Comments on: Who’s Better for India: Obama or McCain?

By: Ann

Ann — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 21:47:53 +0000

The world may be wiser to understand that after the events of the past 8 years in the US economy, politics, foreign policies, and its dwindling job market, all bets are off, and any assumptions or calculations Americans and the world had about these things will no longer apply.

I cannot imagine a better time or reason to rearrange our attitudes, priorities and position ourselves for benefits that come from a new era.

By: Ann

Ann — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 21:44:09 +0000

greg Narain makes a good point. No jobs for Americans, no tax money to the govt., no market for goods, and no money for war, diplomacy, or aid. US companies can only make a profit upto a certain point with outsourced jobs, and only in certain sectors of the economy. If the other sectors collapse, it will only be a matter of time before the thriving industries based on outsourcing dry up too. And if outsourcing becomes a glaring problem to an extent that Americans become antagonistic, politicians and businessmen will be in hot water.

Mr. McCain is one of the most inarticulate people i have seen in the Republican party – which has btw, many very intelligent, knowledgeable members with great expertise. If he becomes President, we will have a tedious and suspensful four years of policy and action.

But even though Mr.Obama may have well-planned and articulated policies, domestic and foreign events, and political powermongering among US politicians may well disable him in terms of putting things in action.

By: Ann

Ann — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 21:37:04 +0000

I am a US citizen. While I do not know the intricacies of Indian politics and business, this writer’s assumptions about what John McCain would do and what the US economy from here on will be are based on inadequate and outdated understanding. With the financial crisis and jobs flying out of the US, as well as its military might declining, all equations will change in the future.

I think it is futile for anyone to predict how the US policies will be or affect any one particular country – its too simplistic and naive. If either of these men is really smart, they will do first and foremost what is good for the american people.

Nothing the Republicans have done or Democrats have done has ever been completely good for the US or the world. We are forgetting that when push comes to shove, politics trumps well-being.

you are also assuming that the US economy will drive the world. we have seen the consequences of that. I think the really smart economies are going to start moving away from their dependence on the US as a market for its products and jobs for its people. The sooner the world realizes the the US will eventually cease to be a superpower, the sooner they will come up with new solutions independent of the US market and politics. The money and power the US has may be a matter of the past, and those who cannot recognize it will not be able to react well to any new challenges thrown our way as Wall Street so brazenly and shamelessly did this year.

By: Greg Narain

Greg Narain — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 23:41:38 +0000

This is an interesting discussion. Yes, McCain is belligerent but more sympathetic to outsourcing – I doubt if republicans would like to increase work quotas with so many unemployed white coders. However, one should also keep in mind that he has expressed candid ignorance about the economy and mechanically reiterates his desire to “create jaabs” out of thin air for the American people. And if war is a priority, he might wring the throats of the unemployed, debt strapped American consumers who may decide to forgo needless calls to India. If there is no US consumer, there is no, absolutely no outsourcing. It almost seems to not have already happened. Let’s thank the current overdose of republican leadership for not completely destroying the American economy by adding only another 500 billion dollars.

By: Dweep Chanana

Dweep Chanana — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 17:17:57 +0000

Thanks Ehud, you’re totally right. However, I think the belief that Obama will be any more “just” is also misplaced. If anything, Obama’s recent statements suggest he shifts his opinions to match his audience. And lets not forget that Clinton bombed Serbia. Yes, McCain is more likely to be belligerent, but in balance I think that risk is more acceptable (for India) than that Obama will play domestic politics on an international stage.

By: Farooq Ali Khan

Farooq Ali Khan — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 02:10:12 +0000

I agree with Ehud Barak…

By: Ehud Barak

Ehud Barak — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 21:46:25 +0000

Republicans have helped military dictatorships in Pakistan, created Taliban and replaced the democratic government of Iran with a despotic shah – instigating the Islamic revolution, then created Saddam. Therefore, as far as our international trade with Iran and military spending on Pakistan’s terror goes democrats are much better. It is true that republicans have encouraged outsourcing by providing tax cuts to firms practicing the same but even without these cuts, because skilled labor in India and phillipines is 4 times cheaper than the US, outsourcing will not be rolled back. Obama will be vastly more sympathetic to Indian and other Asian migrants in high professions because he is committed to fairness and to principles of racial diversity.