"The first glimpse of Obamanomics"

An extract from an article by Stephen Foley, The Independent, UK, 25 Nov 2008

"Obamanomics will be forged, not in the first crisis-busting phase of the new president's administration, but later. And even then, a glance at the people with whom Mr Obama is surrounding himself, and a listen to the chatter of the economists he favours, suggests that his economic philosophy is one of pragmatism rather than ideology".

Read the article in full here.

Obama seeks to create 2.5m jobs

Extract from BBC News, UK, 23 Nov 2008

"US President-elect Barack Obama says he wants his economic team to find ways to generate 2.5 million new jobs during his first two years in office.
In a weekly address on the internet, Mr Obama said he wanted to sign the plan soon after taking office on 20 January. The message came as unemployment claims rose by 540,000 in the US, taking the total to 1.2 million jobs lost in 2008.

Mr Obama, said to have chosen Timothy Geithner as treasury secretary, is due to name his economic team on Monday. Mr Geithner, currently chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, has been deeply involved in the efforts to cope with the current financial crisis.
He previously worked in the Bill Clinton White House, where he worked through the fallout of the Asian financial crisis of the 1990s.

US shares rose sharply on Friday as word spread of Mr Obama's reported choice, calming investor fears.

Building jobs

Talking about his desire to put job-creation at the heart of the economic policy of the incoming administration, Mr Obama said new unemployment figures reinforced the impression of an economic crisis of "historic proportions".
He hailed congressional approval of a boost in unemployment benefits, adding that the latest gloomy figures had only reinforced his determination to revitalise the economy.
"We must do more to put people back to work, and get our economy moving again," the president-elect said.

He said his economic priority would be a two-year, nationwide effort to "jumpstart job-creation in America and lay the foundation for a strong and growing economy".
Ageing public infrastructure would be rebuilt, Mr Obama said, adding that his administration would look quickly at developing and building sources of renewable energy, such as wind farms, designed to "free" the US from its "dependency" foreign oil.

He suggested he would need cross-party support to get his plan through, despite his Democratic party holding a majority in both houses of Congress.
"Right now there are millions of mothers and fathers who are lying awake at night wondering if next week's pay check will cover next month's bills.
"There are Americans showing up to work in the morning only to have cleared out their desks by the afternoon. These Americans need help and they need it now," Mr Obama said".

How should we read Obama's Cabinet choices?

Extract from politicalbetting.com, 22 Nov 2008

"The most intriguing choice for me is to see Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano recommended for Secretary of Homeland Security. Whilst she is eminently qualified, and as a border-state Governor will bring expertise to the role, some Democrats have noted that she was the only candidate who could beat John McCain in the Senate race of 2010 that this week he announced he would compete. This appointment hands him re-election on a plate".

Clinton signs for Obama's dream team

From The Independent, UK, 22 Nov 2008

"Hillary Clinton has finally agreed to become President-elect Barack Obama’s Secretary of State and spearhead efforts to restore America’s credibility in the world.
Once confirmed, Mrs Clinton will be the highest-ranking cabinet official in the next administration and she is expected to become a powerful diplomatic force, dealing with some of the international community’s most intractable problems, including terrorism and climate change.

News of her readiness to accept the job came as the Obama transition team said that the new Treasury Secretary will be Timothy Geithner, a decision that sent stocks soaring. He is highly respected and will replace Hank Paulson. This transition is the most sensitive because of the magnitude of the credit crisis, and markets have become increasingly concerned that there is a power vacuum at the heart of economic policy, just when new initiatives are needed to stop the world sliding into a deep recession.

The Dow Jones index jumped 6.5 per cent on the news that Mr Obama was ready to announce his economic team next week. New Mexico’s Governor, Bill Richardson, is to be named Commerce Secretary. Mr Obama passed over Larry Summers, a former Treasury secretary under Bill Clinton, whose subsequent tenure as president of Harvard University ended in controversy over remarks about women’s aptitude for the sciences. However, Mr Summers will be an economic adviser to the White House and was tipped last night as a future chairman of the Federal Reserve, the US central bank.

Expectations are already building that a combination of Mrs Clinton’s experience and the force of her personality could achieve what her husband failed to do and lay the foundations for a Middle East peace settlement. She has shown herself to be extremely hawkish on the subject of Iran’s nuclear ambitions, and on the campaign trail for the presidency once threatened the regime with nuclear annihilation".

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U.S. Muslim leaders denounce al Qaeda's slur toward Obama

Extract from CNN News, 21 November 2008

"Spiritual leaders of New York's African-American Muslim communities lashed out Friday at a purported al Qaeda message attacking President-elect Barack Obama and, using racist language, comparing him unfavorably to the late Malcolm X.

The imams called the recorded comments from al Qaeda second-in-command Ayman al-Zawahiri "an insult" from people who have "historically been disconnected from the African-American community generally and Muslim African-Americans in particular."

"We find it insulting when anyone speaks for our community instead of giving us the dignity and the honor of speaking for ourselves," they said in a statement read during a news conference at the Malcolm X and Dr. Betty Shabazz Memorial, Educational and Cultural Center".

Obama 'plans Daschle health post'

From BBC News, 19 November 2008

"US President-elect Barack Obama will appoint senior Democrat Tom Daschle as Health and Human Services Secretary, according to US media reports.

Mr Daschle was the Democrats' Senate Majority Leader from 2001 until 2003.
As head of the health and human services department, Mr Daschle will oversee Mr Obama's proposed reforms to the US healthcare system.
Mr Obama's transition team has confirmed a number of other key advisers and top administration posts.

Senate heavyweight

The BBC's Adam Brookes, in Washington, says the decision to appoint Mr Daschle shows that Mr Obama feels he needs a Senate heavyweight to help him persuade Congress to back major reforms.

During the election campaign, Mr Obama pledged to offer a new state-administered health insurance plan to people who are currently uninsured, while assuring people who were satisfied with their existing employer-provided coverage that they would not be forced to give it up.
The details of his reform package could change, however, as Mr Obama attempts to push legislation through Congress.

The news of Mr Daschle's probable appointment follows reports that Mr Obama has decided to appoint Eric Holder as his attorney-general, and may ask former rival for the Democratic presidential nomination Hillary Clinton to serve as secretary of state".

Barack Obama picks Eric Holder as first black attorney general

From the Telegraph, UK, 19 November 2008

"Mr Obama's transition team did not officially comment on the reports, which broke earlier than it wanted. "Obama offered Holder the job and he accepted," Newsweek magazine said on its website, adding that "the announcement is not likely until after Obama announces his choices to lead the Treasury and State departments".

Mr Holder, 57, whose appointment is subject to confirmation by the Senate, was deputy attorney general for four years under former president Bill Clinton and was co-chairman along with Caroline Kennedy of Mr Obama's vice-presidential selection process.
He is respected in Washington by both Republicans and Democrats, although his record is marred by agreeing to pardon the fugitive Marc Rich at the end of the Clinton administration.
At the time Mr Holder said he was "neutral, leaning towards favourable" on the subject. Mr Clinton later cited that as among the factors that persuaded him to issue the pardon.

Mr Holder has publicly apologised for what he said was a snap decision to which he should have paid more attention. Had he taken more time to review the case, he would have advised against a pardon, he said.

Members of Mr Obama's vetting team have asked Senate Republicans in the past week whether they would support Mr Holder at his confirmation hearings and have been assured that, although questions will be asked, the Rich controversy would not derail his appointment.
Mr Holder is the most prominent African American among the appointments made so far by Mr Obama. Born and raised in the Bronx, New York, by immigrants from Barbados, he has spent most of his career in the Justice Department.

Always among the favourites for the post, he has a strong personal rapport with Mr Obama – the two men, both graduates of Columbia University in New York, spoke almost every day during the presidential campaign".

President-elect Barack Obama will close Guantanamo Bay

From the Herald Sun, Australia, 17 November 2008

GUANTANAMO Bay will close and America will regain its moral authority, president-elect Barack Obama has pledged in an interview.
US President-elect Barack Obama says he will shut down the "war on terror'' internment camp at Guantanamo Bay and rebuild "America's moral stature in the world,'' in a major interview aired overnight.

"I have said repeatedly that I intend to close Guantanamo, and I will follow through on that,'' the Democrat, who takes office on January 20, told the CBS program 60 Minutes.
"I have said repeatedly that America doesn't torture. And I'm going to make sure that we don't torture. Those are part and parcel of an effort to regain America's moral stature in the world,'' Senator Obama said.

For the first time, there will also be weekly Pesidential addresses on YouTube, rather than just on the radio. Senator Obama has presented his first (below), even before taking office.

"Handover turns ugly as car industry bailout row flares"

Extracts from The Independent, UK, 12 November 2008

"An ideological battle has erupted between George Bush and Barack Obama, with the outgoing President baulking at proposals to prop up General Motors, once the world's largest car maker, which could go bust by Christmas".

"According to one account of their Oval Office discussions, Mr Obama asked Mr Bush to use some of the billions of dollars in the financial bailout package to prop up the car industry. Economists are already warning that if GM goes broke it could bring down the rest of the economy and tip the world into a much-feared depression".

"As Mr Bush sees it, he has one last opportunity to secure a legacy as a champion of free trade, and he reportedly tied the Democrat's request for billions of taxpayer dollars for the failing car industry to a controversial trade deal with Colombia".

"Mr Obama has already voted to block the Colombia deal in the Senate because of widespread human rights abuses against union workers".

"Last week, Mr Obama called the car sector "the backbone of American manufacturing". The three big makers, GM, Ford and Chrysler, have operations across America and if they collapse, it would devastate the economy. The estimates are that three million jobs would be lost, counting the car-workers, their suppliers and even the hot-dog sellers outside the factories".

"Even Mr Obama's generosity towards the car companies has its limits. As part of his energy and environmental plans being drafted with the help of Al Gore, he wants to ensure taxpayers' money is spent wisely in a way that helps reduce dependence on imported oil and fights climate change. He asked Mr Bush to quickly release $25bn which has already been agreed to help companies retool to make more fuel-efficient cars. Mr Gore is advising that "we should help America's automotive industry to convert "quickly to plug-in hybrids that can run off renewable energy that will be available".

What a Colombian Indigenous Group Wants from Obama

Extracts from Vivir Latino, Colombia, 10 Nov 2008

"During a pre-election debate, Barack Obama made a clear point about one of the reasons he did not support the Colombian Free Trade agreement, the violence against workers. The Association of Indigenous Councils of Northern Cauca, ACIN, were appreciative of Obama's position, but wanted to shed light on their specific struggle and the struggles of other Native peoples in Colombia. So they, like so many others are doing, sent a letter to the President-Elect. From the letter released yesterday:

First, please accept our sincerest congratulations. We congratulate you for having won because of the noblest aspirations of your people. We believe your election expresses the deep desire for change felt by the majority of the American people: change in the economy and society, change in international relations, and from there, we hope, a change in the relation between the United States of America and the indigenous peoples of the world.

During your historic campaign, you publicly noted some of what Colombians currently face: you acknowledged the murders of trade unionists by the regime and stated your reservations about a Free Trade Agreement with Colombia, which our people have decided against through a democratic referendum, about which we have written before. We thank you for this, and now want you to know about the specific situation facing Colombia's indigenous peoples.

In the past six years we have lost 1,200 people to assassinations by armed groups, both legal and illegal: right-wing paramilitaries, guerrillas, police, and members of the Armed Forces. These murders have created insecurity, and this insecurity has been used to strip us of our rights with what we call the 'Laws of Disposession', legislation and other institutional norms that legalize the loss of our lands, our fundamental freedoms, and our rights".

(Letter from: Association of Indigenous Couincils of Northern Cauca ACIN (Cxab Wala Kiwe-Territory of the Great People) Cauca, Mother Earth, November 10th, 2008 Santander de Quilichao)

Obama Highlights Colombia Trade Union Deaths in US Presidential Debate

Extracts from Justice for Colombia, 16 Oct 2008

"Wednesday night's US presidential debate in New York City saw Barack Obama again criticise Colombia for the "targeted assassination" of trade unionists. The Democrat candidate said that "there have not been prosecutions" for the killings, which he described as occurring on a "fairly consistent basis".

Obama made his remarks after Republican candidate John McCain accused him of not supporting a Free Trade Agreement with Colombia – an Agreement that Democrats in the US Congress have refused to pass due to Colombia's appalling human and labour rights record.

"The history in Colombia right now is that labor leaders have been targeted for assassination on a fairly consistent basis and there have not been prosecutions," said Obama in response to McCain during the debate which was watched by tens of millions of TV viewers. "We have to stand for human rights and we have to make sure that violence isn't being perpetrated against workers who are just trying to organise for their rights," continued Obama.

The Democrat candidate has already spoken out against the ongoing violations perpetrated against Colombian trade unionists on several occasions this year. In February he said he was concerned by reports from Colombia "of the involvement of the administration with human rights violations and the suppression of workers", and in June he told a rally that he would oppose a Free Trade Agreement with Colombia "until I am certain they are not killing union leaders."

However, perhaps the harshest criticism of the Colombian regime has come from former Democrat Vice-President Al Gore who last year refused to share a platform with Colombian President Alvaro Uribe. Gore cited allegations of "deeply troubling" links between Uribe and paramilitary death squads as his reason for pulling out of a conference that boh men were due to speak at".
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* Since 2001, more than 700 union representatives have been assassinated, at a rate higher than the yearly murder rate in the rest of the world.

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About this site

Remember the happy days of the 1997 elections? Weren't you convinced Tony Blair's victory was the beginning of a new era? Well, we all know how it ended. In fact it hasn't ended yet, but it sure went pear-shaped right from the start. With their determination to out-Tory the Tories in both policies and rhetoric, New Labour's roll call of lies, privatisations, tuition fees and the Iraq war (as well as much more) won't be easily forgotten.

Fast forward to 2008 and Barack Obama's victory in the US Presidential elections is also being hailed as 'history in the making' and the start of a new dawn. At Hagley Road to Ladywood we actually think he's a more genuine article than Saint Tony. This time, however, we've decided to keep a close track of his decisions and actions in office, week by week. Will Obama keep his promises and bring change? This website will offer a record of his first term in office.