MTV News: Europeans Think Barack Obama Is 'Cool'

[Cali_Democrat]

:bounce:

Ah, one glorious week off from covering the election. One week abroad. In Europe! Where Barack Obama’s face was EVERYWHERE! It was on television, on the covers of newspapers and magazines, not to mention the billboards advertising those newspapers and magazines.

Leave it to me to take the week off (planned months in advance, no less) when the Democratic nominee was finally decided upon. And, leave it to me to spend a lot of my time listening to people from New Zealand, England, France and Scotland tell me what THEY thought about our election.

It turns out they are pretty curious about this Obama chap. They know he’s running against “a war hero, which you Americans love,” according to a French friend, but mostly they were just impressed by how “cool” he was.



Read more....

http://newsroom.mtv.com/2008/06/09/europeans-think-barack-obama-is-cool-according-to-our-informal-research/

[Apollo11]

1. Is it accurate to say that John McCain is a "war hero"?

We know he was a PoW in Vietnam. Does that automatically mean he passes the "war hero" threshold? :eyes:

[anonymous171]

2. The hero part comes from his refusal to accept preferential treatement from his captors

for early release.

[SoCalDem]

7. That was probably to spare his Dad the humiliation

of a son using his name to get favors.. Military families are all about "honor"..

Probably the same reason GHW went off to war..his Daddy was in trouble over the Nazi stuff, so a young son goes to war..

Some have said that Gore went to Viet Nam for much the same reason..to help HIS dad..

There's something about sons always trying to live up to their dads' expectations..:(

[hokies4ever]

6. 894th out of 899

McCain graduated in the bottom 10% OF the bottom 10% of his naval academy class. In other words, he's the dumbest person in the group of dumb people. :rofl:

But to answer your question, his torture gives him automatic claim to war hero status. It's just not politically correct to suggest otherwise, even if war heroes are normally defined for the valor in battle.

[nxylas]

15. I dunno, refusing to sell out your comrades under torture seems pretty heroic to me

And Democrats disparage that at our peril. Any indication that we are less than 100% sympathetic to McCain's plight and out come the "latte liberals who hate the troops" accusations.

[SemiCharmedQuark]

16. It's actually the bottom 0.006%.

[FrenchieCat]

3. They should think he's cool....cause he is.

Even the French President and his model wife would be impress....and it is damn hard to impress the French.......believe me, I know! :)

[FarrenH]

4. Obama has achieved extraordinary recognition overseas

I was driving past a series of billboards the other day, where each billboard had a face and a single word under it (obviously building up to a final marketing pitch). People like Mandela and Einstein, really famous faces. Third billboard down: Obama, with "CHANGE" underneath his face.

This is in Johannesburg, South Africa.

[dbmk]

5. Anyone..

..being able to speak coherently and wisely about the important things we face as a world would look cool - compared to what we are used to seeing on that front.

Obama just hits it out of the park.

McCain is a republican. Thats all we need to know over here.

[Darth_Kitten]

10. How? Seriously, people need to get over hero-worship.

n/t

[FlaGranny]

11. You shouldn't accuse

our friend from Denmark of being a hero worshipper. Not nice. Obama DOES hit it out of the park in the context in which dbmk is speaking. Obama IS articulate and intelligent and he IS day vs. night when compared to Bush. The rest of the world can see the contrast between an intelligent Obama and not so intelligent Bush or McCain. Where is the hero worship in that?

P.S. Tread lightly. The rules have changed.

[BelleCarolinaPeridot]

13. Thank you !

Its not hero worship.People are happy to see a candidate that actually has substance to what he is saying.Don't bash.To each their own and move on.

[Darth_Kitten]

20. Read my post as well.

n/t

[Darth_Kitten]

19. I'm not. Read my post. And don't threaten me, dear.

I know the rules, don't get into that mindset. Maybe read them over yourself.

[JustAnotherGen]

8. Everywhere I went in France last month . ..

They found out I was an American. They found out I was Democrat. And then it came . ..


"Go Obama!!!!" Especially those people under 40. They've been charmed by him.

[Name removed]

9. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Alter Ego]

12. I'd rather Americans love him for his politics

but Europeans liking him for whatever reason is fine with me.

[Darth_Kitten]

21. I really don't think Europeans know him yet very well.

n/t

[Alcibiades]

14. If the Europeans want to do us a favor

They should attack Obama as too American and endorse McCain. That will go over well in the red states, with their xenophobic hatred of all foreigners, and not hurt us at all in the blue states.

[FrenchieCat]

17. So do I!

[barack the house]

18. America is about to become very popular all over again.