While Obama delivered a mind-blowing acceptance speech last night in Denver that resounded across Belgium and the whole of Europe, US polls still give McCain an equal slice of the cake. And that, my American friends, is beyond our understanding. I’m living in Antwerp, Belgium, where gays can marry and adopt, where euthanasia, abortion and prostitution are legal, where every citizen has been enjoying high quality free healthcare for over 60 years, where college education is available for everyone, in a country that never invaded any other country and is actively downsizing its army. On average, we enjoy 4 to 6 weeks of annual paid vacation, while we belong to the world’s 15 richest nations.
The past week a Dutch channel interviewed registered Republican American voters and tried to convey their motivation. We just don’t get it: religious reasons, opportunism, stale conservatism, plain stupidity and ignorance: really, it’s beyond our comprehension. John McCain would be blown away within five seconds in Belgium. Btw: US right-wing FOX-tv news coverage comments were plain disgusting, as usual.
As much as I hate to write this, there’s a cultural devide between the US and Belgium/Europe that at times is quite hard to bridge, a chasm deeper than most Americans are aware of. Oh well America, let’s just hope (not pray, Belgians are on average not religious nor very patriotic) common sense will prevail. But I have my doubts, given US voters elected a nutcase like G.W. Bush into office, twice
This blog is not affiliated with or endorsed by the city of Antwerp, Belgium.
I voted for Gore, Kerry and am voting for Obama. I have been blown away by the red states (AKA Dumbfuckistan) the past two elections. I pray middle america doesn’t cornhole us again.
[Blog author: "Same feeling here Van. There's too much at stake (America's economy and moral standing in the world) to get four years of the same failed policies again. I was really touched watching all those middle-class American citizens wanting to reclaim what has been taken away from them by the Bush administration: their own country, part of their freedom and their future."]
Comment by furiousball — August 29, 2008 @ 3:53 pm |
Peter – Pay no attention to the polls. The only poll that matters is what happens at the end of election day. They have been wrong before, and that all of a sudden he running neck and neck with McCain is no real surprise.
I was wobbly on Obama myself, though I know I did NOT want McCain in there. McCain is the biggest fool I have ever seen. He has done and said anything over the past year to gain favor with Republican and Conservative voters. I am not sure I completely agree with everything Obama wants to do, but I am feel far better these days about voting for him than I have in the past. When McCain comments on the economy were distilled down (by him) to, “I just don’t think about it all that much,” that’s when the red flags started going up in my brain.
Obama has my vote as far as I am concerned.
[Blog author: "I'm really glad America woke up: the damage inflicted by the Bush admin is unbelievable. Belgium has compulsory voting (you get fined if you don't show up), so we get fuzzy 4-party governments that have no clear policy. I wish I could be 'proud of Belgium', but at present I really can't. When I talk with American friends most (even the more conservative ones) feel that the democrats have a realistic program that will put the US back on the tracks. "]
Comment by Mr. Nighttime — August 29, 2008 @ 4:02 pm |
You know, Obama just needs me to stand next to him with a cleavage shirt and my girls exposed during his speeches and we’d have this damn election in the bag.
Just saying…
[Blog author: "Sex sure sells Claudia, but I'm not really sure that would be the meaning behind "yes, we can"
"]
Comment by Claudia — August 30, 2008 @ 12:52 am |
Even though I’ve wincingly observed it for the last few years, I am still flabbergasted by the damage done by this administration. Not just in the US, but throughout the whole world. We definitely need a change.
[Blog author: "Indeed Mel. You know, it helps being an outsider (or living outside the US as an American). TV news is obviously the major source of information for most across the planet, but I still recall the faces of many Americans in Brussels watching all the non-US TV channels in English from across Europe on their cable network - it was often a look of sheer disbelief: "how could they", said a close friend of mine once. There's also a huge difference in journalistic approach between the major US networks (with Fox being the worst) and what we get over here. Even CNN has a European version that is miles apart from what you get in Texas. Anyway, may the American people decide what they want their future to look like, realizing that choice has a world-wide impact. "]
Comment by Granola-grrrl — August 30, 2008 @ 5:08 pm |
Heaven help us all if McCain is elected. I wish the rest of the world could vote for our president, they seem to get it more than our own citizens do. I can’t imagine how anyone could vote for anyone that supports this stupid ass war and can’t see who are the ones that are getting rich off of the war, the oil companies, the big supporters of the Republican Party.
I was a Hillary supporter, but Obama pretty much supports the same platform as she did. I love it that McCain picks some unknown, inexperienced woman as his running mate to try and garner the women votes who were supporting Hillary. Like we are that stupid!
[Blog author: "Indeed Brenda, it often helps being an outsider: the US expats in Brussels sure know how the world looks at these elections. Tara Bradford in Paris posted an interesting story, while most of the non-right wing blogosphere laughed out loud when McCain picked that token woman who believes in creationism, guns and no rights for gays. Pam in Paris has also strong feelings about McCain, with most of Belgium looking with sheer amazement at all the lies he endorses in his commercials. Really, while Belgium struggles with its own right wing idiots, it's hard to believe the polls give this man an equal share of the cake, especially knowing how Bush butchered America after eight years of rather successful attempts at destroying the US constitution. Let's hope for the best in Nov. "]
Comment by Peace — August 31, 2008 @ 9:47 am |
Well said, Peter. I tried to blog on this but I had just come from a puma site and was so furious that I had to take the ‘walk away’ approach.
The US isn’t my country but the results impact so terribly on the rest of the world…
[Blog author: "Indeed Di. Quite often American citizens are not aware of the US impact on the worldwide economy. When the banking/housing sub-prime crisis hit the US, European banks took a full-frontal blow, although no Belgian bank ever sold a sub-prime loan locally."]
Comment by Di — August 31, 2008 @ 4:42 pm |
Sorry Peter, after living through Belgian’s politics, I can’t feel too badly about America’s. The language divide, the cultural divide, and is it EIGHT parties vying for control of a country the size of the state of Maryland? I don’t remember. The layers of government and bureaucracy and BS it takes run a wealthy country of that size is just RIDICULOUS and the lack of unity is hard to grasp. Y’all can’t unite two sections of your tiny country when America manages to govern 50 states without constant whining about who pays the most taxes, who uses the most services. We carry each other and we don’t give it a lot of thought.
Belgium’s inability to agree on a leader and get a functioning national government together for months and months after the election is crazy. No one will work with anyone else, everyone is committed to fiercely controlling their little corner of Flanders and Wallonia and not to serving the nation. All those competing parties, groups, and vicious little coalitions make sure absolutely nothing happens ALL the time. The fact that the country was able to continue functioning without a national government shows how the EU carries it. And yes, you can downsize your army because America and the rest of NATO is whom you really count on for defense.
I’m not proud of a lot of that America has done and I think Bush is an arrogant retard. I think our lack of national health care is a travesty. The war in Iraq wasn’t justified, the American people were lied to and shamed by Bush’s overt and covert actions. Still, we can’t walk away, no matter how much many people want us too. We’ve got to clean up the mess we made. Look what happened in Afghanistan in the 80s when we turned our backs…
I’ve been disappointed by both Democrats and Republicans, often feeling they pretend to be different but are stupid in the same way. I am tired of politicians trying to “inspire” me. I want them to shut up and serve. Who we elect as president is important, but I actually think the balance of power tips in favor of Congress, despite the checks and balances in place.
We’ll see what happens in November…
[Blog author: "Thanks for commenting Veronica, especially given the fact you lived in Belgium for three years. Obviously, you have many valid points: just consider Belgium a failed attempt at spreading democracy on so many needless levels that we ended up with several multi-party governments in a country that virtually doesn't exist and never existed. We're a majority of Dutch speaking Belgians who fought very hard to get equal rights in a country where everyone in our own capital speaks French. You wouldn't take such a travesty, and I neither am I. As for defense: apart from our great beer and chocolates, we have no resources a potential enemy would consider worthy of an invasion
Much like yourself, many Belgians are tired of empty promises and shallow leaders. Trust me, I'm not proud about Belgium, and I probably never will be.
But then again, we don't have unexperienced, newborn rigid right-wing politicians like Palin, strongly advocating that creationism should be taught in public schools, labeling the Iraq invasion as “A Task From God", denying there is a man-made link to global warming or trying to take away gay rights, like unfortunately happened in Virginia, where you happen to live. It saddens me as a gay male in a committed relationship that my bond with my male partner in Belgium would be worthless in your state. I'm sure the founding fathers had other plans when they sat down to write the US constitution.
Belgium may have its share of nutcases too, but they don't run or make an attempt to run this country. Anyway, many of the promises on the Obama ticket (healthcare, etc) have been been part of my heritage ever since I was born. Let's just hope common sense will prevail and America will vote for a real change in Nov. "]
Comment by V-Grrrl — August 31, 2008 @ 10:59 pm |
Firstly, I am living in Antwerp for the summer and have enjoyed your blog very much. Thanks!
As a left-coast American (originally from Seattle and now living in California) I’m likely scratching my head as much as any European regarding the numbers of my fellow citizens who actually buy into McCain/Palin (shudder), as well as the overall diminishment of others’ freedoms that seems to be important to many conservatives. The religious right, especially, seems to have as their goal utter homogeneity and control of their fellow humans. Ick. And also, isn’t that strategy completely at odds with actual life systems, which thrive best on diversity and experimentation? Sigh.
There is so much about the McCain/Palin combination that scares me, I would hardly know where to begin. For instance, while McCain’s heroism in a prison camp is something that amazes and humbles me (I might have caved after five minutes, let alone five years), it is hard for me not to believe that such an experience would have some lingering ramifications of behavior and viewpoints that I would want to keep very, very far away from the proverbial button, not to mention most other decisions required of our Commander in Chief.
Having spent the last three months living here in Antwerp and traveling in Europe, I have renewed appreciation for the significant gap between the “freedom” we speak of in America and the freedoms and priveleges we actually have. I 100% agree with you that individual freedoms in Belgium and other places far outstrip those that Americans permit themselves. Leftover Puritan ethic?
Oops, I am going on more than I meant to here, but what I really wanted to say is that America is big. By which I mean seriously ginormous. From Antwerp, I can be in Paris or London in a couple of hours by train. In California, I can’t even get out of the *state* in that time. From my hometown of Seattle to my new home in central Califoria is an 18-hour drive, at which point it would take another day at least to get to the Mexican border—and that’s the *short* side of the country.
In addition to geographical hugeness, the U.S. also seems to me deeply divided, almost to be ideologically a bunch of different countries trying to dominate each other. Or at least two. The first time I traveled east of the Mississippi, I could hardly understand the what people were saying, and much of the behavior struck me as completely nutball. How can such a big place really be united?
*No one* that I know is going to vote for McCain. And yet, I am guessing that the election will be very close (I hope I’m wrong and Obama sweeps it), just as the last one was, just as many elections are in the U.S. So I’d say the cultural divide you mention is likely very real and is between apparently about half of Americans and many Europeans plus the other half of Americans. I hope you’ll notice and voice your support for those Americans (and there are lots of them, like me) whose views are well aligned with yours.
Thanks again for a great blog.
Cheers,
Holly
[Blog author: "thanks Holly, your elaborate comment was much appreciated. You described it very well: the staggering differences between American states are overwhelming, while the non-compulsory and quite complex voting process will make us all hold our breath until Nov. Like you pointed out, there is no telling who will win this election, but the ramifications of another eight years of a right-wing conservative administration would not serve America, not for one single second. Thanks for commenting. "]
Comment by Holly — September 7, 2008 @ 6:25 pm |