Barack Obama

Obama's call to rebuild America

Julien — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 20:00:26 +0100

Nate brought his tiny TV to work to watch the inauguration with his coworkers. Photo posted on flickr.

Barack Obama's inaugural address drew favourable reactions from most of our 10 American voters. For them, his speech was inspirational, compelling and a strong message of hope for the nation.

"Obama set forth how to remake America"

Julissa Reynoso, lawyer, New York City, NY (Democrat)

What a compelling speech! Obama laid out the concrete problems facing the country from the economy to the war.

But also set forth how to move forward and remake America.

It was a true call to get to work. He also set forth a new paradigm to work with other nations - that America is a friend to every nation and that it is ready to lead and respect once more.

And he celebrated the strength of America's diversity and its history of meeting challenges. President Obama focused on America's values and called for a new era of responsibility. I think we all feel more American today.

Obama's inauguration: hope, yes, but also some fears

Julien — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 06:23:57 +0100

President-elect Barack Obama's historic swearing-in on January 20 will be a day of hope and change for our Democrat Observers, but for some conservatives his election is not good news. Read what they want to hear Obama say in his inaugural speech...

"Restoring America's standing in the world"

Timothy Bottaro, lawyer, Democrat, Sioux City, Iowa

I want to hear our new president talk about a national health-care system, alternative energy and green technology, and restoring America's standing in the world community.

Also, tackling our challenging economic problems and calling on Americans to do their part in bringing change to our system of government.

President-elect Barack Obama talks about his inauguration.

The final verdict

Julien — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 16:08:07 +0100

FRANCE 24 followed the US election through the eyes of 10 American voters. Many of them are happy to see Barack Obama elected as their 44th president but some fear his leadership could prove to be a disaster. Here are their final thoughts on this election and what they expect from the new president.

"I feel more American than ever"

Julissa Reynoso, attorney, New York (Democrat)

The 2008 elections were remarkable for many reasons: the change to a new administration; the end of the Bush era; the formal integration of people of color and women into the presidential race; and, most importantly, the possibility that America's values are moving in a direction that would allow more Americans and other citizens of the world to succeed and coexist in peace.

At the end of the two year journey, I feel more American than ever.

Obama vs. McCain in video games

Ed Mazza — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 19:16:01 +0100

By now, most people following the US election know that Democratic candidate Barack Obama purchased ads inside video games last month. But what if the election itself was taking place inside the world of gamers?

Comic Rich Kuras went into the World of Warcraft for the website Machinima to find out how the campaign is playing out in the imaginary realm of Azeroth:

As Kuras points out, Warcraft's 11 million players would make Azeroth larger than 42 states, population-wise. But so far, no candidate has been accused of pandering to trolls, orcs or elves.

Similarly, digital versions of Obama and Sarah Palin are being worked into the rough and tough game world of "Mercenaries 2: World in Flames." Check out what happens when the candidates really "go rogue:"

Oddly enough, the one candidate with actual combat experience - John McCain - appears to have been left out of this battle.

Voting for the glory of Satan?

Ed Mazza — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 16:51:53 +0100

So why do people vote? As one new tongue-in-cheek ad suggests, it could be for the glory of Satan. Or maybe to stop same-sex arrangements among hogs.

A nonpartisan ad aimed at getting voters in North Carolina to vote has become the latest viral hit of the presidential campaign.

According to the News and Observer, the ad was made by Scott Jacobson, who used to work for news satire show "The Daily Show," and Dave Willis, co-creator of the oddball cartoon "Aqua Teen Hunger Force."

The point of the ad is to make sure you vote, if only to cancel out your weird neighbors.

The candidates are also of course using ads to make their closing arguments as we head into the final weekend.

John McCain's Republican National Committee is now sending out this ad:

And Barack Obama wants to make sure voters are reminded of George W. Bush when they think of John McCain:

Dirty politics?

Julien — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 20:20:52 +0100

Election literature sent to a voter's house two weeks before the election. The "Obsession" DVD, and a brochure from the Virginia GOP linking Obama and former radical William Ayers. Photo posted on Flickr.

Linking McCain to a financial scandal in the 1980s, accusing Obama of lying and “palling around” with former radicals, distributing fliers in an attempt to suppress the vote in a key state – politics is a dirty game and this campaign is no different. As Election Day draws closer, the race is getting dirtier, with more mudslinging, smear campaigns and negative adverts. Read what our Observers have to say…

Obama vs McCain: kids take both sides

Ed Mazza — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 18:49:47 +0100

There's a new political video burning up the Internet, but it's very different from what you usually see this late in the election cycle. It doesn't contain an explosive new charge against a politician - in fact, it doesn't criticize or praise either candidate.

The video features the seventh-grade students of the Ron Clark Academy in Atlanta performing a song called "You Can Vote However You Like." The kids came up with the lyrics, and set them to the tune of T.I.'s "Whatever You Like."

Half the kids sing from John McCain's perspective, while half sing to the tune of Barack Obama. Here's how it looks:

The Ron Clark Academy teaches low-income middle school kids (grades 5-8), and has been up and running for just over a year. Ron Clark himself is a teacher and author famous for his work with inner-city kids in New York and Washington. He was the subject of a made-for-TV movie in 2006.

The buzz got the kids a spot on CNN:

Add up the different versions of this clip online, and some 500,000 people have seen these kids. So who are they? CNN also did an interview with them... followed by one more performance:

Inside the bag of dirty election tricks

Ed Mazza — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 19:27:55 +0100

The final week of a presidential campaign is usually the roughest, and this election is no exception. An apparent attempt to suppress the vote has been uncovered in Virginia - a traditionally safe Republican state where Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama now holds a healthy lead.

A flier is being circulated in the Hampton Roads area telling supporters of Obama's Democratic party that they should vote on Nov. 5 - which is actually the day after the election.

State police are looking into the flier. It is a crime to communicate false information about election dates and times, but the tactic is not unprecedented.

According to reports, fliers are circulating in parts of Philadelphia with large African-American populations warning that anyone with outstanding tickets or warrants will be arrested when they show up to vote.

And Brad Friedman at the Brad Blog has collected examples of similar fliers that were distributed during the 2004 election in Wisconsin and the crucial state of Ohio.

The war in Iraq: what now?

Julien — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 16:33:58 +0100

The war in Iraq – a right way to wage the war on terror or an example of bad foreign policy? Five years on, US voters remain divided over the future course of the war in Iraq. Some feel the surge has worked and that troops should stay as long as necessary. Others want a timeline for a complete withdrawal. It’s a divide mirrored among our team of Observers.

Obama vs McCain on the dance floor

Ed Mazza — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 21:08:23 +0200

For all of you who think the political process is nothing but a song-and-dance routine, this one's for you.

A new video on the Web takes the US presidential candidates and puts them into the heart of a dance-off. Watch what happens when Barack Obama and John McCain engage in a different kind of battle:

Earlier this morning, the video had around 20,000 views. As this is being written in the afternoon on the US East Coast, it's approaching 400,000 views over at Break.com, and approaching 100,000 more over at MiniMovie, where it appears to have originated.

What makes this video so great is how well the heads match the bodies and the movements. Usually, these spoof videos are a little on the cartoony side, and JibJab has used this over the years with great success.

Here's their spin on the relationship between McCain and his running mate, Sarah Palin - with the pair inserted into a "High School Musical" video:

Don't worry - they took a bipartisan approach. Here's the same video, with Obama and his one-time Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton, playing the lead roles:

For those keeping track, the "High School Musical" film opens in US theaters this week.