Why On Earth Would Americans Vote Bush-Cheney Agenda Back Into Power? Europeans Are Perplexed...

[Hissyspit]

http://www.alternet.org/story/148841/why_on_earth_would_americans_vote_the_old_bush-cheney_agenda_back_into_power_europeans_are_perplexed

Why on Earth Would Americans Vote the Old Bush-Cheney Agenda Back into Power? Europeans Are Perplexed

Even conservatives in Europe are scratching their heads over their transatlantic allies who appear to hate the idea of cheaper, universal health care.

November 12, 2010 |

For several weeks before the recent U.S. election, there was much nervous speculation among Europeans as they watched the fluctuations of the poll numbers. Now that the results are in, Europeans are perplexed by this turn back toward the politics of the Bush-Cheney era.

Like the rest of the world, Europe cheered the election of Barack Obama as a change from the economic and foreign policy disasters of his predecessor. Yet just two years later the US government is returning to Bush-lite. How could this be, Europeans are wondering? The American electorate is looking like a coyote with its leg caught in a trap, chewing its own leg off to get out of the trap.

Europeans are puzzled by the success of the populist Tea Party movement, which seemingly wants to roll back the last two years and return to how things were at the end of the Bush-Cheney years. Even conservatives in Europe are scratching their heads over their transatlantic allies -- “Americans don’t want health care??? How can these Tea Party people say ‘Get government out of my Medicare -- don’t they know Medicare IS a government program???”

While participating in a conference in Budapest in September, where prominent conservative leaders and thinkers were in attendance, including the president of the European Parliament and two prime ministers, some of the most eye-opening comments had to do with new perceptions about America. One speaker, Christian Stoffaes, who is chairman of the Center for International Prospective Studies based in Paris, stated the "United States is in disarray, extremely polarized. It is practically a civil war there, and you can't count on it."

This theme was echoed by others speakers, who went even further. One said "We need to shift our emphasis eastward (towards Asia) and not wait for the Obama administration." I found these statements to be surprising, and even vaguely alarming, given the importance of the transatlantic relationship in the post-World War II era. But there was a widespread view that the US is being consumed by the severity of the Great Recession, brought on by a broken Wall Street capitalism, as well as by the quagmires of the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts, and an inability to change course.

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[SpiralHawk]

1. "It's a RepubliKink. We are into FAIL Freakery." - Republicons

"And you ain't seen nothing yet. Smirk."
- Republicons & RepubliBaggers

[melody]

2. And we care because?

European politics is every bit as bizarre as American politics, simply in different ways. The difference is that Americans are too busy scratching for our own survival to criticize what anyone else is doing.

[Hissyspit]

4. Americans don't criticize what anyone else is doing?

That's news to me.

[melody]

5. Only right-wing "Freedom Fries" cranks whom we mock

It's even an old bromide -- Americans don't care about other cultures because we don't discuss them. It's a common "acceptance" in European dialogues.

And while we bitch (rightly) at the Freedom Fries idiots, we're accepting someone doing the same thing to us -- generalizing and stereotyping.

When it's wrong in one case, it's wrong in all cases.

[pipoman]

24. Amen to that

I always find it amusing when I read of European narcissism.

[Hissyspit]

25. American narcissism is not amusing?

[glitch]

32. No, it's deadly. nt

[theophilus]

29. It is best not to generalize, imo. Many Americans are too busy

criticizing others to get the job down in fixing our country....."Canadian socialist medicine!, etc."

It would be nice if we could be that "shining city on a hill" and not a big pile of steaming crap. That's why I care. It is totally ridiculous that so many chose to vote R when they don't even like their policies. Just simplistic spite. If they had elected Ds and leaned on them they could have gotten the change the want. IMO.

[sendero]

3. It couldn't be more simple..

.... Obama worked for Wall Street and not Main Street so the incumbent party was shown the door.

Since nothing along those lines is going to change in two years what happens in 2012 is anyone's guess. Republican president with Dem congress? Not out of the question it is all about PUNISHING INCUMBENTS.

[Bullet1987]

6. This country is becoming a joke around the world....

[melody]

9. The first first-world nation to vote in a black person as President is a joke?

I don't know which bothers me more -- the far-left's inferiority complex or the far-right's superiority complex.

The truth, as usual, is somewhere in the center.

[Name removed]

20. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[WVRICK13]

23. Becoming

I think we have been a global joke for a long time and Bush was the punch line.

[glinda]

41. The Repubs gaining back some power really did it. I noticed a huge

shift in Obama's trip this time in as far as how we are treated. People are sick of us. I am sick of us.

[Solly Mack]

7. K&R

[political_Dem]

8. Because people believed the hype that Mr. Obama was solely to blame.

Add the folks who are "threatened by change" and want to "teach those Dems a lesson", then you get elected officials who will simply stop the progress that has been going on. Anger and hate helps keep things status quo. These voters don't care about the larger picture.

The sad thing in this "pyrrhic victory" is that they not only screwed themselves, but the rest of us too by using such negativity to guide their vote. Consequently, they are pretty proud of what they did with no remorse.

This is why we need to teach critical thinking in school.

[melody]

10. Polling clearly shows they don't

They blame the GOP. But the last election takeover happened in very red regions in less educated areas. There weren't a big influx of Democratic voters for Obama to make the difference.

[canoeist52]

12. Critical Thinking is the key

I remember taking test in school on "Fact or Opinion". Many adults today would never pass.

[Ghost Dog]

19. The key is to be found in this paragraph here:

Previously, Obama’s failure at the Copenhagen summit on climate change to deliver a serious commitment to that agenda, and instead to strike a deal with the Chinese to do next to nothing, was a real wakeup call to the Europeans. It was as if they suddenly “got” it, that it wasn’t George W. Bush who was the problem, but something more profound about America’s broken political system that prevents any leader, even one as talented as Obama, from delivering. That political system is marinated in money, is paralyzed by a “filibuster-gone-wild” Senate that has allowed a minority of Senators to obstruct all legislation, and is hamstrung by a sclerotic, winner-take-all, two-party electoral system that has left voters poorly represented and deeply frustrated.

[blondeatlast]

33. I actually was taught that in college--as part of the Honors program.

Sad, but true--"average" students were not permitted to take the course.

[jonnyblitz]

11. They assume the Bush-Cheney agenda went away when Obama

took over.

[elehhhhna]

34. as did I.

[Tesha]

13. Answer: Many Americans are woefully-misinformed morons. (NT)

[tanyev]

14. More like a coyote who managed to release the trap,

then turned around, re-set it and voluntarily stepped in it again.

[City Lights]

15. Too many Americans are clueless. nt

[Turbineguy]

16. Americans have become convinced

That self-destruction is the answer.

[jimlup]

17. Folks are ignorant and have no where to turn.

That is why films like:

http://www.sonyclassics.com/insidejob/">Inside Job

need to be seen by as many people as possible so that they understand who the real enemy is.

[CoffeeCat]

18. Remember in "V For Vendetta"...

England was in the throes of Fascism and America was mentioned as a foregone disaster. Our
country was mentioned in the past tense, described as crumbled, ravaged, sad place. Mentioned
also were our scarce medical resources and a devastated and distraught U.S. population.

I'd like to know more background on the author of the book, which became a movie.

You have to wonder if it isn't someone's blueprint for world domination. After all, if the
elite globalists are to succeed, American must be wiped out as a superpower.

[meow mix]

21. i believe America was locked in a civil war as well.

if i remember right..

[lunatica]

22. I'm very puzzled about it too

Every two years are we going to lop off another appendage? Our nose this time just to spite our face? What next? Start with the fingers and toes?

[deacon]

45. Short term memories. It's hard to believe they forgot what it's like but now they get a refresher

course.

[old mark]

26. Many Americans are perplexed as well - we seem to have an overgenerous

dose of teh stupid here in the good ol' USA!


mark

[TheKentuckian]

27. Both our monolithic and corrupt parties believe in global corporatism enforced via Pax Americana

Free trade, and trickle down theory.

Obama is correct that the parties are at about 80% agreement (probably higher but constituencies make the real level of agreement difficult to address publicly) and hence there is a very narrow spectrum of ideas that are ever discussed.

We have the conservative wing and a radical regressive wing of a corporate uniparty and that's it.

[Marr]

28. Europeans mostly have a more modern electoral system that reflect public opinion.

We have a binary system and a media that are dominated by massive business interests.

[Catherina]

30. It ain't just Europeans! n/t

[Kalyke]

31. Nothing puzzling here: they have real news and we have corporate news.

If they knew that, they wouldn't be puzzled at all.

[The Backlash Cometh]

35. Because Republicans are stupid, stupid, stupid and racist insular pricks.

[MisterP]

36. we were at 80% of the Bush-Cheney agenda 2009-10--why should we not go to 95%? nt

[Rex]

37. Ya it is a real mindfuck, I still marvel at my countries stupidity.

We put it up on a pedestal for the world to see.

[butterfly77]

38. Kicked&Recommended..

[TwilightGardener]

39. Politics is a game, it's a sport. There are people who vote for X because

Y has just been in office too long and we need some fresh blood. Or they vote for Y because X is a Democrat and therefore he'll "take their guns away", and that's the most important issue facing that voter. Or because X doesn't look like me. Very few people take their votes seriously--probably because things change and get worse or better very gradually and you feel somewhat insulated from bad voting decisions. I don't know if Europe operates like that.

[inna]

40. never underestimate the power of propaganda in this country.

[tavalon]

42. Because we like being treated in a way that reminds us of our heritage?

We've always been owned by someone. These days it's the repugs and big corporations. We are so dumbed down we actually think they know more about what we need than we do.

[mfcorey1]

43. It can be summed up by something that was once posted here on DU. I don't know the poster's name

but in summary this is what was written:

I went to sleep in America and woke up in Dumbfukistan.

This says it all about why Republicans are now back in office.

[deacon]

44. The media elects who they want to. n/t

[Hissyspit]

46. .