\t5 novembre 2008 Les qualificatifs sont \u00e0 mesure de l’\u00e9v\u00e9nement mais c’est dans l’\u00e9v\u00e9nement qu’il faut chercher sa v\u00e9ritable mesure. Rien de ce qui s’est pass\u00e9 hier aux USA n’aurait \u00e9t\u00e9 possible si la situation n’y \u00e9tait pas celle d’une crise tragique. Ce vote historique est celui d’une p\u00e9riode tragique de l’Histoire, nullement le renforcement des arguments int\u00e9ress\u00e9s des id\u00e9ologues habituels de notre temps. Ce vote historique est celui de notre crise g\u00e9n\u00e9rale, et, cette crise, ces m\u00eames id\u00e9ologues habituels de notre temps en portent la responsabilit\u00e9 qu’ils ont reprise avec entrain de leurs pr\u00e9d\u00e9cesseurs.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\tCitons aussit\u00f4t un commentaire \u00e9clair\u00e9, fait avant<\/strong> l’\u00e9lection (publi\u00e9<\/a> le 4 novembre). Il s’agit d’un texte de Charles Cook, \u00e9ditorialiste du National Journal<\/em> que nous avons d\u00e9j\u00e0<\/a> cit\u00e9 pour un autre texte remarquable. Charles Cook, faisant par avance le pari sans risque de l’\u00e9lection d’Obama, commente cette \u00e9lection d\u00e9j\u00e0 acquise. Il termine son texte par un parall\u00e8le: l’\u00e9lection en 2007 comme gouverneur de Louisiane, l’Etat natal de Cook, de Bobby Jindal, un r\u00e9publicain de 36 ans qui a la particularit\u00e9 d’\u00eatre le fils d’un immigrant indien (disons, venu de l’Inde, pour n’entretenir aucune ambigu\u00eft\u00e9). Triomphe du multiculturalisme, de la tol\u00e9rance, etc.? En Louisiane?<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \t\u00abAs this campaign draws to a close, I’m reminded of what happened last year in my home state of Louisiana. For more than three-quarters of a century, Louisiana has suffered from what were frequently some of the worst public policy decisions imaginable. Sadly, competence and farsightedness among the state’s top officials were the exception rather than the rule. Throw in the lousy luck of being hit by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, and the state’s saga was really distressing.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p>\n \t\u00bbLast year, Louisiana elected Bobby Jindal, a 36-year-old son of Indian immigrants, to be governor. Jindal is from Baton Rouge, graduated from Brown University, then turned down Harvard Medical School and Yale Law School to go to Oxford as a Rhodes scholar. He next joined McKinsey and Co. management consultants. That’s not exactly the typical career path for Louisiana governors.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p>\n \t\u00bbLouisiana did not elect Jindal to impress the rest of the country or the world with its multiculturalism or to make some symbolic gesture. In the aftermath of Katrina, the state was facing fourth down and long yardage in a losing game. Voters decided to take a risk. It was as if the people of Louisiana said, We are in deep trouble and have tried everything else. This kid seems really smart, seems to know an amazing amount about the issues, and seems so confident and poised. Let’s give the ball to the kid and see if he can do something with it.<\/em>\u00bb<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \tCook termine sur une note d’espoir, puisque c’est cela, l’espoir, qu’il entretient. Espoir \u00e0 propos de la Louisiane, donc espoir \u00e0 propos de l’Am\u00e9rique. C’est une d\u00e9marche humaine et respectable, mais ce n’est que cela, comme, de m\u00eame, la Louisiane n’est que la Louisiane et pas les USA \u00abIf Louisiana weren’t in such bad shape, Jindal almost certainly could not have won. But, so far, he has performed admirably and lived up to his advance billing. Indeed, he is one of the few bright spots on the Republicans’ horizon.<\/em>\u00bb<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \tAinsi suffit-il de faire une substitution de deux mots \u00e0 laquelle Cook nous invite. America did not elect Obama to impress<\/em> [] the world with its multiculturalism or to make some symbolic gesture.<\/em> [] Voters decided to take a risk. It was as if the people of America said, We are in deep trouble and have tried everything else. This kid seems really smart, seems to know an amazing amount about the issues, and seems so confident and poised. Let’s give the ball to the kid and see if he can do something with it.’ <\/em>[…] If America weren’t in such bad shape, Obama almost certainly could not have won.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p>\n