2008 The Birth of the Global
posted by on November 5 at 10:40 AM
Until now, the global has been limited to economic events—the networking of markets, the circulation of money and commodities. What we saw last night, what made its appearance for the first time, was the global as a political event.
Germany was just a microcosm of what was going on across the globe. People from Australia to India, Brazil to Russia watched with bated breath as the returns came in. Never before had an American presidential election generated so much international interest; never before had the globe been so clear about who it wanted Americans to cast their vote for.
America elected Bush; the world elected Obama.
The world?
No, Americans worldwide elected Obama.
Non-citizens didn't vote in our elections, no matter what fear-mongering unpatriotic loonies in the Socialist Republicans tell you.
But we're glad to invite the world to our party!
The WORLD?!?! Really?? How many electoral votes does China carry? Is it a swing nation?
umm... we DIDN'T elect bush. remember?
America elected Obama,
the REAL America elected Obama.
don't let anyone say otherwise
@1 & 2
Are you guys trying to be funny or is metaphor a new concept for you?
@5 -Seriously. I don't get these people either.
@5 or is charles trying to write something that appears to have a deeper meaning but just sounds phony.
I'm with 1 & 2.
We deserved all the shit we got for electing Bush.
But we also deserve the credit for electing Obama. It's not every country where he could have succeeded, and America should be very proud. This is one of the few times in recent memory that we've actually provided the moral guidance that the Republicans are always blathering about.
When astronauts went to the moon, the world of science was charged and a new march towards innovation was launched. Watching human beings in space, flipped our fantasies out of perception and into reality.
Just as it was impossible for science to foresee the realization of space travel, our perception has told us that a person with dark skin would never lead America. But now we watch it and warm substance fills our cold contempt.
We base our existence on perception and our beliefs are formed from the marriage of hope and reality.
During the economic explosion a decade ago, many of us were already in recession. While lip service was paid to America’s standard of equality, many of us were being segregated. Since this country’s war for freedom, many have known no peace.
Recession, war, and racism now have a new foe. Unity.
I'm with 1 and 2 (& 8) too. We take and deserve the blame for Bush, but Obama's victory is ours too.
I had an email from a friend in Paris who is North African descended saying how much he wishes he was American today, that he thinks it will be "2 or 3 generations at least" before France elects a non-white president. This is such a proud American moment.
"America elected Bush; the world elected Obama." A fatuous sentence and sentiment indeed.
America and American's elected Obama as president last night and that is something we should take much pride in. The countries referenced in this post have for the most part not been able to rise above their own ethnic and racial strife to elect a person from traditionally marginalized segment of our population. India has not elected a Prime Minster from the untouchable cast, Australia has no prominent Aboriginal politicians, Russia is ruled by oligarchs that were schooled by the KGB, and Brazil, well Brazil does alright.
Hopefully the example we have set last night will spread to our friends and allies. Perhaps we will see a president of France with Algerian parents or a woman of Pakistani descent become PM of England.
My brother called from Germany, 5 AM local time, to congratulate us and ask how the parties were going. It was pretty cool.
I am a US citizen living in London who can attest to the idea of the world electing Obama.
I was part of an group of Obama supporters here in London, and was very impressed by the active participation of the many British members of the group. Two weeks before the election, we wrote postcards to undecided voters in Pennsylvania to urge them to vote for Obama. We also rallied for Obama at the Notting Hill Carnival this year, and last night, we held an election night party. In all of these activities, there were British participants who were integral to the activity's success.
I felt, when I completed my absentee ballot, that I was filling that circle for them every bit as much as I was for myself.
It's been wonderful to witness so many people who could not vote for Obama do what they could to help make it happen.
The world needs us to be it's hero again. Yes we can!
I'd love to hear follow up reports from those living abroad who wrote in about their experiences filling out their absentee ballots.
@11 you nailed it. The US has earned a well deserved reputation as a racist country, yet a majority of us rose above all that to elect a black man president. I'll be impressed with our western allies when Germany elects a Turk or Italy a Roma. Many European countries have a tradition of racism and class stratification every bit as bad as here.