Why Europe thinks that they like Obama
Over at the AtlanticBlog, William Sjostrom has a useful post trying to explain why Obama is so popular in Europe. The bottom line is that what makes him popular in Europe should hopefully make him less popular in the US. He quotes one European newspaper making this point:
This, of course, is Europe's favorite dream: a post-Bush America cut down to size and chastened, a meeker and more modest America, a more "European" (that is, a more social-democratic) America, which at last casts off some of its nastier capitalist habits. An America that is a lot more like us Europeans who have forgone power politics and sovereignty in favor of communitarian politics and integration. . . .
Labels: Obama
posted by John Lott at 6:10 AM
2 Comments:
I have to say that as a Brit I do not agree with the below quoted statements for the following reasons:
"This, of course, is Europe's favorite dream"
Not my favourite dream, my favourite would would involve a Europe that is not thought of as some monolithic collective but as a compendium of individuals and a variety of nations whose sovereignty should be respected and not derided.
"a post-Bush America cut down to size and chastened, a meeker and more modest America"
This is a ridiculous statement. Cut down to size, by whom? For what reason? To what end? Chastened? As in chastize, like a naughty child. The meek and modest part almost sounds like the begining of an arguement for isolationism, surely a bad idea unless its thought the Balkans would've sorted themselves out peacefully in lieu of America intervention not to mention North/South Korea, WW1/2, Afganistan and Iraq.
"a more "European" (that is, a more social-democratic) America, which at last casts off some of its nastier capitalist habits"
"European" How could America be more European surely this is like asking a woman to be more like a man or a black person more white, again this is risible. The nonesense about nasty capitalist habits and social democracy sounds like some Marxist screed against the decadent west.
"An America that is a lot more like us Europeans who have forgone power politics and sovereignty in favor of communitarian politics and integration"
See how sovereignty is held in the same regard as barbarity, like something all right minded people aim to rid themselves of. "Communitarian politics" is this like communism or does it just sound like it? All in all this whole piece could be summed up as capitalism is evil and America as the ultimate capialist state is the most evil, great satan anyone? Whereas Europe with its advanced blend of Communism and Socialism is nigh on perfect despite what you read in the papers.
Thanks, Rick M, well, it was from a German newspaper. I wish that there were a few more people such as you in the rest of Europe.
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