Laurence Witherington left Manchester to study in the Big Apple last year but loved it so much he stayed. Now a journalist at Smart Money, the Wall Street Journal’s magazine. In this guest blog he takes a sideways glance at what the new presidency may mean for Manchester. This is the second of many dipatched from across the pond as Laurence will soon have his own blog here and be keeping us in touch with goings-on in New York through Mancunian eyes.
While he was campaigning for the presidency, Barack Obama’s opponents asked the American public how they could vote for him if they could not relate to him. He was labelled elitist, aloof, too skinny and too bad at bowling. Nasty undertones of race never completely subsided, and at well publicised moments Obama was called a Muslim and an Arab, while his middle name “Hussein” was frequently flaunted.
However, now that Obama is certain to become the leader of the free world, as Americans like to think of their Pres., we Mancunians can certainly relate to him. First, he is a huge sports fan. Obama supports his baseball team, the Chicago White Sox, passionately, and likes to throw jibes at fans of the other Chicago team, the Cubs. Inter-city rivalry is something we can understand. Obama was known as “O’Bomber” at high school because he was good at basketball, and he plans to install a court at the White House. Can you imagine Gordon Brown organising a game of 5-a-side at Number 10?
Obama enjoys playing poker, so Manchester’s many casinos may profit from the wholesome association of the game with such a sober figure. While it’s certain that George Bush favors the Texas Hold’Em rules, it is unclear which version Obama plays. Either way, the White House always wins.
Although he was nicknamed “Bar” by his late grandmother, Obama does not drink. Although this shouldn’t harm business in Manchester’s many watering holes, the next President of the United States is unlikely to be seen sipping a Stella in the Northern Quarter any time soon.
More seriously, Obama’s policies may have a direct impact on Mancunians. He has promised to reduce the number of forces in Iraq and concentrate on defeating Al-Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan, and he is going to want to drag the UK along with him. This means that The Duke of Lancaster’s regiment, based in the north-west and no doubt packed full of men from Manchester, could soon be sent to the tribal hills. Obama also has a very aggressive attitude towards Pakistan, frequently saying that if the Pakistani army doesn’t do enough to combat terrorism on its territory, the US army will move in. This may not please the 30,000 who make up the thriving Pakistani community in Manchester. However, the city’s large Jewish community will be pleased to know that Obama has always been staunchly pro-Israel.
Obama’s victory was a triumph for diversity, and as such should be applauded in the multi-cultural streets of Manchester. Don’t take my word for it though; Oasis’ Noel Gallagher, more Mancunian than I, approves of the president-elect:
“Managed to catch that Barack Obama’s speech to the Democratic rally,” he wrote on his blog. “Impressive stuff. Spellbinding in fact. Wish he was one of ours. Why do Americans believe they’re electing the president of THE WORLD though?”
Dim Sum Digital 