Barack Obama will face the most difficult Presidency yet according to US political commentator Mark Shields. Shields spoke to an audience of around 500 people on the politics of the recent US election at the Helix in DCU last night. Seventy one year old Shields has been on the political scene for decades; he worked for Robert F. Kennedy’s Presidential campaign in 1968. In 1979 he joined the editorial team of the Washington Post and began writing a political column which is now syndicated by an online company. He has been making television appearances since the 1980s and is now a regular panelist on CNN's ‘Capital Gang’ and the award-winning PBS produced ‘NewsHour With Jim Lehrer’ show. Shields was invited to Dublin by the Washington Ireland programme in collaboration with DCU Educational Trust.
Fellow American and DCU Professor Steven Knowlton introduced Mr. Shields to the audience and commented that he is ‘one of the most astute political observers on the US political scene’ today. Mr Shields took to the stage in the Mahony Hall of the Helix commenting ‘it’s a lot easier to be an American abroad since November 4th’. This theme of change would set the tone for the remainder of the thirty minute speech. Shields began by acknowledging that the November 4th election of Barack Obama was symbolic and historic in many ways. In particular he pointed to the fact that when Mr. Obama was born, his mother and father’s marriage was illegal in many states. One of those states was Virginia, a state which Obama won by over 9 percentage points just over forty years later. Shields attributed Obama’s win to the fact that he called out to ‘disaffected and uninvolved voters’, made excellent use of the internet to build his campaign from the bottom up and crucially he started ‘a revolution amongst young voters’. But Mr Shields was quick to acknowledge the serious challenges that lie ahead for the President elect. Obama will need to deal with a deepening economic crisis in addition to the many foreign policy issues such as the continuing Iraqi war. He commented that Obama’s first and foremost challenge will be getting a grip on the economy, and ensuring Americans keep their homes and their jobs. He commented that two things drive politics in the US; that is Americans are very optimistic and highly practical. ‘When the economy is bad, that’s all that matters’ he added.
Shields spoke openly about his thoughts on the losing party in this election also. Commenting that the Democratic candidate had successfully engaged young voters, Hispanic voters and African American voters the speaker pointed to the success of McCain in attracting votes from the over 65 age group. Using an analogy which provoked laughter from the audience; Shields remarked that Democratic voters were moving from rooms to apartments to houses, while Republican voters were moving from houses to rooms in nursing homes to funeral homes. He reflected on this generational problem as the ‘reality of election 2008’ for the Republican Party.
A question from the floor queried America’s lessening place in the world, referred to as the Post America Era. Shields stated that Obama is the transition to a new place, one where America can cooperate with other countries to achieve a consensus. He commented the reality of the ongoing situation in Iraq has made Americans realise that there is no ‘American solution’ and added that it was certainly ‘not found at the end of the barrel of a gun’.
Wrapping up, Mr Shields remarked that the November 4th election authorized him to feel good about his country adding that it allowed America to put ‘its saddest and most shameful chapter’ of its history behind it. ‘The psychological change will be enormous’ he concluded.
Fellow American and DCU Professor Steven Knowlton introduced Mr. Shields to the audience and commented that he is ‘one of the most astute political observers on the US political scene’ today. Mr Shields took to the stage in the Mahony Hall of the Helix commenting ‘it’s a lot easier to be an American abroad since November 4th’. This theme of change would set the tone for the remainder of the thirty minute speech. Shields began by acknowledging that the November 4th election of Barack Obama was symbolic and historic in many ways. In particular he pointed to the fact that when Mr. Obama was born, his mother and father’s marriage was illegal in many states. One of those states was Virginia, a state which Obama won by over 9 percentage points just over forty years later. Shields attributed Obama’s win to the fact that he called out to ‘disaffected and uninvolved voters’, made excellent use of the internet to build his campaign from the bottom up and crucially he started ‘a revolution amongst young voters’. But Mr Shields was quick to acknowledge the serious challenges that lie ahead for the President elect. Obama will need to deal with a deepening economic crisis in addition to the many foreign policy issues such as the continuing Iraqi war. He commented that Obama’s first and foremost challenge will be getting a grip on the economy, and ensuring Americans keep their homes and their jobs. He commented that two things drive politics in the US; that is Americans are very optimistic and highly practical. ‘When the economy is bad, that’s all that matters’ he added.
Shields spoke openly about his thoughts on the losing party in this election also. Commenting that the Democratic candidate had successfully engaged young voters, Hispanic voters and African American voters the speaker pointed to the success of McCain in attracting votes from the over 65 age group. Using an analogy which provoked laughter from the audience; Shields remarked that Democratic voters were moving from rooms to apartments to houses, while Republican voters were moving from houses to rooms in nursing homes to funeral homes. He reflected on this generational problem as the ‘reality of election 2008’ for the Republican Party.
A question from the floor queried America’s lessening place in the world, referred to as the Post America Era. Shields stated that Obama is the transition to a new place, one where America can cooperate with other countries to achieve a consensus. He commented the reality of the ongoing situation in Iraq has made Americans realise that there is no ‘American solution’ and added that it was certainly ‘not found at the end of the barrel of a gun’.
Wrapping up, Mr Shields remarked that the November 4th election authorized him to feel good about his country adding that it allowed America to put ‘its saddest and most shameful chapter’ of its history behind it. ‘The psychological change will be enormous’ he concluded.
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