Nice (ii) Engels!

Also, I didn’t claim that the Economist poll was more accurate, but rather that it sampled a certain subset of presumably well-informed citizens, while the Gallup poll probably had a broader base, which could explain the difference in the result.

I don’t think “ambivalence” is the right word here and I find it hard to follow your wide-ranging conclusions based on rather limited data (i.e. we Europeans strongly favor Obama because we’re in the same imperialist boat as the US, while the wretched of the earth are muttering a wise and world-weary “plus ca change…”).

When they answer “don’t know” or refuse to answer, it is quite plausible that they do so because, well, they simply don’t know, i.e. are less informed than your average European who lives in a country were the media has been headlining the upcoming election 24/7 for months now. This assumption is strengthened by the fact that a very high percentage doesn’t think the election will affect their country, which is simply wrong, since, whether one likes it or not, the outcome of this election will significantly affect every country.

Also, as the presumably well informed “Economist readers” in those countries are overwhelmingly pro-Obama, it seems rather clear to me that these results have less to do with “ambivalence” and more with lack of information.

Gallup Polls conducted in 73 countries from May to October 2008 reveal widespread international support for Democratic Sen. Barack Obama over Republican Sen. John McCain in the U.S. presidential election. Among these nations, representing nearly three-quarters of the world’s population, 24% of citizens say they would personally rather see Obama elected president of the United States, compared with just 7% who say the same about McCain. At the same time, 69% of world citizens surveyed did not have an opinion. [...]

Overall, citizens in Europe are the most likely to state a preference for the next president of the United States and to think the election makes a difference to their country. Citizens in Asia are the least likely to state a preference for the next president of the United States and to think the election makes a difference to their country. In individual countries, only Georgia and the Philippines prefer McCain to Obama by a statistically significant margin.

people half the planet away have found no particular reason (and for good reason) to form a strong opinion about who should win the U.S. election

You both might want to have a look here, lol:

http://www.economist.com/Vote2008/

Is Obama more than another figurehead for the US empire?

Figurehead. Good image. I can see a wooden image at the front of the aircraft carrier. It looks like it’s leading the way, but somehow it always happens to lead in the direction the carrier happens to be going….

Apart from your suspicions about organized proper LEFT entryists, isn’t all of the above true of practically every commenter here?

Ambivalence is not cynicism, and while people half the planet away have found no particular reason (and for good reason) to form a strong opinion about who should win the U.S. election, there isn’t a record of them expressing anything like the cynical assessment that Obama is just another figurehead for the U.S. empire like you see from some in this thread.

I just recently reviewed some literature from Gallup on the subject. The consensus seems to be that those countries that have a strong preference and think the choice makes a difference are other western countries. While in Latin America, Asia and to a degree Africa, most don’t have a particular preference but of those who do have a preference, it is Obama by a pretty substantial margin. Asked whether the choice of US President makes a difference in their country the overwhelming majority didn’t know or didn’t have an opinion, a much smaller group thinks it makes a difference, and a yet smaller group thinks it makes no difference.

And I wasn’t saying that Europe itself is cynical over the election, merely that those expressing the cynicism evident in this thread are overwhelmingly likely to be (mostly) white & privileged people, somewhat affiliated with an organized proper LEFT in very rich & developed countries more likely to be imperial rivals than imperial victims.

My perhaps irrational gut feeling is that if the US doesn’t elect someone who’s prepared to look at the scientific evidence on global warming, human civilisation’s only got about another 50 years before it collapses entirely. Hell, it may already be to late.

Obama will disappoint, beyond a doubt. All presidents do. Who would even want the job, especially given the mess he will start with from day one? Nevertheless, he is worlds apart from the alternative and attitudes like yours don’t help a bit. They’re just symptoms.