I just checked the Dutch polls and they state that 92 percent of the Dutch population would vote for Obama, while only 8 percent would vote for McCain. And apparently we’re not the only ones. According to the findings of a new Reader’s Digest Global Poll in which people in 17 countries, included the Unites States, were asked how they felt about the United States presidential candidates, Obama is favored by a landslide – except for the country where he is actually running for president. This means that if the election were held overseas, or even in the rest of North America, McCain would not stand a chance. Although the world still looks up to America, these skewed results are partly a measure of the dissatisfaction with President Bush. Especially with the war in Iraq, Bush lost a lot of credibility worldwide. As a vast supporter of the war, McCain symbolizes the Bush status quo – even if he tries to distance himself from Bush – and with that he symbolizes an era that the world wants to leave behind. Another factor that might have contributed to these results is the fact that the media elite, and especially the European ones, tend to be liberal and their news coverage of the election reflects that. Whether you live in Holland, or Germany, or England, or France, or Australia (the list goes on and on) you will witness a heavy dose of positive Obama news coverage. Another thing is that some of the points that are crucial to most Republicans (pro-life, against gay marriage, pro-guns etc.) contradict how other countries approach these situations. As being from Holland where we are for instance pro-choice and approve of gay-marriage, and which most Dutchmen see as ‘a country with a true freedom of choice’, I get why it is so much easier for a majority of Dutchmen to identify with the Democratic Party and with that, with Obama (as I think goes for a lot of other countries, especially those in Europe). These Republican stances go against how 'we' think these issues should be handled. However, being here and witnessing America and American culture firsthand, I now truly realize that it’s not only the Republican Party, it is a large part of the nation that agrees with the Republicans on these issues and we just can not expect 'you' to think like 'us'. As you might see, I have a hard time using words like 'I', 'we', 'us', you' etc. because I don't want to be generalizing too much (not all Dutchmen disagree with McCain and Republicans in general, and the same goes for the other countries I pointed out), I am just trying to point out the general attitude that the majority of Holland, Europe, countries, worldwide hold against America, McCain and Obama and explain where this worldwide love for Obama might come from. We can ‘cast our vote’ and let Americans know what we think should be the end result of the election, but at the same time we have to realize that this is a different nation, with a different culture. And although it easy for us to choose a side, the U.S. polls show that it’s not that easy for Americans to do so. The country is divided between two distinct ‘ways of thinking’ and we can’t impose our views on any of these parties. It is up to the Americans to choose who they think best reflects their views and morals. The only thing I can do, the international community can do, is hope that you guys choose wisely. Because, even if this is a national election, it will have major international consequences.
If you want to read more about this poll you can go to: http://www.rd.com/your-america-inspiring-people-and-stories/global-poll-how-the-world-sees-the-2008-lection/article102257-3.html
If you want to read more about this poll you can go to: http://www.rd.com/your-america-inspiring-people-and-stories/global-poll-how-the-world-sees-the-2008-lection/article102257-3.html
1 comments:
- At November 4, 2008 at 4:45 PM Megan Mackander said...
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Fun Fact: Did you know it is compulsory to vote in Holland, but it isn't enforced? What's the point in that?
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