BS: US Election votes for the rest of us

Subject: BS: US Election votes for the rest of us
From: Stu
Date: 22 Sep 04 - 10:57 AM

It has been commented in several threads how great it would be for the rest of us to be able vote in the US election as the results have consequences for all of us hapless sods who don't live in the states.

Well, try this:

US Election for the Rest of the World

You have the right!

Subject: RE: BS: US Election votes for the rest of us
From: GUEST,Jon
Date: 22 Sep 04 - 11:03 AM

Oh well I have voted and gone for someone I'd not heard of - Dennis J. Kucinich.

Subject: RE: BS: US Election votes for the rest of us
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 22 Sep 04 - 01:31 PM

Today's Guardian had a piece about this - Still no votes in Leipzig by Jonathan Freedland - and included a mention of a poll recently carried out in various European countries by Harris Interactive (HI Europe) which indicates that Bush would be lucky to keep his deposit if he had to depend on our votes over here. (I know candidates in the USA don't actually have deposits they forfeit if they score a derisory vote - it's an expression, because that's how it works here in UK parliamentary elections).

Anyway, here is a link to the HI Europe site, with the figures from that poll. So, overall, Bush scores 9%, and Kerry gets 56%, when people were asked who they would vote for. And when it comes to predicting the result, 62% thought Kerry would win, and only 16% thought it would be Bush.

Still, as Jonathan Freedland put it in his article "You would think those numbers would hurt Bush, making clear how unpopular he is in the world. But they don't. If anything they hurt Kerry, suggesting he is the candidate of limp-wristed foreigners and therefore somehow less American." And that is in spite of a Declaration of Independence that put great store by "decent respect to the opinions of mankind".

Subject: RE: BS: US Election votes for the rest of us
From: GUEST,heric
Date: 22 Sep 04 - 05:25 PM

"Decent respect only required a thoughtful explanation of American reasons, not slavish obsequiousness to the opinion of others."

decent respect

Jefferson said that the Declaration was intended to "place before mankind the common sense of the subject, in terms so plain and firm as to command their assent, and to justify ourselves in the independent stand we are compelled to take."

Subject: RE: BS: US Election votes for the rest of us
From: Bill D
Date: 22 Sep 04 - 05:40 PM

well, I see Bush is getting 100% of the vote in Qatar, Barbados, Oman, Panama and Uganda! The RNC will call it a trend!

funny, the result overall is just about how I think it should go!

Subject: RE: BS: US Election votes for the rest of us
From: GUEST
Date: 22 Sep 04 - 05:51 PM

And it's probably indicative of how the rest of the world thinks it should go. Hopefully the USA electorate will show more sense than the lunatic they voted in last time.

Subject: RE: BS: US Election votes for the rest of us
From: GUEST,Claymore
Date: 22 Sep 04 - 06:18 PM

GUEST,

As one who is voting for Bush, I must puckishly point out that the majority of Americans voted for Gore, though Bush got the electorial count. And considering Gore's ringing endosement of Clintons behavior in office, I must totally agree with you.

Subject: RE: BS: US Election votes for the rest of us
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 22 Sep 04 - 06:38 PM

Surely the majority of Americans didn't vote for either Bush or Gore. More of those who did vote voted for Gore than Bush of course, but that's another matter.

Subject: RE: BS: US Election votes for the rest of us
From: Chris Green
Date: 22 Sep 04 - 06:48 PM

Interestingly, in the countries that make up the "Coalition of the Willing", Bush doesn't appear to be doing too well, to say the least.

Subject: RE: BS: US Election votes for the rest of us
From: Metchosin
Date: 22 Sep 04 - 06:59 PM

Uganda seems to want him. Think there's any chance he might be proclaimed president in the next coup there?

Subject: RE: BS: US Election votes for the rest of us
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 22 Sep 04 - 07:12 PM

You mean the one person from Uganda who voted in that site stigweard linked to voted for Bush? And the same happened in Oman and Qatar. 100% in three countries, and all it took was three votes...

Subject: RE: BS: US Election votes for the rest of us
From: Metchosin
Date: 22 Sep 04 - 07:15 PM

well, all it took was a very few votes to get him proclaimed in the US too. LOL. Think there's a lot of the average folk with computers in Uganda?

Subject: RE: BS: US Election votes for the rest of us
From: Chris Green
Date: 22 Sep 04 - 07:15 PM

Ah! If only life were like that...

Subject: RE: BS: US Election votes for the rest of us
From: beardedbruce
Date: 22 Sep 04 - 08:27 PM

And China splits evenly between Nader and Bush- so if this were a truely representative vote, they would be the viable candidates.