I was having dinner last week with an American friend working in Germany, who was home for business. We talked politics, and he said that all his European colleagues are totally sold on Obama, and view him as almost a magical figure who can fix everything that's wrong with America, and renew us in their eyes. He said they have a totally unrealistic understanding of who Obama is -- nor do they understand US politics except at the crudest level -- but are completely ga-ga over Obama.
I know we have a number of foreign readers of this blog. I'd like to know what Obama looks like to you. You should also feel free to give our opinion of Clinton and/or McCain. But I really am curious to know your views on Obama. If you post something, say which country you're from, please.
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rombald--
you don't have to go back to the 19th century to find a legacy of racially based subservience & humiliation in Africa-- in South Africa the 1990s will do and in Kenya the 1950s. Well within living memory. Onyango Obama was a servant, and his wife-- Barack's grandmother-- is still alive.
My point was that to the extent that the "Black People" of America are identifiable by ancestry, Obama's African ancestors share an experience analogous to that of African-Americans (though slavery was admittedly much worse, if not as recent). Black Africans suffered under white British colonists, and black Americans suffered under white former British colonists.
Another brit here.
What I think is key about Obama's appeal in Europe is that he seems like a European, or at least much more European in style than the other two. I can't put my finger on exactly why this is. In comparison though, McCain and Clinton (and pretty much every other American politician, to be honest) probably seem a bit too warmongering, authoritarian, overly-emotional, hyper-nationalistic, hyperbolic, shouty and just generally rather naff to your average Brit.
I just read that over and I think the last bit might come off as a bit offensive - I don't necessarily think that way myself, these are just the sort of things that I hear my friends say after seeing a clip of McCain/Clinton speak: 'Wow, he/she sounded pretty warmongering / authoritarian / overly emotional etc...'
Another brit here.
What I think is key about Obama's appeal in Europe is that he seems like a European, or at least much more European in style than the other two. I can't put my finger on exactly why this is. In comparison though, McCain and Clinton (and pretty much every other American politician, to be honest) probably seem a bit too warmongering, authoritarian, overly-emotional, hyper-nationalistic, hyperbolic, shouty and just generally rather naff to your average Brit.
I just read that over and I think the last bit might come off as a bit offensive - I don't necessarily think that way myself, these are just the sort of things that I hear my friends say after seeing a clip of McCain/Clinton speak: 'Wow, he/she sounded pretty warmongering / authoritarian / overly emotional etc...'
We can also learn a lot about Eastern European politics:
The worst one hears said about him is that he's a socialist.
To liberals, he is considered tainted by socialism
Isle politics:
Those of us on the left seem to have rather more problems with his policy platform than on the right; he is, by European standards, a right-of-centre moderate
What I think is key about Obama's appeal in Europe is that he seems like a European, or at least much more European in style than the other two.
it is assumed that Obama is a type of centre-left social democrat who would probably feel at ease in the EU.
toro,
Eastern and Western Europe have very different political cultures. There are liberals in Eastern Europe who consider Obama tainted by socialism. I am sorry that this is hard for you. Try talking, for instance, to a Czech Civic Democrat about Mr. Obama's policy positions.
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