2012-11-13   Reflection on US Election

In his book Dreams From My Father, Barack Obama describes the time when he was a community organiser for a non-profit group in poor areas of Chicago. That experience gave him a strong belief in the power of local neighbourhood action, in bottom-up organising.

This is why Obama's campaign in the 2012 election had a strong base of local committees who networked with ordinary people in their own neighborhoods. This plan helped ensure a large registration and then a large turn out of Democrat supporters.

For Republicans, the future is not bright. Their largely white population base is not growing as quickly as that of Hispanics, Blacks and Asians - all of whom are strong Democrat supporters. Such is the makeup of what people are calling "the New America".

The lesson for governments and leaders around the world is clear: you need to keep up active contact with people at the local level - and not just with one exclusive group of people, but with all segments of the community. Such is the makeup of "the New World".