Thanks, Andrej. I personally did not expect much from Obama, but I noticed that many people in Cuba did, and that Cuban TV and newspaper columnists were warning the people to not expect too much.
I did not expect much because Obama only made vague promises of change, which was very different from Jesse Jackson, who put forth a comprehensive platform. A president elected with a comprehensive program could claim the electoral victory as a mandate for the platform, and call upon the people to mobilize and support it, and bring on board key actors from the party establishment. I did not see anything like this unfolding in the case of Obama. I did deep down have a reserve of hope, thinking that perhaps Obama was just playing politics, and that once elected, he would hit the ground running with a progressive program, calling on the people and the party for support.
Meanwhile, I am trying to figure out how to resize photos for posting in my Substack column. I am proud to be a digital and Internet illiterate, but sometimes it helps to know stuff.
This is a great essay. I teach this book in my course on globalization.
Thank you, Deepika. Part Two on Friday.
Great stuff Charles. Has anyone dissapointed the hopes of so many people as Barack Obama? SMH
Thanks, Andrej. I personally did not expect much from Obama, but I noticed that many people in Cuba did, and that Cuban TV and newspaper columnists were warning the people to not expect too much.
I did not expect much because Obama only made vague promises of change, which was very different from Jesse Jackson, who put forth a comprehensive platform. A president elected with a comprehensive program could claim the electoral victory as a mandate for the platform, and call upon the people to mobilize and support it, and bring on board key actors from the party establishment. I did not see anything like this unfolding in the case of Obama. I did deep down have a reserve of hope, thinking that perhaps Obama was just playing politics, and that once elected, he would hit the ground running with a progressive program, calling on the people and the party for support.
Meanwhile, I am trying to figure out how to resize photos for posting in my Substack column. I am proud to be a digital and Internet illiterate, but sometimes it helps to know stuff.
Charles