I was pleased to see Obama get into power even though I have doubts about some of his policies. The alternatives were a continuation of the current status quo in the USA- economic liberalism and social conservatism- and in particular trying to shore up holes in the economy in the short term only to suffer greater in the long term. And I can't stand social conservative policies, so Sarah Palin was never an attractive proposition as far as I was concerned. For once, the USA are prepared to try something different, and while it may not work out very well, chances it will work out better than keeping the status quo would have.

I have generally downplayed the significance of his skin colour, but it will certainly set a precedent that will reduce the chances of skin colour being an issue in future political battles in the USA.

Related to my rant about authoritarianism a couple of blogs ago: it is not the fault of the "Liberal Lefties" that it is happening. Firstly, it is not the result of socialist ideologies. The idea that things that aren't work/health/safety-related are non-essential and disposable (meaning a large percentage of personal liberty) is an economics-driven view of the world, it is not left of centre by any stretch of the imagination.

In addition, straight from the definition of authoritarianism, any policy that punishes the many because of the few is authoritarian. Not only that, some of these nanny state policies help to reinforce traditional values- which is usually branded conservative policymaking. Take the way men are unable to interact with kids these days without being accused of being sexual abusers, except if the kids are deemed to be in their families. That sort of double standard invariably has its roots in traditional family values.

In short, this is not a "liberal lefties" problem, this is a problem stemming from conservatives- particularly social conservatives (now you see why I didn't want Sarah Palin in)