>From what I have now learned node.js is not the answer I am looking for. The decision seems to be down to Python vs Go, anyone have opinions on the strengths/weaknesses of each of these?

I was interested in Go - but it did not seem to have a large user base when I looked at it.

Without a large user base, Google won't find a lot of answers when I go searching.
And there won't be a lot of libraries available to solve what needs solving.

For me, Go was a no-go.
I am just too spoiled with Google having all the answers for any problem I run across.

Good Luck!