Inspirierend! Auch die Grünen können hierzulande von diesem „Newcomer“/“Wir machen alles anders“-Bonus profitieren. Ist Not am Mann, sollte jemand Unbelastetes die Zügel übernehmen. Jemand, der niemandem einen Gefallen schuldet, jemand, der noch so idealistisch denkt, um in seiner Amtszeit nicht primär einmal seinen eigenen Säckel zu füllen:

[…] It is precisely because you’ve experienced these frustrations, and seen the cost of inaction in your own lives, that you understand why we can’t afford to settle for the same old politics. You know that we can’t afford to allow the insurance lobbyists to kill health care reform one more time, and the oil lobbyists to keep us addicted to fossil fuels because no one stood up and took their power away when they had the chance.

We can’t afford the same politics of fear that tells Democrats that the only way to look tough on national security is to talk, act and vote like George Bush Republicans; […]

We can’t afford to be so worried about losing the next election that we lose the battles we owe to the next generation.

The real gamble in this election is playing the same Washington game with the same Washington players and expecting a different result. And that’s a risk we can’t take. Not this year. Not when the stakes are this high.

[…] We don’t need more heat. We need more light. I’ve learned in my life that you can stand firm in your principles while still reaching out to those who might not always agree with you.

For the first time in a long time, we have the chance to build a new majority of not just Democrats, but independents and Republicans who’ve lost faith in their Washington leaders but want to believe again — who desperately want something new.

They said we couldn’t be successful if we didn’t have the full support of the establishment in Washington. But you proved them wrong when we built a grass-roots movement that could forever change the face of American politics.

[…] If you believe, then we can stop making promises to America’s workers and start delivering — jobs that pay, health care that’s affordable, pensions you can count on, and a tax cut for working Americans instead of the companies who send their jobs overseas.

Quelle: Sen. Barack Obama’s remarks

Obwohl ich es für so unwahrscheinlich wie die Abwahl Bundesrat Blochers am 12. Dezember 2007 halte – was wäre wenn Obama, Kucinich oder Paul das Rennen machen und die Mainstream- (und Lobby-)Kandidaten Clinton und Giuliani links liegen gelassen würden?

Kommt einer der Nebendarsteller in den nächsten Monaten gross raus, so ist dies nicht zuletzt dem Internet zu verdanken. Die Classe politique dort drüben wird sich über dieses Netzwerk noch grün und blau ärgern. Der Siegeszug des Internets wurde lange vorausgesagt, doch 2008 könnte er endlich Wirklichkeit werden.

Nachtrag

Auch ein Kommentator des Wall Street Journals hält am 8. Januar Überraschungen für möglich:

That spontaneous grassroots support is why Mr. Paul, an obstetrician from Lake Jackson, Texas, could pull off a stunner on Jan. 8 and place third in New Hampshire’s Republican primary. If he does, he would embarrass Rudy Giuliani and steal media limelight from John McCain and Mitt Romney, who are battling for first place.

Quelle: Ron Beats Rudy?