The Guardian
The Guardian is inviting UK residents to write to undecided voters in the US's most marginal constituency to help them decide who to vote for, particularly in providing data for that crucial foreign policy element.
There are a couple of seriously angry people on AE that are well affronted that a British newspaper would dare to be interested in an American election.
I think its a bit of a laugh, personally. Imagine living in Podunkville (which happens to be in Ohio, in this case) and getting a letter from
abroad?
Its not just open to readers in the UK but to anyone who provides their email addresses. Apparently some bloggers (mostly american) have got decidedly hot under the collar on this issue and have been nabbing the names so these undecided voters don't get unsolicted email.
Not sure what I would do it I was one of the voters in question. Probably think the other person was a complete nutter and delete it immediately. Will a US paper do the same for a UK election. Doubt it, as for (1) everyone's political leanings are kept secret unless they want it known via their activities in political groups and (2) which American cares about the politics of a tin pot country like the UK, only the British.
Tim Blair in Australia has come up with another scheme. Have non-Brits email the Guardian their opinion of them. Alot-
http//timblair.spleenville.com/archives/007752.php
some of the replies in response to this exercise. Get the impression some people aren't too happy with the idea.
http//www.guardian.co.uk/uselections2004/story/0,13918,1329858,00.html
Well, it was pretty rude and condescending to do in the first place. roll
Bloody right man. We all know that the average Brit is more knowledgeable about the US election, the issues and the policy outcomes than the average American, so it makes perfect sense.
In fact, maybe it would be a better thing if we voted instead of the Americans.
Oh my.
Wading River, NY
Have you not noticed that Americans don't give two shits what Europeans think of us? Each email someone gets from some arrogant Brit telling us why to NOT vote for George Bush is going to backfire, you stupid, yellow-toothed pansies ... I don't give a rat's ass if our election is going to have an effect on your worthless little life. I really don't. If you want to have a meaningful election in your crappy little island full of shitty food and yellow teeth, then maybe you should try not to sell your sovereignty out to Brussels and Berlin, dipshit. Oh, yeah - and brush your goddamned teeth, you filthy animals.
Thou dost protest too much.
And he forogt to add "God damn it man, weez lives in the feest goddamnest freest country in the world. Free free free I'z tell ya."
You have to admit that if we (as Brits in the UK) got letters from Americans telling us who to vote for, then we'd tell them to Fcuk off too...
Proof positive that most Americans have no sense of humour. Ho-hum!
http//www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/10/19/britain.letters.reut/index.html
It was on the front page of CNN.
There are some suggestions that as Ohio is such an important swing-state, which is why the Guardian was so interested, tha their actions may have motivated apathetic Republican voters to make sure they vote. Meaning the Grauniad may have provoked the opposite outcome.
Doubt it myself. If you're too apathetic to vote, then I'm sure you're too apathetic to care about this either.
Well, lots of Americans like to proudly go on about how our president is "leader of the free world" -- so they can hardly complain if the free world feels it should take an interest in who is leading it.
Well, speaking of the rest of the world, some of their leaders have chucked their two cents in.
FOR KERRY!
Malasia's former PM and all around anti-semitic nutjob Mahathir Mohammad, " has appealed to American Muslims not to vote for George Bush on November 2," according to the Daily Times of Pakistan. In "an open letter sent to the community," Mahathir writes that "Bush has shown . . . he is the cause of the tragedies in Afghanistan, Palestine and Iraq." But hey, he believes the Holocaust never happened. But Paul Krugamn likes him!
FOR KERRY!
Yasser Arafat's Palestinian Authority. The Palestinian Authority made its first open statement Monday expressing support for US democratic presidential candidate John Kerry. PA Foreign Minister Nabil Sha'ath said that the future of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process is unsure if George W. Bush is re-elected to office.
FOR BUSH!
All around "I'm democratic honest I am" Vlad Putin - "Russian President Vladimir Putin says terrorist attacks in Iraq are aimed at preventing the re-election of U.S. President George W. Bush and that a Bush defeat 'could lead to the spread of terrorism to other parts of the world. International terrorists have set as their goal inflicting the maximum damage to Bush, to prevent his election to a second term. If they succeed in doing that, they will celebrate a victory over America and over the entire anti-terror coalition."
FOR BUSH!
Commander of the UN Peacekeeping force in Haiti - "The commander of the UN peacekeepers in Haiti has linked a recent upsurge in violence there to comments made by the US presidential candidate, John Kerry...." Kerry had said he would have sent in U.S. troops to reinstall Jean-Bertrand Aristide's thuggish left-wing government. "The Brazilian UN general, Augusto Heleno, said Mr Kerry's comments had offered 'hope' to Aristide supporters. Much of the recent unrest has centred on areas loyal to Mr Aristide." More than 50 people have been killed in the violence."
http//www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1098072901156&p=1078113566627
http//news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3750350.stm
http//edition.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/europe/10/18/putin.iraq/
