Sandy Fox, in Derbyshire, appropriately dismissed an American bragging on us exercising our rights to democratically choose a leader:
And look who you picked last time!!!
Someone calling themselves "gin and tonic please" doesn't like Bush either:
The next Pesident can only be better than Bush.
(Even if they stick a pin at random in the phonebook to choose him/her.)
And from "rudy":
it's a race to decide who the british goverment will follow blindly for the next 4 years
This from Gary Chiles in New Zealand, more pointed still:
Being bombed by a woman President or being bombed by a black President is a novelty for the rest of the world, for about two seconds.
Being bombed is being bombed, you still end up dead.
Wake me up when America elects pacifist atheist poor person as President.
THAT would be real news.
And perhaps because of what happened in 2004, Emma in London is skeptical:
Barack Obama seems the most sensible to me, young, fresh, intelligent and reasonably honerable, although my distain for the US 'glitze and glamour' campaign style leaves me feeling rather cold. But am sure some old, white, religious, war-loving conservative will get the job and drop us all into deeper in to the proverbial doo doo!!!!
And some wag responded to a Ron Paul fan:
And RuPaul would add sparkle to an otherwise dull campaign.
Marvin in Steppingley perhaps yearns for a little RuPaul sparkle himself:
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
Oh, just how boring can television be?
American politics? Wake me up when it's over!
Blah blah blah blah.....
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
Is this our own Daily Kos Welshman? Somebody's Welshman anyhow, called Owain Glyndwr:
Our own politicians are a waste of space and the same goes for the US equivalent. Snouts in the trough and me,me,me.........stick the lot of them on a rocket and send them to Pluto.
I wonder who Shaun Dougherty, based in Dubai, is voting for as an American Abroad?
I hear a lot of complaints about the deluge of Primary news hitting the rest of the world and, let me say, I am sympathetic. However, this should be of great interest to a lot of people, as errant foreign policy over the last 7 years has had an enormous and negative impact on the rest of the world. This is an excellent time for all of you to shout that you've had enough, and to support a regime change - as GW Bush calls it - back in the States. There's still an opportunity to fuel momentum.
Thomas, in Ontario Canada, asks a question I wonder about myself:
Another fascinating aspect of this primary competition is the fact that not one candidate needs to mention environment and climate to get ellected. And no one in public or the media asks about it. Why is that?
Another American weighs in, one who seems to still like Dubya:
I intend to vote for whomever is best at ignoring whiny foreigners.
Tony Spencer in St Remy de Provence, France, apparently missed that some of the best coverage of 2004 election problems was Greg Palast, who did work for the BBC. Nonetheless, he may have a point:
I am very surprised the BBC has carried no reports of the many countryside fiascos of voter machine performance and failures as reported in US TV, in blogs, videos, news articles. This is not smooth at all...
I think the Republicans will get in again because they will rig the election with these hackable no audit trail machines...
From Clive in Hampshire:
The US elections are bizarre. Is anyone actually voting on anything or is anyone really being elected ? It seems to go on for months and at the end is decided by whoever has the biggest campaign budget. No doubt the US will get the president it deserves.
rjimmer, in Weymouth is thinking about the bigger picture, and probably has a point:
Whoever wins, they have to come to terms with the fact the the US may not be the World's economic powerhouse for much longer.
Someone from Cardiff (another Welshman!):
I have to say this McCain fella scares me quite a bit as he seems reminiscent of George Bush Jr. Shouldn't he be enjoying his retirement by now? I certainly would be! What made me laugh was the BBC interviewing someone in NY and the said "America is a multi-cultural beacon of fairness and modern values, but I don't think we are ready for a woman or black president"
Tony Harrison, also a Brit, doesn't much like McCain either:
Is this the same John McCain who was recently seen singing "Bomb bomb bomb, bomb bomb Iran" to the tune of The Beach Boys "Barbara Ann" at a show for the army and beleives that the Vietnam war could have been won if only the Americans had just fought harder?
Like 3 million dead Vietnamese wasn't hard enough?
Here's a Londoner with little love for Huckabee:
Mick Huckabee would have gotten my vote were I a US voter . The title of his 4th book "Quit Digging Your Grave With A Knife and Fork." would have clinched it for me on its own. Here is a man who was so fat that he could barely stand up, who believes that evolution is bunk, homosexuality is akin to bestiality and that the Constitution needs to be changed so that it is more in line with the Word of God. God help America that he has already come this far in the race for the White House.
Just what amounts to a prayer, from Nigeria:
pls let americans VOTE for obama
Some sardonic Brits:
- The majority nof Americans could not give a hoot about what goes on beyond US borders, so why should I give a .... about what happens over there?
- It's not a matter of being insular, or that I regard the choosing of candidates to be unimportant, but the level of hype is way too high. I can scarcely contain my disinterest in this overblown and tedious process. Let me know the new President's details when we have them.
- The BBC creates a front page that makes it seem as though we are a US state and the election is occurring here. The US is yesterdays country. If anything, we should be more worried about what is going on in places like China.
- A country with 300 million people, the best education system in the world, and these are the people who rise to the top of the pile? Wow, what a choice.
That last one is maybe overestimating the quality of American education? "I can scarcely contain my disinterest" is the kind of comment that assures I will always be at least somewhat of an Anglophile.
Ed Carten in London counters the "I'm sick of hearing about it" remarks:
The outcome of the elections will almost certainly determine the future of the world as we know it. In the democratic West, it is imperative to know who our next unelected leader will be.
Nigel Collins from Brighton has been paying attention:
The best democracy that money can buy. Shameful amounts of cash spent by multi millionaire candidates whilst their own citizens go without healthcare.
Tom Bombadil of Oxfordshire has sage counsel for us Americans:
Elect the wrong leader and we could slide into a world of increasing conlict between politico/religious blocks with Jihads, Crusades and the use of mass weapons.
Please choose wisely, this election is not a game it is very serious for everyone.
Paul Robinson of London expresses a similar, sobering sentiment:
Absolutely; it is entirely your business. All the rest of the world asks is that you are aware of the enormous power and influence of your country over the lives of billions of people around the world and choose wisely.
And here's an exchange - imagine! Someone from (axis of evil) Iran expressed an opinion. Since it's from Iran, we get kneejerk opposition from a Republican. Sigh:
however personally prefer Democrats to win the election than Republican, as I think US need some changes. (Tehran, Iran)
This is why I vote Republican!! (David, Atlanta)
David, we got that - Just because the guy is from Iran does not mean he is Evil. Unfortunately Republicans never knew that. for you lot it has been always black and white. (paul ignatius)
Andy Pearson in Leicester asks:
If, as has been suggested, the US elections have a direct and profound impact on my everyday life, how come I don’t get a vote?
Something in the water at Leamington Spa? Russ Higgins has the right idea:
I don't really care frankly but it’ll be a day of relief for everyone when they get that megalomaniac Bush out of the White House. The world will be a safer place once he is.
And v dornheim of naphill doesn't think much of the presumptive Republican nominee:
Sounds like John McCain is another person who wouldn't care if a few thousand or ten thousand non-Americans die for his prestige. Could America please stop promoting people who have no idea of human values and no respect for anybody but themselves and their croonies? It would be so nice ...
But they have wingnut nitwits in the UK, too. This from potato lord in Cardiff:
It's just a shame George Bush can't stand again. Only history will show him to have been one of the Greatest American Presidents.
From the Caribbean (St. Vincent & the Grenadines) Suzette Lewis says:
I think Obama should win the Democratic race to the white house. He defintely has more appeal than Clinton. She will just be the mouth piece to Bill Clinton as President. She speaks about experience as if being first lady counts, if that had count then she already had her two terms in office. She is a senator and so is Obama. America need a change and Obama is the best man for the job. He will bring new ways to the table instead of Bill Clinton's old tatics of the 90s.He will unite America
She's got a point, perhaps. If being First Lady counts as experience, then Hillary maybe has already had her turn?
And, there will always be an England, at least if ML in London gets his/her way:
The Americans can keep their politics: can we have our Britishness back please?
In that vein, we'll give the last word to Hamish MacGlobbie:
Doesn't it make you grateful that our Head of State is Queen Elizabeth?
So, just a patchwork of remarks from across the pond.
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