We arrived in America yesterday. It’s great to be here – seeing friends, having fun, talking fast. The best.
But it’s disturbing, as well. Unlike in Europe, where it seems inevitable that Obama will win, here in the US that’s not true at all. It’s a very close race. A Reuters poll today gave McCain a big advantage. In the crucial swing states, it’s neck-on-neck.
If even a small part of what we see here on TV is true, then America is distracted by the issue-of-the-moment (offshore drilling, fears about Russian expansion) and lightening evaluations of Obama’s and McCain’s responses. Should Obama have taken a vacation last week? That was the burning blip. No attention to the things we see from abroad: America’s loss of respect, the decline of the dollar, burgeoning debt, uncontrollable and expensive war, and so forth. The Bush damage that we must repair. And no sense that McCain is Bush redux.
This makes our get-out-the-vote work URGENTLY important. With some 6 million Americans abroad, who vote in every state, we really can make an important difference. Our perspective is valuable.
If you are an American who lives outside the US and have not yet arranged to vote, please do it NOW. Time is running short. If you don’t know how, go to www.votefromabroad.org
This is important.
Thanks,
Bob
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3 comments:
Bob, I've forwarded the link to your blog to a number of my friends and colleagues, including several U.S. citizens who live abroad and who I hope will take to heart your encouragement to vote! (Alas, I will be on the road for much of next week so I may not have easy access to a computer to read your postings, but I'll check in whenever I can.)
Bob,
Your comments are "right on the money." I live in the U.S. and travel "overseas" frequently. There is an incredible disconnect between what those outside and inside the country focus on.
What is critical in this election more so than in the past will be turn-out -- and I mean turnout in swing states. New voters are critical, so registration and get out the vote will determine this election. That is why McCain is going negative - to disillusion Obama's supporters. He is not doing well at mobilizing his supporters. Also all of those "new" voters do not appear in the polls, since they do not appear as "likely" voters. REGISTER AND VOTE.
I sensed that after a day or two of American news that you’d see what Obama is up against. It’s coming at him from every direction, and will get worse.
As efforts at getting out the vote for a Democrat here in San Francisco (especially for Barack Obama!) are somewhat redundant, I’m thinking more of party unity, i.e. making sure all Hillary Democrats (Hillocrats?) are on board. I'll work on it.
I’m looking forward to sharing the excitement of the convention with you through your blog. Your commentary will be a welcome and valued accompaniment to any media coverage. And thanks for doing this, btw, and sharing it with us!
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