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Nick Cohen: If I Could Vote, It'd Be For... |
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| Foreign Journalists Pick Their Candidate | ||
 by Nick Cohen, October 27, 2008 |
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From this Series
Jewcy recently asked a select group of foreign writers we admire to state which candidate they'd vote for if they could, and why. Nick Cohen's response is the first in a series we will be running from now until Election Day.
Obama for four reasons:
1. Although McCain is an impressive man, he has not had an impressive campaign, and looks too old for the job to me.
2. He's been a maverick on many issues -- except the economy. What with one thing and another, new Republican thinking about economics is needed right now, and his failure to meet the challenge of the Crash by shaking himself out of conservative orthodoxy counts against him.
3. I know this is a despicable argument, I realise you must judge men by the content of their character rather than the colour of their skin, but a black president is still one hell of a milestone to put behind you. The post-racial society an Obama presidency would inevitably bring, whether he wants it or not, is worth having. Wouldn't it be good if our children didn't have to go through all the speech codes, colour quotas and politics
of competitive grievance which have so numbed the minds and twisted the tongues of our generation?
4. Around the world, liberal opinion has desecended into anti-Americanism and fellow-travelling with totalitarianism. Liberals will find it harder to carry on with their old debased ways if Obama takes charge. Many will, of course, but some will recover their wits and return to honourable politics.
This is not an endorsement. I am a journalist, and I reserve the right to denounce Obama as a scoundrel from the moment he takes office.
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David N. Friedman
Therefore, some foreign journalist cites four "reasons" to vote for Obama. The first two have nothig to do with Obama and deal with McCain--stating no reason--only opinion that McCain is 1) too old (please tell me when I become too old so I will know--is it 52 or 55 or 61) and 2) too conventional. Third, it is great to have a black guy as President and lastly--quite remarkably--that it is good for liberals abroad who will have a harder time hating America if Obama is the President.
Note the first three are no reasons at all to vote for Obama.
The belief that Obama as President will force liberals to become more honourable is quite a statement. It is a good idea to start the process of explaining who is to blame when Obama fails. It seems to me that first to blame will be the Jews since Obama will not be criticized. Second, they will blame Bush since blaming Bush for anything and everything is a reflex. Indeed,, if one can blame Bush for a hurricane and some light-hearted gags at Abu Garaib--you can blame him for events that happend after his watch. But when will the left ever be blamed by the left: NEVER. That is a guarantee.
jer
Are you serious? Abu Ghraib was "light-hearted gags"?
A standard mouthpiece for conservative values.
Zeevico
"A standard mouthpiece for conservative values"?
I don't understand what your point here is about 'conservatives.'
RW
Electing a dead Haitian dictator to the Whiet House will be a milestone too - a real once in a lifetime opportunity for the American electorate.
Papa Doc Duvalier in 2008.
See Slate's excellent analysis on liberal guilt and the election - possibly the only honest analysis of the role it has played so far in this election.
ProAmerican
"Around the world, liberal opinion has desecended into anti-Americanism"
Such as this famous article from Nick Cohen a year after Bush had been elected and a few months after September 11th - 'Why it is Right to be Anti-American'.
http://www.newstatesman.com/200201140006