Why do you think the decision is so clear for the citizens of other nations, when Americans seem to be struggl?

Question

10 foreign countries were polled about the U.S. election, and Obama won 9 out of 10 of them.

Here is a quote from and 52 year old English woman, "I don't know what the problem is. I tell my children not to call the Americans stupid, but its hard. This shouldnt be a tough decision at all."

sorry but i'm not writing all the details. I saw this in my moring newspaper. Opinions?

Answer 1

People outside of America aren't subjected to white-house controlled media. Their news tells them what's really going on, so of course they'll want Obama.



P.S. I'm making this statement based off facts. The white house was PROVEN to be providing FOX news with scripts about a month ago. It is being handled slowly in court due to the economic crisis and presidential election, so I doubt any punishment for this major crime will happen. I know it may be hard to believe the white house would do this, so if you don't believe me, feel free to look it up. Just google it or watch it on youtube.



Anyway, this is why I think all other countries are much more inclined to choose Obama. They are seeing things for what they are, not what the Republican-controlled media wants them to believe like in America.

Answer 2

The United States is weighted down w/ many factors that prevent citizens from making simple choices.



Our feelings about slavery continue to this day. No matter which of the many sides of this issue one is on, it plays a large part in this particular election. Most other countries do not have this baggage to contend with. Persons of other than European descent are not regarded as being materially different from those who are.



We are being sandbagged by the extreme religious Right, the NRA and the gun issue, the fact that there are movements here that are so much more powerful than common sense.



We are not stupid. It is a very complex situation.



We also do not have the ability to vote directly for our national leaders. The Electoral College prevents the popular vote from having the weight it might have.



Our system of national government is "winner takes all", where some other countries' systems allow for the minority to have a meaningful role to play after elections are completed. This system produces sharp swings in political direction. It doesn't take very long at all for a different party President to change everything that a previous President has done.



We have one party that is determined to win at any cost, including circumventing the founding documents of our law.



We have another party that seems to be trying to "reach across the aisle" to work w/ the other party, never noticing that other party doesn't want to work w/ anybody else.



Our system of lobbiests permits organizations controlling vast sums of money to sway the performances of politicians, up to and including whether or not they can get elected.



There is a lot to decry in America.

Answer 3

voters of each interior sight u . s . a . interior u.s. are immediately claimed by skill of the rustic as voters. maximum carry twin citizenship of their interior sight international locations and u . s . a . citizenship. I have not any concept the place different individuals have become their suggestion. everyone born in the borders of the rustic is an american citizen. the only exceptions are while a individual comes to a decision to no longer settle for being claimed by skill of the rustic as one in all theirs. interior sight individuals are unfastened to realize this even however this is their selection.

Answer 4

Agenda, Dearie, so of course they love Obama, seeing as how one of his 'plans' is to dole out money from your pocket to 'deserving' people around the world. Who wouldn't want him to win? Well, who outside America?

I can't imagine why one would want to elect a first-term Senator who has done nothing off the party line, has no actual apparent plans for the betterment of our country, was raised Muslim no matter what he claims to believe today, and has been attending not one but two supposedly Christian churches whose pastors are not only violently racist, but anti-American. Who in their right mind would vote for this faker?

And why should we poll anyone outside the country on OUR President? Frankly, from what I've observed about these out-of-country polls--which are ignorant to begin with--the candidate they most often favor is the weaker one. In a word, the ones most likely to do nothing, or at least nothing FOR the Americans they were elected to serve. Which is emphatically not the point of the Presidency.

What is this idiocy about World Citizenry, anyway? We are not Citizens of the World, we're Americans and, despite what all the libs keep yelling at you, nobody wants us. They'd like to have what we have, but would just as soon do without us. Don't kid yourself that the rest of the world has any fellow-feeling for us. They might not hate us as much as the Muslims, but they don't love us either. Maybe our money...but that's as far as it goes. Why should you look for guidance to a parcel of envious foreigners?

Just think about it.

Answer 5

Corporate owned media................



The fairness doctrine remains just beneath the surface of concerns over broadcasting and cablecasting, and some members of congress continue to threaten to pass it into legislation. Currently, however, there is no required balance of controversial issues as mandated by the fairness doctrine. The public relies instead on the judgment of broadcast journalists and its own reasoning ability to sort out one-sided or distorted coverage of an issue. Indeed, experience over the past several years since the demise of the doctrine shows that broadcasters can and do provide substantial coverage of controversial issues of public importance in their communities, including contrasting viewpoints, through news, public affairs, public service, interactive and special programming.

Answer 6

Personally, if 9 out of 10 foreign countries polled have stated they want Obama as the next U.S. President, that gives me as a U.S. citizen even more reason to not want Obama to become the next President. I mean, obviously other countries are not going to have our best interests in mind when they express their opinions as to who should be our next leader. Other countries want someone in the White House that they can push around so they can resume with their attacks.

Answer 7

Other countries aren't in the grips of the spin machine Americans are. If Americans were to get the same news, the choice would be more clear. Unfortunately, we got the right running the media, so its a little skewed here.

Answer 8

Sam Harris has written a very good article on how Americans seem to want someone average running their country instead of having someone who has a clue what they are doing.



He does a very good job at describing why it is USians can't see the obvious fact that voting Republican would be an extremely stupid thing to do.

Answer 9

Because other nations view the decision thru their socialist prism! Thankfully America hasn't yet stooped to that level, despite the best plans of the liberal media to pull us into the abyss!



Peace

Answer 10

I'm going to give you the answer you DON'T want to hear. Simply put, foreigners are shockingly ignorant about what is really happening in the U.S. They think they are sophisticated and savvy, but all they know is what the very biased and very Liberal press spoon feeds to them.



I should know; I moved to Europe two years ago. The constant diet of BBC World and CNN is sickening; they have no idea what's really going on. They only get a very one-sided view, with contradictory information conveniently omitted.



Regarding your quote from Britain, let me counter with one from Ireland: "They have a choice between a nice old war veteran, with a younger wife owns a beer factory. What exactly could they vote against here?" As you can see, the Irish have wit.



When I speak to my European friends about American politics, it is like living in the Twilight Zone. It's like they've all been programmed by the same evil, mad scientist. You have no idea the real power of the press to influence people until you've witnessed first hand what happens when they literally only get one viewpoint their entire lives.



Another issue we are dealing with here is race. Europeans love to talk big about being so egalitarian, however I don't see France coming up with a Black or a Muslim candidate. The truth is, black is cool nowadays. Kids want to emulate the hip-hop, rapper culture. It's endemic. Hence, you immediately get lauded with being a progressive, enlightened thinker if you endorse a black candidate.



That is the plain, unvarnished truth. I'm confident you can handle it.

Answer 11

Yuck! I find it totally embarassing and maddening that American citizens would be so egotistical and arrogant to say, "Who cares what other countries think?". You obviously have no understanding of how world politics works and how crucial it is that we continue to have ALLIES. You are like the bully on the playground who thinks he rules when he has all his buddies to back him up, but what happens when the bully picks yet another fight and all the friends just go home?? Bully is exposed and gets his a$$ whipped!!! It is crucial that we have a president who can effectively work with leaders of other countries. McCAIN wants to continue the Bush style of politics with more war and profits for the rich exec's while the core of this country crumbles around us. It will be a tough challenge for Obama to work to rid the perception that America is about ignorant war-happy politics. Thankfully he is up to the job.

Answer 12

I do not trust either of the candidates. However, my neutral ground is shaking after watching this interview. Guess which side am I shifting?

Answer 13

It is pretty simple. Our news media is very bad. Complex issues are rarely addressed or addressed very superficially and there is a TV network, Fox News, where blatant propaganda and lies are reported as news. Americans don't see half of what goes on in their own country because it is not reported as it is in the UK, or Europe. Instead the news focuses on celebrities, sports and light weight odd news.



Americans look stupid because they have been deliberately dumbed down not to think critically for themselves or ask good questions of their leaders and of their news by their educational system which does not teach civics, world history or even an unbiased history of the USA. It is all designed to make us hyper patriotic and uninterested in the rest of the world and to promote the agenda of the right wing who use fear and religion to fool half of the people most of the time.

Answer 14

Citizens of other nations are jealous of Americas' power standing. They want to weaken the U.S. and the perfect man for that job is Sen. Obama. Why do so many foreigners care about our countries politics anyway? I think you have your own problems to deal with. How much do you pay in taxes to the queen who does nothing? Its a good thing rational Americans care about their own country over the global popularity contest.



Were Americans stupid in WWII?

Answer 15

Americans are focusing on petty rivalries. Those abroad can see what it will mean if Obama is elected. We are blind. The dollar will strengthen. Fewer countries will see us as their enemy.



To elect McCain is to be stupid.



How can we presume to be the world's leader and live in comptete disregard to how the world sees us?

Answer 16

Simple.. most other nations have lived under the yolk of socialism their whole lives and don't really understand the concept of Liberity and self determination. They are quite content for their government to tell them what to do in *any* situation.. that's why they favor Obama so much. They recognize a far left Liberal when they see one and know him as one of their own. Americans are still far less sure about selling their soul for a little Nanny State Security...

Answer 17

What is really scary is that you would think for one moment any of these countries have our best interest at heart.



Here you go try this...



I want you to go to every neighbor you have and have them tell you how to live your life.



Now that would be stupid. We are America, we are independent, we are free. Good, Bad, Ugly... we are who we are and I am proud of it.

Answer 18

You have to understand.. almost 47% of our population in the US thinks the world is less than 10,000 years old.. They actually think life was similar to the Flintstones. I think it is like 75% believe that angels walk amongst us.. They are gullible, and easily manipulated by their religious leaders. If you grab an atlas, and ask an average American where Chad is located, they would not have a clue.



We are a country filled with the uneducated, and easily manipulated. They are proud to be this way, they think that the candidates who are in favor of their religion are the way to go.



That is why McCain and Palin have an overwhelming amount of supporters.

Answer 19

its easy to make a decision when you don't have to deal with the consequences LOL

Answer 20

Those ten other countries don't elect the President of the USA. The USA does.

I, for one, am not going to give up on American Exceptionalism for the cause of fair weathered friends.

Answer 21

Everyone is just going to say, This is America! Who cares what the world thinks of us, we do things our way.



And look at what that has given us. The rest of the world used to love America, our culture, our people. Now the rest of the world sees us for the bully we have become. This world is becoming more dependant on globalization all the time. So if the rest of the world hates us? Our currency will be devalued even more. Foreign money will go farther in the USA, so more foreigners will buy up the USA.



You just might get someone from Europe as your new neighbor when they buy a summer home.

Answer 22

Since they are not eligible to vote, I hardly think their opinions count for anything. And how would you evaluate a foreign opinion poll anyway?Many of those countries are socialist, so naturally they think Obama is right. Next China will approve of him, because he is more like them than us.

Answer 23

We fought hard for our Independence, and the next time those third world countries are sitting there waiting for their foreign aid check, or their medical supplies from this stupid world leader, think again.

Answer 24

I have to agree with Jame Gumb on this one. Classic example of why other countries look at us as a***holes. Answers like these.



And I personally think Obama wanting us to stop being "enemies" and with SO many other countries is a GOOD thing.



Answers like some of these are an embarrassment.

Answer 25

it`s a very important election at a criticial time for our country.

it might hurt Obama that foreign countries want him as prez,

they would love to see america take another hit.

Answer 26

What was the country that McCain won? I'm guessing Israel.



Not all Americans are stupid, but we have a fairly large fraction of evangelical right-wing christians that have too much political power.

Answer 27

Well a decision can seem very "black and white" (forgive the pun) if you're not the one making it.



While I'm on the topic of race, Do you believe that OJ Simpson killed Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman?? Don't lie to me BTW I'm not stupid and I hate liars.

Answer 28

do not forget, while there are plenty of thinking Americans, this is also the land of Timothy McVeigh and Ollie North. Sarah Palin herself represents a strain of reactionary, anti-intellectual, xenophobic zealotry that runs very deep in some places, and remains a significant current in other areas as well. There are a scary number of people who actually think that Jesus spoke English.

Answer 29

Regardless of how well-informed someone living in another country may be, I really have little regard for their views on our elections.

Answer 30

Last week I attended a lecture by Derek Shearer, a former US ambassador and foreign policy advisor to Al Gore. Afterwards he chatted with some of us, and said that the main reason Bush was elected was because during head-to-heads with Gore, he came across as a regular guy, someone you could have a beer with. It didn't matter that he had the IQ of a carrot, he was "one of us", and Gore was all clever and talked like a politician, using big words and stuff. So with a voting population THAT stupid, the reason for your question is revealed.

Answer 31

They do it because of our standing in the world. when Bush lead us into Iraq Because of WMD and there wasen't any it made us no differant than what Russia did

Answer 32

That 52 year old English men is ignorant

Answer 33

Because when it comes to liberal media hype, Europeans are even more gullible than we Americans are.



If the liberal media weren't so solidly behind Obama -- if they were actually objective about the whole thing -- he'd be several points behind McCain in the polls. Maybe even double digits.



I predict that, if Obama is elected, within 2 years he will be at least as unpopular as Bush.



That will be the result of broken promises, attempts to foist radical leftism on America, and the reality that this inexperienced "leader" is in over his head.



.

Answer 34

Well, why don't they move here, apply for citizenship and vote?

Answer 35

I live in Italy and most Italians here can't understand why we waste our time w/ mccain, he's the same as bush as far as they're concerned. But then again, they're not voting, so their opinions don't count.

Answer 36

Europeans cannot understand why Americans vote against their own best interests. Bush is an embarrassment. For example when he walked behind Angela Merkle, Chancellor of Germany, and began to rub her shoulders at a meeting.

Answer 37

Most likely because there are 1.5 billion Muslims in the world who would love to see Obama elected.



Fortunately, the majority of Americans know what's right for our country and will get McCain elected.

Answer 38

I guess it's strange that we care what a person who lives in a country that has a Queen (and a "Royal Family"), says about our politics. Perhaps we should find out who Osama Bin Laden endorses?

Answer 39

Because he'd send more of our money to the rest of the world, that we earn, and that is no skin off of their nose.



Also, I think they look at this more superficially, since they don't actually need to research a vote. They don't know how many times he has said pretty words and yet done the opposite (Iraq funding bill votes, vote for the Patriot Act, vote for FISA, pretence of noninterventionist stance but being so for building the fight in Afghanistan he actually forced MCCAIN to support a build up of troops there....)

Answer 40

They don't live here they see only what the news media puts out. It's always easy to tell someone else what to do when you are not the one living with it.

Answer 41

I cannot imagine anyone in their right mind vote for the same policies as Bush (McCain), I mean are Rep. deaf, dumb, and blind. I used to be a Rep. and now voting for Obama.

Answer 42

They don't care about America.

Answer 43

Instead of calling Americans stupid because we don't all subscribe to the world's and your ideology, you should go live with them -- instead of trying to change us. I think you'd fit in well with those who insult others if they don't agree with you. You seem to think that's an appropriate way to act.



And you see the same ugly intolerance from the Democrats that are posting. I experienced the same thing as "[e-mail]" and these young Americans who insult their fellow Americans think they know everything there is to know without having ever left our borders.

Answer 44

Because America is a racist nation.



This country would rather put a warmonger and a know-nothing into office than vote for a brilliant man of color.



And trust me, should McCain and Palin get in, we will be the laughingstock of the world.



And America's standing will plummet even further in the eyes of other nations.

Answer 45

Should we (Americans), really be all that concerned with what a 52 year old English woman thinks about The United States?

Answer 46

actually, that's almost enough of a reason for me to vote for McCain.

Answer 47

Europe Hates America so it is Natural that they would pick a Bad Candidate like Obama

Answer 48

Of Course they did! They want America to FAIL! They hate us being a strong great country when they are not. People are getting so selfish these days - jealousy controls them.

Its like when your best friend buys a beautiful purse or gets a beautiful house - Do you feel happy for that person- or just wish You had what she has? - This is how most minds are being developed these days- selfishness!

Answer 49

I don't understand why you think all these nonAmericans want the best for our country. ?????????? That English woman is typical of Brits, they do let their children spew bigotry and call Americans stupid. If they spew hatred at people just because they have a different opinion than themselves, they're the problem, not us.

Answer 50

Thats one of the main reasons I cannot stand Obama.....He has also been endorsed by ALL of our enemies too, what does that tell you?

Answer 51

Because they want to see America fail and they want the weakest President. All 57 Muslim states want Obama.

Answer 52

I'm sick of that argument, let me explain it to you. They Dont live here, we do. If they become american citizens, then what they think will matter, until then It doesn't.