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A Foreign Correspondent's View of U.S. Elections
October 31, 2008 7:11 AM
By EVA SOHLMAN, journalist and writer for the Swedish magazine Fokus, covering the U.S. elections
As the clock ticks down to Election Day, I wonder whether Americans realize just how eagerly – almost fervently – the rest of the world awaits the outcome of their vote.
My editor in Sweden summed it up when she urged me in my curtain raiser for the election not just to tell her who might win but what was America thinking and what were the various moods I'd found in my travels around the country.
As I see it, there is a dark cloud of uncertainty and worry hanging over this historic vote.
Americans know they will bring forth either their first black president or their first female vice president. They are also battling a financial crisis that threatens not only to wreak havoc on their livelihoods and the country’s standing in the world, but also to kill the American Dream.
Little wonder then that the entire world is watching this election far more closely than many of the past.
The writer Joan Didion depicts a country struck with a kind of blindness, or coma. “…We approach this election with no clear idea where bottom is: what damage has been done, what alliances have been formed and broken, what concealed reefs lie ahead,” she wrote in The New York Review of Books. “Whoever we elect president is about to find some of that out.”
My friend Joanne, a 62-year-old editor temporarily out of work, is one of thousands of middle-class Americans who are going through housing foreclosure. She observed that the country has woken up to a new reality and has moved from feeling rich to feeling poor. This identity crisis is a brutal and paralyzing experience. “It is like standing on a beach with a tsunami coming at you,” she said.
Joanne worries that many Americans do not yet appreciate how much they will have to change in order to get it back on track, especially when it comes to their culture of consumption and credit. “At this moment in time I see us as a bunch of astronauts floating idly in a little tin can lost in space, hoping for a miraculous happy ending.”
Grim words, I know, but it is a mood I have constantly run into as Americans seem to be seeking in this election not just to choose a new president but a happier, calmer and more optimistic future.
They want the American Dream back. And they want it back in this election.
“Growing up, you knew you could fulfill your dreams. Today, you don’t even know if you’ll be able to pay the utility bill,“ said Jim Edmunds, owner of the Stonewall bar in the small town of Winchester, Va.
So how do you avoid the feared scenario of the so-called American Century crumbling like the Roman Empire? And what will a future America look like if, and when, it weathers this financial and identity crisis?
Internationally, pundits agree the era of dominant superpowers is nearing its end as people and markets – nations – become increasingly interconnected in the "global village."
For a weakened America, whose political and economic credibility and clout have dwindled, this means an increased need to seek alliances and strategic partnerships. As China, India and Russia continue to grow and the issues become more complex, “there is a great opportunity for the U.S. to swallow a dose of humility and learn to listen,” Anne Marie Slaughter, the principal of Woodrow Wilson School, explained to me.
At home, the United States will have to sort out its markets and get better regulation, not necessarily more, financier George Soros concluded at a seminar on the financial crisis at Columbia University in New York last week.
One of the main problems, he agreed with economists Nouriel Roubini of New York University and Jeffrey Sachs of Columbia, was that the markets focused on surface appearances and did not recognize underlying reality. This superficiality appears to have become perhaps a common attitude in the wider American society.
While Americans are voting on their future, they are also voting on their past. A dark history of slavery and discrimination is being brought into clearer daylight. To move forward and into the 21st century, some intellectuals say, the country will now have to address the fact that even if a black American is elected president, equal opportunity still will not be a reality for all – especially for people with dark skin – and that America is in fact a class-based society.
Caryl Phillips, a Yale literature professor and writer, who writes about race, identity and belonging, concludes the "trickle-down" economy clearly hasn’t worked when 1 percent of the population sits on about a third of the country’s wealth. He says the country is still run by a white gentleman’s club that doesn’t represent what America looks like today.
“America is at a historical crossroads. But if she chooses the wrong way she could lose her soul,” he said.
Back to Joanne.
She sees an America where her 30-year-old daughter Kelly won’t have the same opportunities as she did in her youth. Although she has a law degree from an Ivy League university, Kelly can’t afford to buy a home. She is lucky to have a job. “I can see how I myself might end up like one of those old ladies on a park bench eating cat food,” Joanne said.
But, even in her grimmer moments, Joanne can still show a glimmer of that can-do American attitude that is still so admired and yearned for again around the world.
She believes something positive will come out of the financial crisis. She predicts Americans will become engaged again in their grass-roots community, just like in the '60s and '70s:
”I can see an America, which gets back to some of her core values. I can see people helping each other and sticking together when the going gets tough.”
Maybe she is right because it is one of the great things that have struck me about this country -- how it never stands still. Change and failure might be hard and uncomfortable, but as so often in the past, for Americans, they are often seen as something positive.
America should stick to that belief as it searches again for a new American Dream.
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October 31, 2008 in Guest | Permalink | User Comments (39)
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I completely agree - if this woman has not paid for her house by age 62 or is not close to that mark, then she has made some very bad business decisions. Lord willing, our house will be paid for by the time I am 62 (just 4 years to go). I understand the economy is bad simply because there were no regulations and oversight where they were needed but we are personally responsible for our own mess.
I also understand that there are times when circumstances throw us a curve and knock us off track but as Americans, we can get back up and move on with the help of family and not so much the government.
We do live in a global economy but based on that information; we do not need to turn America towards socialism!
Posted by: Darlene | Oct 31, 2008 11:00:59 AM
I completely agree - if this woman has not paid for her house by age 62 or is not close to that mark, then she has made some very bad business decisions. Lord willing, our house will be paid for by the time I am 62 (just 4 years to go). I understand the economy is bad simply because there were no regulations and oversight where they were needed but we are personally responsible for our own mess.
I also understand that there are times when circumstances throw us a curve and knock us off track but as Americans, we can get back up and move on with the help of family and not so much the government.
We do live in a global economy but based on that information; we do not need to turn America towards socialism!
Posted by: Darlene | Oct 31, 2008 11:01:17 AM
I appreciated this article, and America it is important to see ourselves as the world sees us. Maybe we are to close the situation to really know how bad it is nationally and internationally. Meditate on some of the phrases in this article, for example:"and the country’s standing in the world"; "a weakened America, whose political and economic credibility and clout have dwindled"; "opportunity for the U.S. to swallow a dose of humility and learn to listen"; "America is at a historical crossroads. But if she chooses the wrong way she could lose her soul". The McCain/Palin ticket can not address these issues, because it doesn't see them. The Obama/Biden ticket have address these same issues over and over again. We will have to sacrifice, change our ways and go in a new direction. Learn to find the middle road on women's rights, our many wars, health care, ect... Sen. Obama is the leader to take us there. Let us reject the conservative and liberal labels of the 60's and 70's and divisiveness that hurts us all. I am black, I care; You are white, you care; you are Hispanic you care; you are Asian, you care. I know this. Let's send the message to each other and the world, "There is a new America", and she is better, stronger and more diverse than we have ever been." And we will end our change with "How you like me Now, we are America." OBAMA 2008!!
Posted by: SD | Oct 31, 2008 11:26:45 AM
Wow, did I touch a nerve! I, for one, admire the Brits who were in Iraq. My son served with them at one point and he, too, admired them. That is not my point. Even a German newspaper had an article about Europe sitting back and letting the U.S. take on the world aggressors, if you can believe that. (And a Brit even had the nerve to suggest that the world should vote for the American president.) How many years have the French, German, and English leaders been negotiating Iran's nuclear program? Iran is playing them for time. They take the concessions and then find an excuse to break the agreement. Ditto North Korea. At some point they will have nuclear and then the world will be blackmailed and at their mercy. I don't know the solution but the "carrot" isn't working. Aggressors like to negotiate with weak foreign leaders. Strong leaders can sometimes prevent war! Read your history.
If you believe the American education system is so wonderful, watch American TV. Excuse me, it is suddenly a lack of respect and humility to point out our failing education system? I am one of many! ("Dissent is not hate.") Goodness, you certainly don't like a different point of view, do you? How tolerant is that?
Posted by: jonnie36 | Oct 31, 2008 11:33:08 AM
I, for one, value the comments and opinion of the world community. We, as Americans, need to look beyond our own needs and see that what we do affects the world as a whole. I want to see our standing in the world returned to what it used to be.
Posted by: jen | Oct 31, 2008 12:00:36 PM
None of the candidates has any magic wand.
The ills of greed have permeated every aspect of our society, while people have become totally intolerant of everyone around them.
Crime is at an all time high, exacerbated by an immigration problem made worse by the ease of drug trafficking and gang movements.
Everyone hovers behind locked doors, with guns in their hands, to protect themselves. Many carry guns everywhere they go, for personal protection.
Yet, despite all that, many still become victim statistics.
If you think there are any magic solutions to the problems of America, you are rather naive. The only solution to America's problems, are its citizens.....and they have all the same faults and issues, as the politicians.
America's current problems are more about America's ethical and moral values (and I am not speaking from a religious standpoint), than anything else. People have no respect for others, or others rights as human beings. Until we reclaim that respect, we will never again be great.
Posted by: Rick McDaniel | Oct 31, 2008 12:29:13 PM
I think Rick said it all. The President, though he (or maybe someday she) makes incredibly important decisions, cannot be held accountable for every failure in our country. Government officials have become the scapegoats of American society, and while the dose of bitterness that is pushed on them is sometimes deserved, it often is not.
Most Americans have no idea what it means to sacrifice. Those of us who are younger should learn from the wisdom of those who had to do without during the Great Depression, as well as that of those who willingly sacrificed or rationed what were considered everyday necessities at the time so that our soldiers in World War 2 would have the resources they needed.
Our largely credit-based financial system and government policies aren't the only ones to blame for our current economic crisis. What about Americans who max out their credit cards knowing full well it is unlikely they can pay off the bill? What role do they have in this? What about our compulsion with consumption? What about the greed that drives so many of us? Please, let's quit pointing fingers and take a long, hard look in the mirror. We are all to blame in some respects, which means it will take all of us to fix what ails our country.
Admitting that we have flaws and wanting to fix them doesn't make us as individuals or as a country weak. It makes us stronger. If we sit around and say, "Mhm, we are the best country in the world" and cross our arms and do nothing then we will end up just like the businesses in our country who have collapsed because they refused to admit they had a problem, opting instead to cover up the problem. I would argue that you hate your country, not if you criticize it in its areas of weakness, but if you refuse to acknowledge those weaknesses and work with other citizens to do something about them.
Yes, our country is great, but only as great as the citizens who live in it. It's not great because of our military might, our power in the world markets, or because of the man who holds the highest office in our country. It's great because there are people of integrity and character who wake up every day that truly want it to be, then they act accordingly.
Posted by: Kyle | Oct 31, 2008 1:52:24 PM
Of course they're watching it. They're watching, and praying, to see if we're stupid enough to elect a weak, inept president. Does anybody really think the "world" wants Obama because they believe he'll make the US stronger? Not likely.
Posted by: howwouldiknow | Oct 31, 2008 2:30:02 PM
>
Which is EXACTLY why I'm voting for Obama instead of the puppet and his sideshow. Sorry, but Obama is not a stupid man - he never would have come out of obscurity the way he did and be where he is today if he was. He has the better plan, period.
As far as the socialism comments are concerned - educate yourselves. Obama is no more socialist than any other president. His tax plans essentially put us back to the tax policies we had under Clinton. If you don't like him, find another reason (and I am SURE you will...)
Posted by: turn the page | Oct 31, 2008 3:11:43 PM
This is the lead story in the "Investor's Business Daily" and documents why the mortgage crises happened. It's a bit of a "read" with a somewhat yearly blow-by-blow starting in the 1930's creation of Fannie Mae.
Particularly concerning is the 1990's depiction of Community Activist Obama & his ties to ACORN, and how that whole mess influenced our current (and future), problems. Pay particular attention to the time frame of 2006 when Republicans & John McCain tried to bring about needed change but were thwarted by a democratically controlled congress. I know some put Obama's style above McCain's substance; and that's OK if you can live with yourself! But the article is interesting in it's historic view of the mortgage process and social activism.
I believe every American should read it as it pertains to both our current candidates, and how they may act as a future president! I realize President Obama doesn't have the experience to have had an earlier hand in fixing the mess, but "activist" Obama had a hand in creating it.
I have grandchildren that will be affected by the actions we take in coming elections and their abilities to obtain housing in the future may be in jeopardy by what we do now! Judge for yourself!
http://www.investors.com/editorial/IBDArticles.asp?artsec=5&issue=20081029
Posted by: Planewizard | Oct 31, 2008 4:48:41 PM
It is certainly our choice to contine to believe in Republican idea of trickle down economy or take back our country. One has only to look at the McCain Rallies, look at the folks in the background, suits, ties, slick, but not representative of America. If you want 8 more years of failed government run by corporate America then vote Republican...otherwise wake up America and take our country back from these thieves that I left us in a mess. Don't be tricked by the lies.
Posted by: Our Choice | Oct 31, 2008 5:07:07 PM
We must all remember that "trickle-down" economics was a theory up until it was initiated by Ronald Reagan. The theory was to increase the economy because the wealthy would invest more money in businesses, investing in capital and paying higher wages to their workers. The borrowing, that was done to make up the budget shortfall short-term until the effects took hold in the economy. In practice we've determined that it does not work. Our national debt increased from 1/2% of annual U.S. GDP to 70% of annual U.S. GDP.
Most Favored Nation status for China has allowed major American manufacturers to move all of their manufacturing from the U.S. to China. The economy fell apart because the economic engine of American manufacturing was stripped out like a Mercedes in a chop-shop.
How can people pay for their homes when their jobs have gone away. How can small businesses do well when the remaining employed people are trying to save money because they've been squeezed by the economy and fear their jobs will be lost to more downsizing and outsourcing.
Posted by: The Doctor | Nov 1, 2008 5:57:34 PM
Finally, some hope. Obama's almost President.
I am growing up without the luxury of knowing the American Dream, that stranger my parents waved goodbye to years ago...Will Obama welcome him back?
Posted by: Ebbtide | Nov 1, 2008 8:00:07 PM
I am a green card holder who cannot vote in this election but I am looking forward to a new America.The New America I have found when I came here for the first time in 2002.
Barack your vote.
Posted by: Claudia Robinson | Nov 4, 2008 12:42:04 PM
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