The Daily Novel

The Times today carries two long pieces about the US Presidential race. One from its US correspondent suggests that Obama is picking up Kennedy’s mantle. A second from The Times most distingished (i. e. oldest) columnist is headed ‘Is Barak Obama the new JFK?’. William Rees Mogg gives a resounding positive answer to the question and writes admiringly of Obama’ capacities, including the ability he did share with Kennedy, his ability to win the hearts of young people in America, including many of those who have not been politically active.

I immediately posted a comment. They did not publish it.

I wonder why.

I told Mogg that I agreed with most of his argument but that he had ignored the many radical differences between Obama and JFK. I also reminded Mogg that he was not always right. I reminded him of the time in 1968 when, as editor of The Times, he wanted to back Robert Maxwell in order to stop Rupert Murdoch getting his hands on a British newspaper. In the event he dropped the idea because only one of his senior colleagues (Peter Jay) thought he was right in that judgment.

Since those days, of course, Mogg has become buddy buddy with the brash Australian he dreaded. He is almost the only surviving member of the Thomson Times who is still on the Murdoch payroll.

In my own blogg of three weeks ago I pointed out the differences between Obama and JFK which are quite as compelling as the similarities. My blog was pegged to an earlier story in The Times, in which their North American editor made the comparison. In that blog I speculated that maybe Murdoch was toying with the idea of supporting him.

It is well known that Murdoch likes to back winners, so that idea is certainly not ruled out. And I can well believe that Murdoch is not a Clinton fan. But I doubt whether Murdoch has made up his mind about whom he will vote for next November. (And since, unlike me, he is an American citizen, he acutally has a vote.)

My guess is that Murdoch will back Obama if there is no other credible candidate. And, Mogg, in his article today, says bluntly McCain would not beat Obama. A judgment with which I agree.

But we don’t yet know whether McCain has got the Republican nomination. And when we don’t yet know whether the dark horse, Blomberg, the Mayor of New York, is going to throw his hat into the ring as an independent.

Readers of the Wall St Journal, Murdoch’s latest media prize, would not need much presuading to vote for Blomberg rather than Obama. And neither would many of the viewers of Murdoch’s Fox Television channel.