Hopes and Prospects: on Principles & Values

Barack Obama: OpEd: Elections of underclass occurred in many countries

The rhetoric may have some justification if we keep to the West, but elsewhere matters are different. Consider the world's largest democracy, India. The chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, which is notorious for horrifying treatment of women, is not only a woman but a Dalit ("untouchable"), at the lowest rung of India's caste system.

And Consider Haiti: In Haiti's first democratic election in 1990, grassroots movements were organized in the slums and hills, and though without resources, elected their own candidate, the populist priest Jean-Bertrand Aristide. The results astonished observers who expected an easy victory for the candidate of the elite. True, this victory for democracy was soon overturned by a military coup, but the victory itself was a far more "extraordinary example of democracy" than the miracle of 2008.

Noam Chomsky: Great Seal of Massachusetts defined "City on a Hill"

The Great Seal is a graphic presentation of "the idea of America" from its birth. It should appear with Ronald Reagan who blissfully described himself as the leader of a "shining city on the hill" while orchestrating the ghastly crimes of his years in office, leaving not only slaughter and destruction in much of the world but also major threats of nuclear war and terror, and as an extra benefit, a major contribution to global jihadism.

Noam Chomsky: Both major parties are well to the right of US population

There were some surprises. One was that the election was not over after the Democratic convention. One might expect that the opposition party would have a landslide victory during a severe economic crisis, after eight years of disastrous policies on all fronts, with an incumbent so unpopular that his own party had to disavow him, and a dramatic collapse in US standing in world opinion. The Democrats did win, barely. If the financial crisis had been slightly delayed, they might not have.

A good question is why the margin of victory for the opposition party was so small, given the circumstances. One possibility is that neither party reflects public opinion. As many studies show, both parties are well to the right of the population on many major issues, domestic and international.

Noam Chomsky: 2008: woman & black candidates show US has become civilized

Scott Brown: Massive campaign donation infusion from financial executives

The outcome was depicted as a right-wing revolt of an angry population against the excesses of the liberal elitists who run the government. But the data tell a rather different story, not just the flood of funding from the financial institutions in punishment for Obama's belated "populist" rhetoric and proposals. The official data showed that Brown was carried to victory by very high voting and enthusiasm in the "affluent suburbs," alongside low turnout and general apathy in the urban areas that are largely Democratic.

Doubtless there was some impact of the populist image crafted by the PR machine ("I'm Scott Brown, this is my truck," "regular guy," nude model, daughter an American Idol contestant, etc.) But this appears to have had only a secondary role.