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Cheers for Obama and McCain

· Eunice del Rosario

Categories: Americas, East Asia, South Asia, Bangladesh, Brazil, Taiwan (ROC), Democratic Party, Republican Party, Government & Politics, International Relations

They’re cheering for Camp Obama. They’re cheering for Camp McCain. They wear the pins, the t-shirts with the big logos – you name it, it’s on them. Dare say anything bad about their favourite candidate and you’re in for a major debate. Yes, they’re the new mavericks – or would want to be anyway – except of course that they’re not Americans.

But who cares?

The Bangladeshi community in New York certainly does not. They have an opinion and have even gone to the busy streets of the Big Apple to make their voices heard. Elizabeth Dwoskin [1]describes how Bangladeshis have caught the “voting fever” in the boroughs. You think the US presidential election is a big deal? For this community, the election of the Bangladesh Society in New York is downright an obsession!

“Voters, most of whom are non-citizens, are obsessed with the electoral process.

“As in the presidential election, the same issues had come up: economic insecurity, voting fraud, and the charisma of the candidates.

“”We are born into politics,” said Mia, adding that Bangladeshis love Barack Obama. “It's the way we grow up—politics, politics,” he said. “Americans don't seem to care that much.”

“Few people, however, could name the Bangladesh Society's accomplishments during the previous year.”

The election took over much of the Sachalayatan Community Blog [2]today as Bangladeshi contributors took time to put in a word about what they thought of the results to come.

Faqir Ilyas, who is also from New York, wrote in Bangla that Bangladeshis have started to vote for their favourite with great enthusiasm.

“Some of them are campaigning for Obama from a distance. The security arrangements have been beefed up in this city.”

Going further East on the world map, Taiwanese blogger marc17580 [3]said he could only hope Senator John McCain wins.

事實上, 作為一個美國大選的局外人, 一個台灣人, 一個中華民國國民, 從現實考量上, 實在是希望共和黨的馬侃能順利勝出, 這當然與共和黨長期以來對亞太局勢及美國在區域利益的設定上俱較民主黨利於台灣有關, 但在我國陳前總統八年治下不斷衝撞美台中日國際關係與均勢下, 說真的, 未來四年無分美國總統是民主黨還是共和黨, 對於我國與美中日相互間的折衝, 想來都在起跑的基準上差別不大(更且我國馬政府已抱定對中大開放的政策為其行事準則). 再加以世界金融危機方興未艾, 連小布希總統御下的美國政府都已採取保守派最不喜歡的企業國有化來挽救與干預市場了, 則未來的美國新政府及國會, 想必也是在這個基準上加以應變

“As an outsider in this election and as a citizen from Taiwan, practically we should hope McCain will win. It is because, of course, that Republicans have better policies towards Taiwan, Asia-Pacific arena and regional interests, compared to the Democrats. Because ex-President Chen from Taiwan challenged international relationships among the US, Taiwan, China and Japan for the past eight years, however, it won't make much difference which party leads the US government in the next four years (The incumbent government in Taiwan has also decided to take an open attitude in China policy). As global financial crisis unfolds, even the Bush government has implemented a nationalization policy that conservatives dislike the most to rescue the market. Future US government and parliament are thought to respond with this standard.”

Brazilian Idelber Avelar’s blog, Biscoito Fino e Massa (Fine Cookie and Dough), [4]hopes that the shameful fraud in Florida during the 2000 elections would not see a repeat this year.

“Depois do vergonhoso roubo das eleições de 2000 na Flórida e das muitas irregularidades [5] que contribuiram para o resultado de 2004 em Ohio, o mais primitivo e precário sistema eleitoral do chamado Primeiro Mundo passará hoje pela sua prova de fogo. O Partido Republicano, minoritário nas grandes cidades, já tem, há algum tempo, a supressão do voto como um dos elementos centrais da sua estratégia. Este ano não foi diferente, embora, até o momento, não tenha dado muito certo [6]. “

“After the shameful fraud in Florida in the 2000 elections, and of the many irregularities [5] [En] that contributed to the Ohio results in 2004, the world's most primitive and precarious electoral system in the so called First World will go through it's most difficult test. The Republican Party, a minority in the biggest cities, is accustomed to use vote suppression as one of its main strategical elements. And this year was no different, although, at the moment, this strategy is not working very well [6] [En].”

And after these words, Idelber goes on to show a long list with a series of examples of vote suppression and other irregularities that happened in the last days, including intimidation and misinformation campaigns – all of which were in the Republican best interests.

Read blogs from around the world, however, and you get a sense that Camp Obama may be in the lead.

Tania from the Sachalayatan Community Blog [2]may have captured the mood in one sentence. Writing in Bangla, she said:

“McCain is dreaming a dream and Obama is living a dream.”

** Translations provided by Global Voices Online's Lingua Team [7]: Leonard Chien from Taiwan [8]; Rezwan from Bangladesh [9]and Daniel Duende Caravalho, from Brazil [10].