You know, the world is going be very pissed at us if we don't have a President Obama.

It occurs to me that Obama is enjoying a certain "rockstar" status on the world stage. In some respects, I imagine they him as a sign that maybe America is making a course correction. If I had to venture a guess as to how we are looked as a nation, we are either "arrogant and stagnating superpower" or "militarily powerful, yet hopelessly provincial". Either way, seeing us bouncing between that has to raised concerns.

If we were to somehow let McCain win this, we are going to be viewed with suspicion and/or pity. I rather think of it as seeing a particularly favorite relative messing up their life and having the effects ripple throughout the entire family. If Obama wins, it gives hope that we are turning things around. If McCain wins, it will mean more turmoil and bickering.

Just a late night insomniac rambling thought.

Obama represents a Polaruty Shift....Better things to come is what we can expect from him...

We are half the country we were before W in terms of our ability to influence the rest of the world economically or militarily. You can only be a malovelent threat to world stability for so long before the world seems to right the balance of power and cancel your credit card.

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and that won't change appreciable under Obama and the DINO's in Congress.

The scorn and derision in other areas might change somewhat, depending on whether he's elected and how the policies are perceievd abroad. If it's McCian, all bets are off and most of the world will probably be rooting for the economic comeuppance that the US is bound to get in the next 4+ years.

for alot of things.

The largest being keeping the shipping lanes relatively free from piracy. The people on the street may be happy if we get ours economically however, the governments will be scared shitless if our Navy starts pulling back as far as world trade is concerned.

and underestimate other nations' navies....

Other nation's navies other than the Brittish, Russian and now the Chinese aren't equipped well at all to handle that task.

BTW Russian and China I wouldn't count on.

Who are you going to depend on the French?

in its sphere of influence. My bet is that they intercept more "pirates" and illegal fishing vessels than the US does in the Southern Ocean and around Indonesia. Maybe more in total, seeing as how that's where much of the piracy occurs.

The Persian gulf is another matter- though Aussies help out there as well:

http://www.strategypage.com/dls/articles2003/20031022.asp

will be able to patrol the entire Pacific, Indian, and Atlantic Ocean on their own.

If we fell we'd be replaced but there would be turmoil till it happens and Asia would be in an uproar when Japan started rebuilding its Navy to protect its trade interest. In short it would be a giant mess.

As we go, all the markets go. Free trade.

(though we can't say TOO much, as plenty of us have elected our own revolting leaders!)

If Bush gets a third term through McBush - there is no more America as far as I'm concerned. It will have been the place of my birth, and I will have had some fond memories of the country it was. But the America I knew will be dead forever.

They'll laugh at everything we say from that point on.
They won't even be able to hide their cynical disgust
in everything that we say we stand for.

...who idolised so much of the nation's imagery as a child, who grew up with such a great interest in the place, its brief but storied history & its politics and, who since making the transition to adulthood, has for various reasons been able to spend a great deal of time in myriad states, cities and towns and who plans to continue doing so.

If McCain is elected it will appear little different to the outside world as an election in one of the countries in which the citizens are commonly perceived as indoctrinated, as though they are compelled to vote for their 'Great Leader' whomever the opponent is, whatever the conditions are. The spectre of electoral fraud may loom, but that notion is never going to be mainstream. It's not going to be what the majority of the outside world will see...the majority of people will just think "Oh dear, the imbeciles are at it again...Fat idiots, gluttons, every last one of them!" To be honest, given that there *is* a core of at least 40m people who'll vote Republican no matter how much damage that party have done to the entire world, it's not really much of a stretch to see how that opinion is formed, however horribly unfair on many, many millions it undeniably is. But it is true: In the common conscience you'll be seen as complicit, unforunately.

It will also bring about a lot of fear - An aged, evidently unstable extreme right winger following on from the most catasrophic administrator in history? What does that portend for my family & I? What sort of environment will my son grow up in? How could people be so fucking stupid? Should I boycott the place that has been a second home for me in recent years, a change which would necessitate a change of job and of future plans? Or should I sit back and accept whatever may happen?

I'll tell you one thing: Every time I watch any of the major news networks I am simply taken aback by the bias present in their broadcasting. It's not subtle, it's not slight. It's entirely blatant and it's shocking. It truly flies in the face of the USA being a great democracy but I suppose when it is all one has grown up with, it's understandable that some should be fooled by the garbage the talking heads spew. I believe the media has a responsibility to offer news, and balanced news at that - Not a relentless one-sided assault on the senses which is designed to beat viewers into submissively surrendering to its way of thinking.

And another, while I'm at it: That the Republican party is that of the 'common man'. How can this be? How is that perception even possible? Conservatives get elected in other countries but seldom because they manage to project the image of being for the 'common man' while the their more liberal opponents are for the 'elite'! That's one of the most ridiculous, puzzling and - if it weren't so frightening - hilarious notions I've heard in my life. It's almost spellbinding that such an image has been cultivated.

:hi:

I remember well the website that popped up right after the 2004 election. It was a "we're so sorry" site with Americans apologizing to the world for "re-electing" that idiot (I live in Ohio and took part in the recount... Kerry won Ohio, I don't care what anybody says, LOL). The site got thousands of responses from all over the world showing geniune sympathy... it was very moving.

If McCain wins this time, I don't think we'll be getting much sympathy this time.

In fact, that site is still up, 4 years later: SorryEverybody.com

People would simply be flabbergasted & disgusted. They'd be thinking "LOL, what sort of country elects a man like McCain over Obama?!!" at the same time as they worry "Oh fuck, what war is coming next and how does that impact me?!!" What a horrible way for a country that's so many parts beautiful to be perceived as.

Personally, I think McCain is proving to people that he'd be a *worse* president than his predecessor (he follows his policy to a 'T' but has the added "bonus" of being 73, with very clear anger management problems and a big mouth which has a propensity to give away things it REALLY shouldn't) and top a hypothetical chart of the most irresponsible electoral decision a major western nation has made since before WWII!

(whether that decision is, this year, made entirely by the nation's people remains to be seen, of course...)

Bush is a Republican, the world has become a far unsafer place since he took power as a direct result of the policies of his administration, the world is now suffering economically as a result of those polices too. Ergo - a Republican next time round would likely continue those problems so it follows you need a Democrat in the WH.

The fact that Obama is black is completely incidental outside of the USA. He is visibly black and so I'm not sure why people keep harping on about it other than maybe for the benefit of the blind.

With regard to "rockstar" status the man has charisma : what else would you expect ?

And much good it did them. The rest of the World thinks we are fools. Or that at least half of us are. And they aren't wrong. If McCain somehow gets the win we will go down further in the World's estimate for sure but mostly because of the war with Iran and subsequent other travesties more so than because we didn't pick Obama in particular.

:dem:

Only what the voters here think and a lot of them would go against the wishes of the rest of the world for spite. We truly have an idiotic, immature population here.

that that twit got elected for a second term. Please Americans, I remember walking around in a daze, asking myself, how could Americans vote for Bush a second time when Kerry was the best on the Dem side. Please don't let us down this time, another four years of Bush through McCain is not an option. The Dems had great running candidates this year and once again, the media annihilated the ones we wanted. So we were left with two and either one is better than a republican. I supported both Senators Clinton and Obama and now it is crucial that a Dem gets into the White House.

Americans, please do not let us down this time. Your Canadian friend!

Peace

being a memebr of "the world" as a Canadian. I try to not discuss American politics with most of my friends. Especially since 2004 when everyone knew Bush was a fuck up and he was re-elected. I got varying opinions. "The election was stolen" "I don't give a fuck, they are the idiots that voted him in again" "Do they even realize what they have done?" "They are all warmongers, all they want to do is cause trouble" and the list goes on. For the most part, from what I've seen it seems that at first they blamed the American voters because they voted him in again even though it was close, then the voting machine shit gave you guys some credit again. He still got in though and that makes it look like the American people are behind it and agree with it to the average person in the world. To others that read more into the whole thing with the election scams and all the other shit going on, they realize how bad the Americans are being taken for a ride. It's happening here too, our assholes follow the USA a bit, not so much now, but definately have bigtime in the past.. It's just election suicide to even act in anyway that you agree with George Bush.
Long story short.. They were pissed at you for re-electing him, and if you elect someone the same as him again a lot of the ones that still have respect for you will probably lose it. Now if you can impeach him and throw him in fuckin jail it'd be a good start to saying to the rest of the world that you won't be taking this shit and that you really do care about what's going on.

Sadly, even though that should be true, it isn't. Look at Stephen Harper. :evilfrown:

BTW, when do you guys get rid of him?

I don't want a rock star. I want a wise, thoughtful and courageous leader. I'm hoping he is the latter.

might I suggest Ted Nugent?
heheheheheh

This house:

in the background that we don't know about? Obama could be more popular than any candidate in history and still lose because of fraud. Let's face it, if McBush wins that's beyond proof positive.

We're still baffled by the LAST election.

I think this says it all:

...is what it'll know if McLame gets in...

There is no WAY that Grandpa McBush gets in legitimately in November...

I mean "the well informed world", of course, since the beliefs of the uninformed are simply plastic.

That fact became clear almost immediately he was elected. Facts speak for themselves. Bush has had a very low public opinion rating worldwide, on a country by country basis, for a long time - and those with a low opinion of Bush have had the same long time to watch Bush in action.

Bush is a front man for an extemist ideology. That's a well-documented fact.
Getting rid of Bush, of the Bush admin, doesn't get rid of the ideology.

I think a lot of people in the more informed world community question to what extent there's understanding *within the US* that the neocon ideology that's been plundering the world "eats its own". To what extent all people, even "free" citizens of the US, are in danger. Personally, I don't have much hope for the right kind of change in US politics and policies if the general body politic of the US continues assenting to a neocon framing which contradicts the reality of who is being hurt, who is being terrorized, and for what end.

If Obama loses I'm takin' it out on one of my RW relatives. McSame will get someone in my family hurt if elected.

... http://www.sorryeverybody.com/