More on those “bitter” Americans and the election
Mark Steyn weighs in on the bitter Americans controversy:
61 percent of Americans were optimistic about the future, 29 percent of the French, 15 percent of Germans. Take it from a foreigner: In my experience, Americans are the least “bitter” people in the developed world. Secular, gun-free big-government Europe doesn’t seem to have done anything for people’s happiness. Consider by way of example the words of Keith Reade. He’s not an Obama speechwriter, he’s a writer for the London Daily Mirror. And the day after the 2004 presidential election he expressed his frustration in an alarmingly Obamaesque way:
“Were I a Kerry voter, though, I’d feel deep anger, not only at them returning Bush to power, but for allowing the outside world to lump us all into the same category of moronic muppets. The self-righteous, gun totin’, military lovin’, sister marryin’, abortion hatin’, gay loathin’, foreigner despisin’, nonpassport ownin’ rednecks, who believe God gave America the biggest d*** in the world so it could urinate on the rest of us and make their land ‘free and strong.’” Well, that’s certainly why I supported Bush, but I’m not sure it entirely accounts for the other 62,039,073 incontinent rednecks.
Bob Herbert sees some of the same issues in play, though from a different perspective: “Mr. Obama is allowing the Clintons and the news media to craft a damaging persona of him as some kind of weak-kneed brother from another planet, out of touch with mainstream America, and perhaps a loser…The Democrats are doing everything they can to blow this presidential election.” We’ll have to see about that.
April 20th, 2008 at 9:27 am
The Europeans have many reasons to feel bitter.
Before all this financial crisis works its way through the financial markets, the EU will have sustained near mortal blows. Look at the financial pressures within Europe that will cause the Mediterranean countries to seriously consider floating their own currencies so they can inflate their way out of their problems.
Look at how England is beginning to question the EU’s immigration policies. The UK is the sandwich meat stuck between the US and EU buns. Once this financial crisis blows through, UK prestige will be impaired.
French and German banks are taking their hits because of their involvement in the US mortgage feast. Why were they there? Did it seem to be low hanging fruit or easy money? Can they contribute as an engine of growth for the world?
As in television, you likely want to talk about an imaginary story line where the actors are worse off than you are. It’s a nice distraction… just like the messy’anic vigor of Obama.