Surprise Surprise
President Truman was never expected to win. Ted Heath, critically labelled ‘Selsdon man’ by the media, astonished the commentators by winning in 1970. Michael Portillo never ever expected to lose his seat. The list could go on. Yet the story in the U.S. is not over, so that dramatic Obama photograph on the front page of yesterday’s Independent may re-surface. Even the Republicans may revive nationally and win.
Some commentators have tried to draw a parallel with the situation here. It is noteworthy that women voted extensively for Hillary Clinton, perhaps a mixture of simply wanting a woman to be successful and her clear emotional vulnerability in the last few days of the New Hampshire campaign. Poor old Gordon fails on both counts - no Blairite choking with emotion would work for him.
When I was introduced to Bill Clinton last summer at a conference in Ukraine, he told me how much he would like to meet David Cameron. When I told him that my son was at his old Oxford college, he wrote him a personalised note. It was a Republican senator who once told me that Bill Clinton could see a Ford to a Chevrolet dealer. And, yes, he does play the saxophone very well.
There is now real passion in American politics. People feel deeply about social and moral issues from different viewpoints; many feel deeply concerned that this most open and generous country is now so unpopular abroad.
People power indeed produces surprises for all of us engaged in politics, a veritable roller coaster ride of success and failure. It is all very humbling.