If Europeans
could vote in the US Presidential election, Barack Obama could relax; he would
win by a mile. He is much more European than Mitt Romney, which is strength in
the eyes of the wider world but a liability to many in America. He pushed
through healthcare reform to nudge the US towards the European ideal of
universal healthcare. He has also prodded America to wards considering the
possibility of taking action over climate change. These small changes are
welcome but could be lost if Obama loses.
It is now
for the US electorate to decide. This is the electorate that brought George
Bush to power effectively killing international climate negotiations and taking
the country down a path that made the US, which had been widely admire and
respected, into the bogeyman of world affairs to many people in the Middle East
and across the world, fermenting the terrorism he purported to fight. From a
European perspective, electing George Bush was a mistake; to re-elect him after
finding out his true colours, smacked of foolishness.
The US
people have a choice, whether to rebuild the international reputation of
America or retreat into a particular set of American values espoused by Mitt
Romney, which look increasingly outdated for the challenges the world now
faces. There is a worrying precedent in history; one-term president Jimmy
Carter tried to take the US down a track of environmental responsibility but he
was ousted by Ronald Reagan, who on entering the White House took the symbolic
step of taking down the solar panels installed by Jimmy Carter.
America, it
is your choice and the world is watching and waiting.
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