Barack Obama's Victory Marks Reconciliation of America with the World

The president of the group for U.S.-French friendship in the National assembly, Deputy Louis Giscard d’Estaing analyzes for l’Express.fr the success of the Democratic candidate Barack Obama and its consequence for our country.

Your reaction to the election of Barack Obama?

It is a magnificent example of the vitality of American political life, with the election of a candidate issued from among the minorities, especially from an ethnic minority. The participation of 66% of the electorate in this election marks the culmination of an election process rich in events, notably with very lively primaries, and reveals the ability of the American people to take hold of their own destiny.

Were you surprised by the size of his victory?

If one takes into account the differences in the election, this success is not as large as all that. One must salute the McCain campaign. They handled the favorable public opinion towards Obama’s themes well. With 47% of the votes, McCain demonstrated that the Republican view lives on in American opinion, in spite of the degraded image of President Bush and his administration.

What difficulties are waiting for Barack Obama?

He is going to have to close all of the wounds opened during this campaign. After the Democratic primaries, Obama had shown his capacity to reassemble the Democratic camp and to bring in the supporters of Hillary Clinton. He must now demonstrate that he is the American Head of State, capable of putting himself in the fore and taking hold of the subjects that interest his fellow citizens, such as the consequences of the financial crisis on employment and health through medical coverage. Even as the scope of his victory has given him a certain amount of grace, the issues awaiting him are very large, which explains the strong mobilization of the electorate. But there isn’t much maneuvering room: the budget isn’t very good, notably because of the war in Iraq

What lesson is there for France?

For our country, there is first a wonderful message that the United States has turned the page on what we have opposed over the last few years, that is, the postures of the Bush administration. It’s truly a message of reconciliation. This election illustrates equally the ability of the United States to take into account globalization, within the personality of Barack Obama. I think that one can look forward to a presidency more oriented toward a dialog with its natural allies, more respecting of cultural diversity within the world and more desiring of actively participating in the resolution of the great problems of today, beginning with the questions of natural resources and of security.