The World Watches Election Results

"America is electing a new president, but for the Germans, for Europeans, it is electing the next world leader," said Alexander Rahr, director of the German Council on Foreign Relations. (Associated Press, November 4, 2008)

Do you ever wonder what the world is thinking about this election?

Here is a quote from The Times online(UK):

...........................Barack Obama goes into today’s vote with the overwhelming backing of the world beyond America’s borders in a presidential race that has gripped audiences like no election before.

The rest of this article is called:

US elections: the world has no vote but it knows who it wants

Kenya -- Obama's Kenyan home ready to party

United Kingdom -- Barack Obama's grandmother cast ballot in one of her final acts


UK Reporting on Kenya:


An everyday quotation from Kenyan writer, Sebastien Berger in Kisumu, for the Telegraph.uk in Britain highlights, I think, the hope that Obama brings to people all over the world:
"

In a printing shop in Kisumu, the capital of Senator Obama's ancestral home province in Kenya, Jumah George had no doubts about the election result even before the polls opened. He had brought in a rugby shirt to have Mr Obama's image imposed on it. "I don't want it to say 'for president', I want it to be 'president'," he said.

China -by Zhao Yi, Ge Xiangwen, Hu Fang Americans turn out in droves to cast ballot

Austrailia - Sydney Daily News - A world of policy differences -- this is a different to read, more objective approach to evaluating differences between the candidates. I like this quotation:

Obama is disciplined, deliberate and cerebral. His
intellectual curiosity would be welcome after eight years of a president with
little patience for meetings, who interrupts those who brief him with lines such
as "speed it up - this isn't my first rodeo".

Asia One News: 8 reasons why Obama will win

India: The Times Of India America's finest hour: Regime change...in time, by vote this one has some interesting "information" that I have seen no where before -- but ends with this:

It still boggles the imagination -- that could soon be reality -- that the 44th US president may be an African-American son of a Kenyan exchange student.

Nigeria - by Bolaji Akinyemi - The Obama in us and the us in Obama

Ireland - Irish Bookmaker Pays Early on Obama Election Win - October 17th, it was so sure, they already paid the people who placed their bests on Obana! (One person placed a best more than $130,000!).

Netherlands - Dutch in Netherlands root for Obama

Facinating site: The Irish Betting site has dedicated a site to our American Elections -- I can't figure out how odds work. Right now the Presidential election (betting) is closed (looks like the odds were 1/20 when they closed and paid off in October). But you can still bet on Ohio, Missouri, Indiana -- and 13 others. You can bet on what time Mr. McCain will make his consession speech.

Animated McCain series......

McCain would call these "gotchas" we will just "Oh Sarah - say it isn't so..."

Cars - Planes - Houses, Condominiums......

Mainstreet USA - who can we relate to?

McCain cars = 13 -- 10 are American, 3 are Foreign. Some of which are: 2004 Cadillac; a 2008 Jeep Wrangler; a 2007 half-ton Ford pickup truck; a vintage 1960 Willys Jeep; 2007 Lexus; a 2000 Lincoln; and a 2001 GMC SUV; three electric called GEM's 2005; Volkswagen convertible and a 2001 Honda sedan. (Quote McCain to Detroit television station WXYZ-TV, "I've bought American literally all my life and I'm proud.").



McCain jets = 1 - Cessna Citation Excel, a midsize corporate jet that seats eight

McCain houses = 8 (4 are condos that may be rentals)



Obamas cars = 1 -- 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid.


Obama jets = 0


Obama houses = 1

McCain grew up the son of a successful military man (Admiral McCain) - went to West Point as a result - miltary pilot - worked for his wife Cindy's father for a little while -- then went to work for the Senete. Always had benefits (usually governmental), always had a preferential lifestyle. (Okay there was that 5 years in the POW camp -- )



Obama - absent father that provided no support, mother who put herself through college - grandparents who helped in his rearing. Scholarships and worked his way through college.

I think only Obama can relate to people I know.

Populist?

Lots of people on television seem to be calling McCain-Palin "populists" all of a sudden. Wow, this is not a term that I have seen used much in my lifetime. (60 years) This is something I studied in history regarding the beginning on the last century - "the elites" vs. "the people" - trade unions - railroad barons..... Big business, little people... , Hooverism vs. New Deal....

Now it is field dressing a moose? Now it is spouse that is a fisherman? Now it is a car pool, hockey mom ---- vs. the ____________________(fill in the blank).

The devil's own spawn, said - "She's a populist," Karl Rove on Fox TV.

Some talking head on CBS said she was a "populist" --

I might like someone -- my neighbor might like someone -- we might decide we both like someone for the same reason, we talk around and everyone seems facinated by the same person........ That does not mean that that person is a populist, it might mean that she is popular or even a curiosity.... but it does not mean she is a populist.

CBS local affiliate report on Troopergate in Alaska

She may be an *"Evil Doer"...........













*Did you ever think about the term "Evil Doer"? Do you think Bush was just told not to use the words "Bad Guy" and he put the word "bad" into his computer's thesaurus and came up with "evil" -- then added doer on his own?

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