Dream and Reality

Barack Obama, hailed at the start of the election campaign as the ‘New Kennedy’, has crossed the finish line as the ‘Black Roosevelt’, the man who can save America from collapsing with a new ‘New Deal’. On this warm November night in Chicago, Obama supporters stared with growing excitement at results on giant TV screens in Grant Park. When Pennsylvania (desperately needed by McCain) was called for Obama, the crowd had its biggest roar. But Obama was ahead in other key states such as Florida. Nevertheless, McCain caught up in Virginia and in the late evening (in USA) was still underway.

Obama’s final lead reflects the last eight weeks of election campaign, heavily influenced by the financial crisis. Obama focused on the middle class and workers impoverished by the ‘Reagan Era’. But he also gained the support of other groups, coalitions of interests, social networks, all gathered by his terrific electoral machine. Even the world of finance rooted for him. It could be deemed surprising, since he wants to help labor unions and apply protectionist measures. But after all, Roosevelt’s treatment in the 30s took a long time to increase employment, but was an immediate panacea for the USA’s economy.

Lost in the dark, the USA of today is hungry for certainty, and needs to see a long-term project. Obama planned it for a long time while McCain, starting his campaign arm in arm with General David Petraeus, suddenly had to move in another direction. A difficult challenge: in the end, only ‘Joe the plumber’ helped him for the final sprint. The across-the-board fight became mostly a conflict about how to produce and distribute wealth. A disaster for the Republican candidate, uncomfortable with economics and compelled to follow Bush’s fiscal plans (which he criticized in the past) to please his party.

Nevertheless, McCain gave proof one more time of his legendary strength in adverse situations. But, at that point, he was out of possibilities. His victory would have been surprising: the victory of one who thinks that Obama is just a dummy in front of McCain’s experience and history, the victory of one who is afraid of black people’s repressed anger, caused by slavery of the past and by playing subordinate roles in present times. But election forecasts were not reversed: the crisis has changed America dramatically, in spite of appearances.

Ethical themes had less relevance: cultural warriors fight better when economy prospers. This is also why in the last month Sarah Palin’s character weakened. People still want to hope, but have lost their proverbial optimism and their capacity to measure the distance between the American Dream and the reality of the Country. And as Bruce Springsteen said, they find in Obama the man who brought the measure of that distance in his life and work. It’s time for a change: from today on, the big crack will be referred to with more direct words and the promises of fiscal reductions will be themselves downsized. And a new ‘Bretton Woods’ will be necessary to admit mistakes in front of other Countries. It will take years to reconcile dream and reality, and it will cost tonight’s winner most of his political capital.