Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Il fenomeno Obama



Barack Obama, candidato democratico per le imminenti elezioni presidenziali americane, e' sicuramente un personaggio cosi' carismatico e peculiare che ha segnato profondamente il panorama politico e sociale degli Stati Uniti a prescindere dall'esito delle urne. Qui New York Libera e' andata ad ascoltarlo dal vivo durante la sua campagna elettorale a Philadelphia. Fermezza nell'affermare la necessita' di un cambiamento, promesse forti, atteggiamento rassicurante, grandi doti oratorie: questo quello che e' trasparso dalle sue parole. Ma sono le solite promesse vuote tipiche della politica? Abbiamo chiesto ai sui sostenitori, professori, studenti, dottori, semplici operai, commercianti, se pensano che possa veramente rappresentare e realizzare un cambiamento, colui che possa mettere in discussione l'attuale sistema politico, sociale ed economico quasi completamente controllato e manipolato dalle grandi corporations e banche, e mettersi dalla parte delle fascie meno abbienti. Invertira' l'attuale rotta? Dara' spazio a maggiore giustizia sociale e maggiore equita' economica? Mettera' fine all'esportazione della cosiddetta "democrazia" con il solo mezzo della guerra preventiva? Dalle risposte traspare sia fiducia nella sua persona, ma anche tanto scetticismo, consapevoli che probabilmente non potra' fare piu' di tanto in un sistema che lascia poco spazio alla vera democrazia, all'etica e alla vera giustizia sociale.

5 comments:

Nic said...

Adesso ha vinto!! Vediamo se alle belle parole corrisponderanno i fatti. Io ho sempre i miei grossi dubbi.

Unknown said...

Obama Joke by Premier Has Italy in an Uproar
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By RACHEL DONADIO
Published: November 7, 2008
ROME — Italians never quite know whether to laugh or cry at Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. But many reacted with incredulity and outrage after the prime minister, visiting Moscow on Thursday, amiably called the first African-American president-elect in United States history “young, handsome and suntanned.”

Related
Berlusconi Under Fire for Obama 'Joke' (November 6, 2008)

Mr. Berlusconi made the remark while meeting President Dmitri A. Medvedev of Russia, saying that Senator Barack Obama’s good looks, his youth and his so-called suntan were “all the qualities” for Mr. Medvedev and the future president to “develop a good working relationship.”

Many Italian newspapers gave the comment nearly as much front-page attention as Mr. Obama’s victory itself. The journalist Curzio Maltese wrote in the center-left La Repubblica that “bookmakers wouldn’t even take bets” on how long it would take for Mr. Berlusconi to let slip another of his famous gaffes. “Mr. Berlusconi never fails to live up to our worst expectations.”

Mr. Maltese added that just when Mr. Obama’s victory was “inspiring billions of people” to consider “democracy, the most extraordinary triumph of humanity after centuries of bloodshed and intolerance,” Mr. Berlusconi instead contributed “a miserable, vulgar and racist remark, for which he didn’t even have the courage to take responsibility or the dignity to apologize.”

A billionaire populist, Mr. Berlusconi excels at deflating such lofty talk. He said that his remark had been “a compliment” and that his critics lacked irony. “If you want to get a degree in idiocy, I won’t stop you,” La Repubblica quoted him as saying. “I say whatever I think.”

He said the Italian left was wrong about everything, “including their lack of a sense of humor.” He added: “Too bad for them. God save us from imbeciles.”

The center-left opposition leader, Water Veltroni, had earlier called such “cabaret one-liners” unworthy of a statesman and asked Mr. Berlusconi to apologize.

In Brussels on Friday, when Mr. Berlusconi was asked by a reporter if he would apologize, he said whoever had asked the question should be added to “the list” of imbeciles, Bloomberg News reported. “You should apologize to Italy,” it quoted him as saying.

Later on Friday, Mr. Obama, who has been calling world leaders, had a “long, cordial” telephone conversation with Mr. Berlusconi, according to the Italian news media. The two did not discuss the gaffe, the ANSA news agency reported.

The furor over Mr. Berlusconi’s remark has raised a question: Why, of all the problems Italy is facing — a weak economy, higher mortgage rates — would Mr. Berlusconi get more attention for his off-the-cuff remark than for his political program?

“Because it’s the last straw,” said a political commentator, Beppe Severgnini. “By now, Berlusconi isn’t a political case; he’s a psychological case.”

Mr. Berlusconi’s remark “wasn’t racist; it was infantile and untimely,” he added. “He has such a high opinion of himself that he thinks it’s acceptable to say anything to anyone.”

On Friday, Italy’s leading daily newspaper, Corriere della Sera, ran an illustrated display of Mr. Berlusconi’s most infamous gaffes. In 2002, he said that Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen of Denmark was “so handsome I’m thinking of introducing him to my wife.”

In 2003, he compared a German in the European Parliament to a Nazi concentration camp guard. In 2005, he caused a diplomatic commotion after hinting that he had persuaded the Finnish president, Tarja Halonen, to back Italy to host the European Food Safety Authority by wooing her. “I had to use all my playboy tactics, even if they have not been used for some time,” he said.

Yet Mr. Berlusconi’s latest gaffe seemed to tap into a deep well of anger at him, which is at least as strong as his high approval ratings. A brief report on NYTimes.com about the comment drew nearly 1,600 responses, most from upset Italians.

A reader named Alberto wrote, “Mr. Berlusconi’s stupid joke is a further demonstration of the racism and intolerance that grow inside Italian population, helped by the embarrassing attitude of Italian politics.”

Unknown said...

OBAMA e` stato eletto. Gli Statunitensi hanno finalmente alzato la testa, uscendo cosi` da un tunnel lungo 8 anni.I periodo di umiliazione e frustrazione per il popolo degli USA e` finito ,la gente puo` guardare in faccia l'altra gente.Ora tocca a Noi .
Alziamo la testa ....basta con i pagliacci che mettono gli interessi personali prima degli interessi delle comunita`.

Stradella said...

Don't trust Obama too much.
He gots threefold the money McCain got from multinationals to fund his campaign.
He is, that's true, dangerously intelligent and canny.
A wonderful totem to drive blacks of all continents as supposed allies against muslims and asian.

Nic said...

Gustavs99, a giorni posteremo qulcos'altro su Obama che riprende le tue parole. Anch'io la vedo nella tua stessa maniera, forse ancora piu' pessimisticamente.