DENVER, COLORADO // Just a year and a half ago, Barack Obama mesmerised a crowd of 70,000 at Denver's Invesco stadium, delivering soaring rhetoric about hope and change as he accepted the Democratic Party's nomination for president.
With Mr Obama in the lead, Democratic politicians charged across this traditionally Republican state, winning every major political position and swinging Colorado from red to blue in the November 2008 election.
A little more than a year later, with the economy in tatters, healthcare reform a far cry from the sweeping change Mr Obama promised and one in 10 US residents out of a job, it looks like Colorado will again be a battleground state for the 2010 midterm elections.
Mr Obama's approval ratings here have sunk to 48 per cent, putting the president two to three points lower in Colorado than his national average. That may not sound like much, but this mountain state has come to be viewed by many pundits as a harbinger of national trends.
"Over the last decade, Colorado has been like the canary in the mine shaft," said Floyd Ciruli, a Denver pollster. "And now, public opinion here has turned very sharply against the Obama administration."
In this fiscally conservative state, many disapprove of the stimulus package of $787 billion (Dh2.9 trillion), saying it has failed to create jobs, according to Mr Ciruli.
And as the Obama brand has lost its lustre here, state Democrats have started to struggle.
Bill Ritter, the state's governor, became the first official casualty, announcing on Wednesday that he would not seek re-election.
Mr Ritter, who grew up on a farm and paired cowboy boots with business suits, was initially viewed as part of a new breed of liberals who would help deliver the western United States to the Democratic Party.
But the recession scuppered Mr Ritter's campaign promises to overhaul public education and invest in the state's renewable energy industry. The governor also battled labour unions and failed to win over the state's conservatives.
Although he claimed he was bowing out to focus on his family, recent polls showed Mr Ritter was trailing eight percentage points behind the Republican front-runner, Scott McInnis.
"Whenever a politician says they are leaving the race for their family, you know there is something more to it," said Josh Kraushaar, who is covering the 2010 elections for Politico, a website devoted to US politics. "Ritter saw the writing on the wall."
Republicans have also set their sites on Colorado's junior senator, the Democrat Michael Bennett, a relatively unknown candidate who has so far shown little charisma on the campaign circuit.
Mr Ritter appointed Mr Bennett to replace the elected senator Ken Salazar, when he was selected by the president to become secretary of the interior.
"Democrats could lose every race here in 2010," Mr Ciruli said. "And this is not just a Colorado phenomenon."
Last week, two other Democratic senators, including Chris Dodd of Connecticut, who chairs the powerful banking committee, stunned the country by announcing plans to retire. Stung by months of controversy over ethical issues, Mr Dodd admitted he was in "the toughest political shape" of his career.
Meanwhile Byron Dorgan, of North Dakota, claimed he wanted to pursue other interests, sending Democratic strategists scrambling to find a viable alternative in the right-leaning prairie state.
On top of that, some of the most well-known Democratic senators, including the majority leader, Harry Reid of Nevada, and Barbara Boxer of California, are looking potentially vulnerable to Republican challengers, according to recent polls.
Even if the GOP picks up just one seat in the Senate, Democrats would lose their 60-seat majority, a crucial number needed to avoid Republican filibusters.
Other battleground states that swung Democrat in 2008, particularly Ohio and Pennsylvania, appear poised to hand the incumbent party some stinging defeats.
"What's perhaps most remarkable is that Democrats won many elections in these states riding on Obama's coattails," Mr Kraushaar said.
"Now they are distancing themselves from him on the economy, his stimulus package and health care. It is a real sign of how far his star has fallen."
As hostile as the political environment appears to be for Democrats, the needle has not swung in favour of the Republicans.
Conservatives are facing their own string of retirements, and even Michael Steele, the Republican National Committee chairman, has been only moderately optimistic about potential GOP victories in the midterms.
Speaking to Fox News last week, Mr Steele said he expected to get "some nice pick-ups" in the House of Representatives but not a total upset.
Analysts say voters may be souring on Mr Obama's promises of hope and change, but few have forgotten that it was a Republican administration that got the country in a mess in the first place.
"Voters are looking very negatively at both parties," Mr Kraushaar said. "The mentality seems to be 'throw all the bums out'."
foreign.desk@thenational.ae
The specs
Engine: 0.8-litre four cylinder
Power: 70bhp
Torque: 66Nm
Transmission: four-speed manual
Price: $1,075 new in 1967, now valued at $40,000
On sale: Models from 1966 to 1970
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km
MATCH INFO
Cricket World Cup League Two
Oman, UAE, Namibia
Al Amerat, Muscat
Results
Oman beat UAE by five wickets
UAE beat Namibia by eight runs
Namibia beat Oman by 52 runs
UAE beat Namibia by eight wickets
UAE v Oman - abandoned
Oman v Namibia - abandoned
If you go...
Etihad flies daily from Abu Dhabi to Zurich, with fares starting from Dh2,807 return. Frequent high speed trains between Zurich and Vienna make stops at St. Anton.
FIXTURES
Monday, January 28
Iran v Japan, Hazza bin Zayed Stadium (6pm)
Tuesday, January 29
UAEv Qatar, Mohamed Bin Zayed Stadium (6pm)
Friday, February 1
Final, Zayed Sports City Stadium (6pm)
Race card
6.30pm: Maiden (TB) Dh 82,500 (Dirt) 1.600m
7.05pm: Maiden (TB) Dh 82,500 (D) 2,000m
7.50pm: Handicap (TB) Dh 82,500 (D) 1,600m
8.15pm: The Garhoud Sprint Listed (TB) Dh 132,500 (D) 1,200m
8.50pm: The Entisar Listed (TB) Dh 132,500 (D) 2,000m
9.25pm: Conditions (TB) Dh 120,000 (D) 1,400m
The biog
Family: He is the youngest of five brothers, of whom two are dentists.
Celebrities he worked on: Fabio Canavaro, Lojain Omran, RedOne, Saber Al Rabai.
Where he works: Liberty Dental Clinic
Race results:
1. Thani Al Qemzi (UAE) Team Abu Dhabi: 46.44 min
2. Peter Morin (FRA) CTIC F1 Shenzhen China Team: 0.91sec
3. Sami Selio (FIN) Mad-Croc Baba Racing Team: 31.43sec
What is Folia?
Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed bin Talal's new plant-based menu will launch at Four Seasons hotels in Dubai this November. A desire to cater to people looking for clean, healthy meals beyond green salad is what inspired Prince Khaled and American celebrity chef Matthew Kenney to create Folia. The word means "from the leaves" in Latin, and the exclusive menu offers fine plant-based cuisine across Four Seasons properties in Los Angeles, Bahrain and, soon, Dubai.
Kenney specialises in vegan cuisine and is the founder of Plant Food Wine and 20 other restaurants worldwide. "I’ve always appreciated Matthew’s work," says the Saudi royal. "He has a singular culinary talent and his approach to plant-based dining is prescient and unrivalled. I was a fan of his long before we established our professional relationship."
Folia first launched at The Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills in July 2018. It is available at the poolside Cabana Restaurant and for in-room dining across the property, as well as in its private event space. The food is vibrant and colourful, full of fresh dishes such as the hearts of palm ceviche with California fruit, vegetables and edible flowers; green hearb tacos filled with roasted squash and king oyster barbacoa; and a savoury coconut cream pie with macadamia crust.
In March 2019, the Folia menu reached Gulf shores, as it was introduced at the Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay, where it is served at the Bay View Lounge. Next, on Tuesday, November 1 – also known as World Vegan Day – it will come to the UAE, to the Four Seasons Resort Dubai at Jumeirah Beach and the Four Seasons DIFC, both properties Prince Khaled has spent "considerable time at and love".
There are also plans to take Folia to several more locations throughout the Middle East and Europe.
While health-conscious diners will be attracted to the concept, Prince Khaled is careful to stress Folia is "not meant for a specific subset of customers. It is meant for everyone who wants a culinary experience without the negative impact that eating out so often comes with."
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Tour de France
When: July 7-29
UAE Team Emirates:
Dan Martin, Alexander Kristoff, Darwin Atapuma, Marco Marcato, Kristijan Durasek, Oliviero Troia, Roberto Ferrari and Rory Sutherland
MATCH INFO
What: India v Afghanistan, first Test
When: Starts Thursday
Where: M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengalaru
TEST SQUADS
Bangladesh: Mushfiqur Rahim (captain), Tamim Iqbal, Soumya Sarkar, Imrul Kayes, Liton Das, Shakib Al Hasan, Mominul Haque, Nasir Hossain, Sabbir Rahman, Mehedi Hasan, Shafiul Islam, Taijul Islam, Mustafizur Rahman and Taskin Ahmed.
Australia: Steve Smith (captain), David Warner, Ashton Agar, Hilton Cartwright, Pat Cummins, Peter Handscomb, Matthew Wade, Josh Hazlewood, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Glenn Maxwell, Matt Renshaw, Mitchell Swepson and Jackson Bird.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Rain Management
Year started: 2017
Based: Bahrain
Employees: 100-120
Amount raised: $2.5m from BitMex Ventures and Blockwater. Another $6m raised from MEVP, Coinbase, Vision Ventures, CMT, Jimco and DIFC Fintech Fund
Top tips
Create and maintain a strong bond between yourself and your child, through sensitivity, responsiveness, touch, talk and play. “The bond you have with your kids is the blueprint for the relationships they will have later on in life,” says Dr Sarah Rasmi, a psychologist.
Set a good example. Practise what you preach, so if you want to raise kind children, they need to see you being kind and hear you explaining to them what kindness is. So, “narrate your behaviour”.
Praise the positive rather than focusing on the negative. Catch them when they’re being good and acknowledge it.
Show empathy towards your child’s needs as well as your own. Take care of yourself so that you can be calm, loving and respectful, rather than angry and frustrated.
Be open to communication, goal-setting and problem-solving, says Dr Thoraiya Kanafani. “It is important to recognise that there is a fine line between positive parenting and becoming parents who overanalyse their children and provide more emotional context than what is in the child’s emotional development to understand.”
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
BRAZIL SQUAD
Alisson (Liverpool), Daniel Fuzato (Roma), Ederson (Man City); Alex Sandro (Juventus), Danilo (Juventus), Eder Militao (Real Madrid), Emerson (Real Betis), Felipe (Atletico Madrid), Marquinhos (PSG), Renan Lodi (Atletico Madrid), Thiago Silva (PSG); Arthur (Barcelona), Casemiro (Real Madrid), Douglas Luiz (Aston Villa), Fabinho (Liverpool), Lucas Paqueta (AC Milan), Philippe Coutinho (Bayern Munich); David Neres (Ajax), Gabriel Jesus (Man City), Richarlison (Everton), Roberto Firmino (Liverpool), Rodrygo (Real Madrid), Willian (Chelsea).
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
