the bottom-up. Universal Health care will only come if these new activist networks take on the powerful lobbies.

Earlier in the year I knocked on over 2000 American doors for Obama over the course of four weeks in a key swing state - Pennsylvania. It was my small contribution to Obama and what he stands for. In these challenging times we need politicians we can trust and politicians who bring us hope that the world can be a better place. Obama is the man for these challenging times.

Doubts about John Key's trustworthiness and ability to lead

Rod Oram must read

Rod Oram asks: GLOBAL TURMOIL demands new insights and incisive policies from governments. So, which of the two main parties would best lead the next one here?

His answer: Labour.

So, our next government needs to encourage New Zealanders to consume less and save more. KiwiSaver is helping households do so while the Superannuation Fund is helping the nation make the same shift.

Labour is committed to maintaining both mechanisms. National is promising to weaken them.

National is also promising bigger tax cuts than Labour. Past experiences show households are very likely to spend rather than save the money - the exact opposite of what people should be doing for long-term security. Moreover, the cuts will only force National to save money elsewhere.

For households, for example, both parties are offering help to people made redundant. Labour will offer them free skill retraining, a long-term benefit. National will offer them mortgage relief, a short-term fix.

...

Labour will keep the R&D tax credit, expand skills training and help companies trade and invest overseas.

National says it will axe the R&D credit, even though the credit is helping companies upskill themselves. It is also very vague about what it would do with these development programmes.

...

Labour's policies are modest at best on the likes of renewable energy and other sustainability issues.

But National's would be backward steps, with the possible exception of water standards. For example, it does not believe building codes have any role in improving home insulation. It advocates instead price mechanisms alone to drive change.

These great shifts are at the heart of the global crisis. They are also a great opportunity. But only for the bold and prepared. Labour is. National isn't.