The great responsibility of the American electorate

[vadimivich]

I put this on Facebook earlier, but figured I'd copy it here. I'm sure BSF will say I'm a globalist and BKF will say I don't know how the "real" world works ... but I thought it's worth pondering.


Something that I have learned to fully appreciate while living through 2 presidential elections abroad is what a tremendous responsibility the American electorate has - not just for the United States, but for the entire world. The most powerful person in the world is chosen by less than 130 million of the 8 billion residents on earth, and the rest have to simply watch from a distance and live with the consequences of our choice. I opened this weeks copy of Profil (kind of like the Austrian version of Time magazine), titled "Why we need America - the US must remain the leading power of the free world" and got a full throated pep talk I felt directed right at me - I'm not sure how many others with a vote in the US election are reading Profil in German, but it can't be that many.

"Hey, do you still know who you are? You are around 44% of the private financial assets in the world, you are the exporter of $1.5T in goods per year, you are Google and Facebook and Apple, you are Batman v. Spiderman v. Star Wars v. Kim Kardashian, you are Jeff Koons, Beyonce and Justin Bieber, you are Bob Dylan and 6 more Nobel Prize winners this year alone! You are 8,848 tanks and 2,308 military aircraft. No you are not just anyone, you are the United States of America. You are - for the record - the Superpower!"

"Not only Europe has to rely on you to not forget what that means. At the moment it seems you have doubts about the role you are spending all your time on: the leader of the free world. Do you not want it anymore?"

(side note to Austria: WE ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR JUSTIN BIEBER, TAKE YOUR COMPLAINS TO CANADA ON THAT ONE)

I cast my ballot this morning. Not just because I am one of the people given the responsibility to elect the leaders of my country, but also because I am one of the people given the responsibility to elect the leaders of the entire free world. That's a heavy responsibility, and one that is so easily forgotten inside the United States. The question at the end of that opening paragraph leaves another one unsaid "Do you not want it anymore ... and if not, then who?". The few of us lucky enough to be able to vote today would do well to ponder that.

 

[P4nthers11]

We aren't Bieber. Isn't he Canadian?

 

[CantStandYa]

Very long, but very good read:

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/11/08/the-world-holds-its-breath-and-its-nose.html

A few depressing excerpts:

in many countries, the discrediting of American democracy—for so it is seen—is also discrediting the very idea of civil society. As one Brazilian friend wrote to me, “It has made democracy small and given us the feeling that democracy is now small almost everywhere.”

"It’s hard not to see some parallels between the anti-politics crisis of the ‘90s that gave Chávez the presidency” and “the deep fractures in American society which Trump has been exploiting to connect with his followers,” writes Stolk. “What is worrying is the trail of hate that he's leaving behind. It will be hard to overcome after he loses. And if he wins? Trump is paving the way to turn his supporters into accomplices of his thuggish behavior.”

The issue is not so much the wall as the economy: already the value of the peso has plunged and a Trump protectionist administration could drive it down much further. Ironically, that will make the lure of jobs in the U.S., legal or illegal, just that much stronger and the cartels (earning their revenues in U.S. dollars) that much richer.

“Beijing's filter generates plenty of noise—democracy is dangerous, a government of the people and by the people will not be for the people, and so on,” writes Brendon Hong. And the Chinese don’t see Trump as an aberration because he is loudmouthed—a brand—and constantly on TV. “Even the most ardent Yankophiles will say that he is exactly how 21st-century America portrays itself in East Asia.”

 

[BarcaDeac]

Was in Finland for work a few weeks ago, and nearly every one of my colleagues would sort of feel me out at first by asking something like "So, Donald Trump?" and then when I proceeded to bash him/apologize they would be happy to see I was not in fact supporting him.

 

[wfumike02]

I agree with a lot of this but have a few thoughts.

1. Our political system needs to adapt. Our two party system has led us down a path of increasing partisanship, which is undermining the basic function of the government. Part of this has to do with the breakdown of the GOP, which has created a system where we have a majority party in the Democrats and an obstructionist minority in the Republicans (yeah, I know the pubs have the House, the Senate, and most governorships, but I'm not sure they are winning the presidency any time soon absent a massively unpopular candidate like Hillary Clinton). I'm not sure I see a way out other than bringing more political parties into the mainstream, which has also become more necessarrily as the Republican party goes further and further off the rails. The problem is that I'm not sure we'll ever be able to do it because the two major parties will ever vote against their own interests. This means nothing will happen until the electorate's frustration reaches a boiling point, and by then it may be too late.

2. With globalization must come further world democratization, and that means America can't continue indefinitely as the lone superpower. As other nations become wealthier, they do need to contribute more to the global effort. I think Trump makes a reasonable point here, he just articulates it terribly and takes it way too far. I'm not advocating the dissolution of NATO. Rather, a continuation of the Obama foreign policy to rely more on coalitions and less on unilateral action, and a move to become even less interventionalist. I fear Hillary will take things back in the other direction.

 

[Deacsfan27]

Was in Finland for work a few weeks ago, and nearly every one of my colleagues would sort of feel me out at first by asking something like "So, Donald Trump?" and then when I proceeded to bash him/apologize they would be happy to see I was not in fact supporting him.

I think I've said this before, but I work closely with a lot of folks in London, and they constantly bash all of us for our gun-toting, Donald Trump ways.

They know now that I am not one of those people, but they sincerely hold that view for most Americans. They were shocked when I told them that not everybody is like that, and I don't have any idea why somebody would even come close to voting for Trump.

The world is laughing at us. Hopefully we do the right thing tonight for everybody involved.

 

[wfumike02]

I think I've said this before, but I work closely with a lot of folks in London, and they constantly bash all of us for our gun-toting, Donald Trump ways.

They know now that I am not one of those people, but they sincerely hold that view for most Americans. They were shocked when I told them that not everybody is like that, and I don't have any idea why somebody would even come close to voting for Trump.

The world is laughing at us. Hopefully we do the right thing tonight for everybody involved.

In fairness, a lot of the world has no clue about a lot of legitimate reasons why so many Americans view Hillary so negatively. Anybody else and Trump loses in a landslide.

 

[ImTheCaptain]

maybe the rest of the world has a responsibility of trying to not suck so goddamn much so it wouldnt need the benevolent American God to ensure the peace

 

[Demonwolverine]

We shouldn't lose the skepticism that Bernie and Trump raised toward our government, but we need to drop anything to do with how Trump went about doing it. Some how Trump managed to skew the line between a healthy skepticism and radical nut job who hates everything and doesn't trust anyone.

 

[Deacsfan27]

We shouldn't lose the skepticism that Bernie and Trump raised toward our government, but we need to drop anything to do with how Trump went about doing it. Some how Trump managed to skew the line between a healthy skepticism and radical nut job who hates everything and doesn't trust anyone.

It's infuriating to hear Trump say that people around the world are laughing at us, when it's him that is making us look like raging bigots.

Completely agree with the bolded. They have both brought up a lot of points that need to be addressed, Trump just did it in the worst way possible.

 

[Biff Tannen]

Brits and other Europeans should do some self examination before making fun of the prevailing political winds in the US.

 

[Shooshmoo]

I think I've said this before, but I work closely with a lot of folks in London, and they constantly bash all of us for our gun-toting, Donald Trump ways.

They know now that I am not one of those people, but they sincerely hold that view for most Americans. They were shocked when I told them that not everybody is like that, and I don't have any idea why somebody would even come close to voting for Trump.

The world is laughing at us. Hopefully we do the right thing tonight for everybody involved.

While I agree we should be laughed at, the Brits have no room to talk after Brexit, and you should tell them that. I do.

 

[Shorty]

In fairness, a lot of the world has no clue about a lot of legitimate reasons why so many Americans view Hillary so negatively. Anybody else and Trump loses in a landslide.

I also don't think ROW understands Americans' support for Trump, either. They see it as a manifestation of our "gun toting, Donald Trump ways." I'm not sure they quite appreciate the level of disgust many American's have with the political establishment, on both sides.

 

[Deacsfan27]

While I agree we should be laughed at, the Brits have no room to talk after Brexit, and you should tell them that. I do.

Oh we have discussed that a lot too.

 

[Demonwolverine]

"Afghans Weigh in on US Presidential Candidates"

http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/fe...-presidential-candidates-161106034333699.html

 

[CantStandYa]

I think I've said this before, but I work closely with a lot of folks in London, and they constantly bash all of us for our gun-toting, Donald Trump ways.

They know now that I am not one of those people, but they sincerely hold that view for most Americans. They were shocked when I told them that not everybody is like that, and I don't have any idea why somebody would even come close to voting for Trump.

The world is laughing at us. Hopefully we do the right thing tonight for everybody involved.

While this is true, today will prove that there are tens of millions of people who are exactly like that. Sure, some people will vote for Trump begrudgingly because they don't like Hillary, or Democrats in general, or are single-issue voters, but Hillary's deplorables comment wasn't wrong. Trump just tapped into and exploited it in a successfully predatory way.

 

[wfumike02]

While this is true, today will prove that there are tens of millions of people who are exactly like that. Sure, some people will vote for Trump begrudgingly because they don't like Hillary, or Democrats in general, or are single-issue voters, but Hillary's deplorables comment wasn't wrong. Trump just tapped into and exploited it in a successfully predatory way.

Yes. But what percentage of Trump voters do you think this represents?

 

[DEACisGO]

Yes. But what percentage of Trump voters do you think this represents?

~50%

 

[WFU03]

Living abroad during elections is certainly enlightening. Like others, I also continually experience the "so, about your election," question as the person holds their breath waiting to see if I'm an even remotely relatable person or if I'm a trump supporter. Even here in Singapore with its very pro business climate, I've met very few people voting for trump.


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[knowell]

I put this on Facebook earlier, but figured I'd copy it here. I'm sure BSF will say I'm a globalist and BKF will say I don't know how the "real" world works ... but I thought it's worth pondering.


Something that I have learned to fully appreciate while living through 2 presidential elections abroad is what a tremendous responsibility the American electorate has - not just for the United States, but for the entire world. The most powerful person in the world is chosen by less than 130 million of the 8 billion residents on earth, and the rest have to simply watch from a distance and live with the consequences of our choice. I opened this weeks copy of Profil (kind of like the Austrian version of Time magazine), titled "Why we need America - the US must remain the leading power of the free world" and got a full throated pep talk I felt directed right at me - I'm not sure how many others with a vote in the US election are reading Profil in German, but it can't be that many.



(side note to Austria: WE ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR JUSTIN BIEBER, TAKE YOUR COMPLAINS TO CANADA ON THAT ONE)

I cast my ballot this morning. Not just because I am one of the people given the responsibility to elect the leaders of my country, but also because I am one of the people given the responsibility to elect the leaders of the entire free world. That's a heavy responsibility, and one that is so easily forgotten inside the United States. The question at the end of that opening paragraph leaves another one unsaid "Do you not want it anymore ... and if not, then who?". The few of us lucky enough to be able to vote today would do well to ponder that.

Why does any one country need to be responsible for the entire world? Isn't that the question that should be asked?