How Would The Middle East Respond To President Barack Hussein Obama?
There has been a lot of talk with the pundits and wingnuts over this very issue. Well this morning Erin Burnett tried to answer that on Morning Joe with an interview she had with Mohamed Ali Alabbar, one of the most powerful business men in the Middle East.
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His answer is what I have always suspected - they don't care. They have enough problems of their own that they don't need to sit around and worry about us.
It also reminded me of the countless times there would be an Iraq debate in Congress and the Republicans would take the floor and start going on about "our enemies hear this and think it's retreat". The world don't care what is happening in Congress or who becomes President, just so long as the next President isn't George W. Bush.
I've heard the theory it would be good for America since it would make it impossible to stereotype Americans as being only lead by old stock WASP's.
Same way we would react to President Joe Smith of Iran...curiosity then boredom then mistrust.
Duh!
"Self-centered in the U.S."? No sh*t, sherlock.
I kind of feel the same way. I don't care who's next, as long as it isn't Bush or anyone with ties to the Nixon and Bush whitehouses.
Of course, I don't like Rudy, Fred, McCain, McRomney, or McAsshat - I mean, Huckabee.
Okay, so I care. But the important thing is that it won't be George Mother W Fucking Bush.
Irrelevant because Obama ain't getting in, not if the world police have anything to do with it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t91NeAaamkU
No one gives a sh*t about the United States anymore.
Isn't it obvious?
Obama would be fine.
So would a would a woman.
But McCain's going to win.
Just reality.
Mike Gravel will OWN Hillary and Obama tonight at his Live alternate debate, armed with a TIVO and the Truth it is truly something we all should watch.
8:00pm ET LIVE
MIKE GRAVEL MIKE GRAVEL ALTERNATE DEBATE LIVE TONIGHT AT 8:00pm
http://ustream.tv/channel/alternative-debate
Most people outside the U.S. (at least where I am) don't follow or care about what is going on in the U.S. primaries; BUT if a Obama did become president, that would be a huge deal. Don't confuse our self-absorbtion in the primaries with how people might view an Obama Presidency. It's way too early in the game to solicit opions from the rest of the world.
VietVet8666 @ 7:
sorry, i just can't see the country going for mummy mccain. no way.
and fuck you nader, stay home ya asshole!
If you're a Hillary supporter and work for a living, you should read this about her days at Wal-Mart:
http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/story?id=4218509&page=1
If you're a Progressive Democrat, you should also read this:
Obama: Most Liberal Senator In 2007
http://nj.nationaljournal.com/voteratings/
Hello ...
Actually they do care! I have an email pal in Jordon and she is really paying attention to the election news. She is very pro America and is looking forward to "change"!! I don't think she cares if our next president is Hillary or Barack ... just as long as it's someone from the democratic party.
I doubt Palestinians will rejoice if Obama (or any candidate) is elected. They are smarter than to be fooled by a middle name
I don't think that the mere fact of a Obama Presidency would change much about the way the middle east as a whole perceives the US. The only difference is that al Qeada would be disappointed that they hadn't permanently turned the US into a far right authoritarian national security state doomed to popular uprising, economic collapse and global isolation. They've succeeded so far.
Untrue! Islamofascists would be encouraged to attack us more! They'd follow us home to fight us here! They'd see that America is a nation of losers who are scared! We'd become an extremist Muslim nation overnight!
Sorry, just curious what being a wingnut felt like....
Republics[sic] sit around whining about perception, retreat, defeat, etc etc because they are a bunch of shallow, shivering, cowards who project those feelings into the world around them, thereby assuming everybody else is just as lame as they are. Get those fools some medication they are so fond of shoving down everybody else's throats at a 2,000x markup so that maybe we can all get some peace around here.
Matt in Texas @ 15:
How'd it feel? I've heard ignorance is bliss.
I think Mr Alabbar's opinion somewhat disingenuous if you look at the world wide reaction to Senator Obama's first primary win. This was front page news everywhere in the world including the middle east. Parenthetically it also gave an immediate positive boost to foreign perceptions of the US.
Snowball @ 11:
God, if I read that tired f*cking Hillary/Walmart meme one more time, I am going to throw up all over my Chinese made shoes. Check your clothing label. You are part of the problem. (Bet Barack has "Made in Malaysia" on his underwear.)
I'm amazed that Erin Burnett is not embarrassed at herself. She sounds like a sophomore undergrad instead of a highly paid television business "reporter", guffaw, "journalist".
The realizations that must have been occurring in her little mind: My gawd, we're not at the center of their world? What?! They think we're uptight and nationalistic when we must report and discuss that Barak Obama didn't have his hand over his heart during a national anthem? But.. but.., we are better than you!
VietVet8666 @ 7:
The only way for McCain to win is with another stolen election. Claiming that America isn't ready for a black or female president ...
(or if Nader joins the race, the colossal putz. Note: if Nader ever really wanted to be president, I wouldn't give a shit, but I can't stand his half-assed "I'm just making a point" candidacies. Argh!)
...is just giving them their built in rational for why, "Golly gee! It is EVER so mysterious that the exit polls had Obama/Clinton with a 20 percentile advantage, and yet here we have McCain as our new preznit! I guess America just wasn't ready! Not to mention those naughty polls. Remember New Hampshire in January?".
If that's winning, then you may have a case. I am counting on the notion that you are wrong as I imagine that you hope to be wrong as well.
Well, Snowball, it made me re-think my career - I could become a rightwing pundit and not have to actually think for a living:
Question #1 : (insert ANY question)
Answer: Give the rich a tax cut.
Question #2: Didn't Bush (again, anything)
Answer: NO. it was Bill Clinton's fault.
And the rest just flows naturally.
Soooooo much easier than thinking, and there's a never-ending supply of venues for your pontification. And you'll always have 25% of the American behind you.
The US is generally a self centered and insular nation. We basically think the world revolves around us. That is generally the neo-con strategy. They believe there can only be one superpower and basically the world should bow to us. Those million Iraqis that have died. Who cares? Actually I do, but the die-hard Bush supporters could probably care less.
I just bet most of those 30 percent who still think Bush is doing a good job have never been out of the country. I'm not a world traveler but the times I have traveled outside our borders it's an eye opening experience. The world really doesn't care about us. There are other people and cultures outside our own with their own problems.
An example of the red neck narrow minded thinking is the Super Bowl. The winner is declared the World Champs. OK, I like football, but to say that the winner is a world champ when the teams are only in the US is kind of egocentric and arrogant. I don't think the rest of the world really gives a damn who the world champ is. American football isn't played in their country.
Anyway, I think the average stupid conservative American who thinks the world should bow down to us probably thinks the world cares but they really don't. They should travel outside the US and they'll finally realize we aren't the only ones on the planet.
Oops......American public behind you.
Stick a fork in Barack-he's done. The Republicans, as racist as they, will make mincemeat of him. Don't blame me, that's just the reality of it.
OT:
I am listening to some clips of McCain v. Romney from the last debate and....MAN. His rude, persistent droning when attacking Romney and talking over both Romney AND the moderator is just incredible; it's like listening to mean, senile old man sitting in a soiled diaper who says "You Damn Kids These Days" after making every point. Nannana Nannana Nannna blah blah blah...
Criminy, at least Romney can speak, lying putz that he is.
Listen, I won't vote for ANYONE who's a Muslim that went to a madrassa when he was young. And he's a hypocrite - he's not an African-American, he's a Halfrican!
(Man, this wingnut deal is cake!)
Sany @ 25:
Look, I don't blame you for your bleak outlook, nor VietVet8666's, but bowing down and declaring a good candidate done just because the repugs will be a bunch of meanies is exactly the sort of thing that helped get us into this mess (current state of our country). Are we going to pick candidates based on what the repugs are going to do or more to the point, what the repugs THINK of our candidates?
Matt in Texas @ 27:
lol
i hate blitzer
Sany @ 25:
think they will treat hillary with kid gloves??
whatever you are smokin, give me some
hillary:no one has an advantage in politics
hahahahahahahahahah
she tells a good joke
wait a sec
hillary gets a huge applause line, then they take a break??
the fix is in
Peter G @ 18:
EXACTLY! With that smarmy smile... he took exceptional pains not to upset any US associates/contacts (Rupugs) with that bull... I live in Japan and everybody knows and follows this race. and anyway; what the hell does a Billionaire know about the man in the street. Just because he's made lots of money doesn't make him any sort of social commentator. MSNBC confuse wealth with wisdom once again...
This is grim news....
http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=24120
Well, I'd concede that having a President of color w/ the middle name of Hussein may not be all that relevant to the man-on-the-street or woman-in-the-burkha in the Middle East, but I've gotta believe that they'd sure take note of our electing a guy amenable to another 100 years in Iraq, promising more wars, and fond of belting-out "bomb, bomb Iran."
I don't think they'll react much differently if bombs and depleted uranium is still falling on there country.
I've read many people who would consider themselves liberal state that the election of Obama
would cool out the Muslim world.
I can just see Mustafa turning to Ahmed and saying, " You know, my brother, those American crackers are OK!"
uhm so one guys answer is the end all and be all? Or you could actually read middle eastern newspapers (like @ watching america or world meet us). NPR did this as well, and their assessment was different. But it is totally kool to say that this is how this one guy feels (don't say he is reps of the whole region though).
OBAMA IS *NOT* A MUSLIM!!!
GET IT? NOT A MUSLIM!
LET ME SAY IT ONE MORE TIME!
NOT
A
MUSLIM!!
"The world don't care?" Well, I care about the English language, so can we say "The world DOESN'T care"? And BTW the article you link in the Washington Post talks extensively about how much the world DOES care.
WTF?
well we are not that special anymore (americans)
they just don't care
LOL Hilarity. Like anyone outside of washington cares any more. Why should they? It's not like they're actually permitted to take part other than as an audience and to cast a ballot so the people rigging the voting machines have "the masses" to blame when the results don't match or an obvious idiot that no one really wants gets elected.
I'd say foreign countries, whether you're at war with them or not, look at the US elections with about as much interest as any television show.
I know a lot of you like to think of yourselves as humanist or internationalist above nationalism, but the fact is who we choose for president will have an effect. I don't see how anyone can argue that hiring the son of an African to our highest office isn't a sign of what America is and is supposed to be about. I don' think we would all of the sudden be liberators but I think it will cause pause in the minds of many.
Then again, there are a few who are intensely interested in who our next president will be and what, if any, policy changes might be enacted. Here is just one example, from 1996:
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/terrorism/international/fatwa_1996.html
MH @ 40:
Give up. The only people who believe this pile of steaming offal are the fauxites and they're too rock stupid to have two ideas in their heads at once. My husband's family tried to "warn" us about the evil Obama while we were visiting and I laughed in their faces. Asked them where they get their information and knew the answer before they told me.
I told them that they really needed to check their facts with something other than what amounts to children's programming for adults.
Bad enough the faux-ites are so deliberately ignorant but do they all have to be so damn proud of it?
VietVet8666 @ 7:
I hope you're over 60 years of age 'cause prez mccain will re-institute the draft, and when he does, if you're a male under 60 years old, you'll be conscripted. Remeber germany's peoples army.
Oh, I'm a vm vet too. Mccain is a warmonger. Period.
Okay, preface
Bush is a disaster: check
Bush is a liar and lied us into a war to compensate for what he believed were his father's failings: check
Bush should be impeached and in prison: check
Good, that's done. Now, we have a Middle Eastern businessman talking about how the average middle easterner would react to an Obama presidency.
Sure, the average people couldn't care less. No argument there.
But now let's look at the sentence that you have a problem with. "Our enemies see this and...."
While you may object to that argument from Republicans for legitimate reasons, this clip can't logically be considered a legitimate reason. Of course, the average Middle Easterner is NOT our enemy, so these are two distinct issues that really have no bearing on each other. This type of illogical leap is a perfect example of why we waste so much time and so much effort debating issues without ever really getting anywhere. We're all just talking past each other, because people are not logically consistent in their arguments, then they get defensive about that illogical argument and start arguing in circles, then the other party just decides, "this person is an idiot and will never get it", then we start it all over again with the next issue.
C&L contributors do this a lot and I think it lessens the credibility of the blog. But since everyone else is making the same mistake, maybe it doesn't matter.
Matt in Texas @ 15:
Did your IQ immediately drop 50 Points? Did you suddenly believe THE FREE MARKET was invented by Jesus?
It's kind of like having a near death experience, now you can tell us what the other side is really like?
Bonkers @ 29:
Is everyone from Texas so dumb and racist. Please folks from Texas tell me it isn't so.
Obama will be impossible to scapegoat. They won't be able to use his image to stir up hatred in their training camps or anything, like they do with Bush.
Middle easterners do care about who's elected the next US president since the US is always in their damn business. The issue here is though, like how its been for decades now, that they already know that every single candidate is exactly the same. Obama and Hilary might sometimes act like they want a different foreign policy but their complete devotion for all Israeli policies - including sanctions on Iran makes it impossible for anyone in the middle east to differentiate them from the republicans.
Has anyone else noticed that these Mike Gravel idiots seem to be giving the Paulnuts a run for their money?
On topic, I'll say this much, Obama will be dead by a bullet from a wingnut republican (aka libertarian) before he will be killed by a middle easterner.
I'm guessing the rest of the world will be relieved if either Hillary or Obama gets in; anybody but another insane Repugnican.
As for me, I'm a Canuck, and I long for the US to go back to being a decent country, at least superficially. Then I might have some time to do other things that matter to me, rather than spend hours every day, reading about the horrors going on down there with an every-growing sense of dismay and sorrow.
Jamie, is this projection?
A lot of people around the globe care deeply about what happens in the US.
I don't comprehend why Jamie say these things. Cos it's certainly not true. Maybe Americans are afraid to realize how much impact their political landscape and policies make around the world?
With great power comes great responsibility.
You'd think Jamie is indicating that you Americans shouldn't look too much on the world around you. Of course, elite pricks have always wanted to leave other people in the dark so that they can't see what the elite is doing with the people's power. Gah, disappointing opinion mongering, C&L.
MargeAggedon @ 46:
Wow, laughing in family members faces over a difference of opinion, that's real mature. I've heard of people destroying personal relationships over "politics," a trend being exacerbated by the affirmation they're getting from various echo chambers on the internet, but it adds a whole new dimension to think this kind of behavior is something to be proud of.
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