Brokeback Mountain: Our Community's Common Bond > Brokeback Mountain Open Forum
What the actual fuck is going on in the USA pre election circus???
Front-Ranger:
I don't know who milo is referring to when he says "we" but it's not me. I have traveled extensively throughout the world and have seen that the deeds and misdeeds of those in the U.S. can cause great hardship and suffering to people even half a world away. Plus, there is more anxiety among people looking at the U.S. political scene than there is here in the U.S. Electing the wrong leader may cause discomfort in this country but in other countries, particularly poor or struggling countries it can be a total disaster. When I traveled to Nepal in 2012, there were large gangs of young people who roamed around with no prospects and no chance of finding a job to support themselves and their families. Due to the 2008 U.S. financial collapse, a whole generation of people in many countries lost their future. It also contributed to the waves of refugees.
Even when I have visited Canada, I was anxiously asked by taxi drivers and college professors and shopkeepers whether there was any chance of Republicans getting back into power. The world over, Republicans are associated with the era of 9/11, warmaking, and recession. There is great fear in the prospect of Trump, and I expect this to lead to volatility until the election is over or he implodes, whichever comes first.
brianr:
Unfortunately we get the US elections ad nauseam on our news. I have even seen Trump's latest stupidity lead our TV news bulletin in the evening. We hear something about politics in Australia (but not the other way) and the UK but not to the same extent. Any German or French election, the coverage would be hard to find and probably the result mentioned somewhere towards the end of the bulletin.
The Australian national elections are on July 2nd but still little mention on NZ TV and probably just on page 3 or 4 of the newspaper. I guess the results will lead when they come through. Although I am an Australian, as I have left the country for over 6 years, I no longer have the right to vote, not that I care all that much but I still read Australian news online.
As FR says, who is President of the USA affects the world. The younger Bush was such a disaster and Obama is so much admired that people around the world are nervous.
milomorris:
If you think that any candidate for POTUS has ever spent any cycles campaigning on how his/her presidency would effect Nepal, Canada, or Australia, you would be mistaken. The foreign policy platform plank always focuses on doing what is good for the USA.
CellarDweller:
--- Quote from: milomorris on June 20, 2016, 04:33:36 pm ---If you think that any candidate for POTUS has ever spent any cycles campaigning on how his/her presidency would effect Nepal, Canada, or Australia, you would be mistaken. The foreign policy platform plank always focuses on doing what is good for the USA.
--- End quote ---
That may be true, but the general public also knows that the POTUS needs to be someone who can be respected on a worldwide scale. Ever since Trump became the presumptive Republican candidate, I've lost count of the conversations I've had with people (both liberal and conservative) who think that Trump has no idea how to handle himself with leaders of other countries.
milomorris:
--- Quote from: CellarDweller on June 20, 2016, 09:42:28 pm ---That may be true, but the general public also knows that the POTUS needs to be someone who can be respected on a worldwide scale. Ever since Trump became the presumptive Republican candidate, I've lost count of the conversations I've had with people (both liberal and conservative) who think that Trump has no idea how to handle himself with leaders of other countries.
--- End quote ---
I think that it is a mistake to project any emotional assumptions onto the leaders of other countries. "Respect" is not a requirement for creating agreements with other countries. The ability to deliver on the terms of any proposed agreements, and the power to enforce those terms are what matter most. Just look at what happened after WWII. Neither Roosevelt nor Churchill particularly liked or respected Stalin, and Stalin very likely did not respect either of them. Yet they were able to hammer out some of the most important agreements of the modern era.
People might not be very likely to think of Trump as a "buddy," but he has shown time and again that he is a successful negotiator. That is what gets agreements signed, not "congeniality." That is for beauty pageants.
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