Dutch press praise election of Obama
06-11-2008
The Dutch press is in congratulatory mood following Barak Obama's win in the US presidential elections.
Cheerful photos of the Obama family break up the acres of text given over to an analysis of the election and what will happen after Obama is sworn in as president on January 20.
Two wars and a crisis
Under the headline ‘Obama promises hopeful world new American leadership’, the Financieele Dagblad points out that the new president will have to deal with two wars and a financial crisis.
The paper also says that Obama's election did nothing to steady nerves on Wall Street where the Dow Jones fell by 5%.
NRC.next quotes the veteran American political journalist Mark Halpersin as saying that Obama is 'a much smarter politician than Bill Clinton ever was'.
Not anti-establishment
But it also says that he is not the anti-establishment figure he claims to be and has always chosen the side of the establishment to further his career. The paper devotes eight pages to post-election coverage.
Still, most of the papers are relieved that the 'eight year neo-conservative nightmare' has come to an end.
The Volkskrant’s entire front cover is dedicated to Obama (‘America elects first black president. This is our moment. Yes, we can’) including a huge photograph. Inside there are another six pages of post-election fever.
Anticlimax
But there is also almost a feeling of anti-climax. In the Amsterdam paper Parool, the city’s mayor Job Cohen expresses the generally held view that 'it won't be long before there's a feeling of disappointment'.
Alexander Pechtold, leader of the D66 democratic party agrees, telling the paper: 'His plans are based on the financial situation of 18 months ago and he will not be able to make them a reality'.
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