Monday,
October 27, 2008
All Italy
and Europe Roots for Obama
Italy may have voted Bush's buddy Belusconi back
into power, BUT Italians and Europeans are overwhelmingly in favor of Barack
Obama as the next president of the United States. They want change,
and they want it now.
Italians
blame George W. Bush for the world's
current economic woes, the war, and maybe even a proliferation
of terrorist groups. The sentiment that America is the land of opportunity
is no longer valid. That mentality is something out of the history books
for them. Today's United States, many
of them say, is floundering, and it is taking the rest of the world down on the
way.
Italians are thoroughly impressed with OBAMA,
especially his confidence, speaking abilities, and promises. They are pleased that he
would like to speak with world leaders, even dictators and the so-called
evil-doers
George W. Bush's buddy Silvio Berlusconi may be back in power in Italy, but the
public is still hoping that the more liberal Barack Obama is the United States' next president
Our Paesani
by Francesca Di Meglio
October 26, 2008
Wherever I went
in Italy last month, I
talked about the upcoming presidential election in the United States. It was all anyone
wanted to discuss with me, an American, who can speak Italian fluently. The
majority of Italians with whom I spoke are hoping Barack Obama is the next
president of the United
States. They want change, and they want it
now.
In June, a survey
covering Britain, France, Germany,
Russia, and Italy, showed that Obama would have won in Europe at that point by a landslide, according to the
Telegraph. Americans in Italy
have organized to support Obama. After speaking with my family and friends and
even strangers in the airports, I can safely say that many Italians blame
George W. Bush for the world's
current economic woes, the war, and maybe even a proliferation of terrorist
groups. The sentiment that the streets are paved with gold,
and America
is the land of opportunity is no longer valid among Italians. That mentality is
something out of the history books for them. Today's
United States,
many of them say, is floundering, and it is taking the rest of the world down
on the way.
You kind of get
the feeling that they are just hoping for the candidate that is the least
like Bush. Still, that's not all
that draws them to Obama. They are thoroughly impressed with him, especially
his confidence, speaking abilities, and promises. They are pleased that he
would like to speak with world leaders, even dictators and the so-called
evil-doers. One of my friends told me he truly believes that Obama can make
change. The hope is that Obama can get money back in the pockets of Americans,
which help get it back in the pockets of Italians and
others.
Despite their
desire to see Obama in the Oval Office, many Italians with whom I spoke have
little faith in the people of the United States. They believe many
Americans are racist and will not vote for Obama because of his race. They fear
that there will be serious threats to his life should he win.
Change, however,
is notoriously difficult in Italy.
Although the government changes as frequently as a man changes his underwear,
the individuals running Italy
often have trouble getting things done because of bureaucracy and the many
political parties. Even though the country as a whole seems to despise Bush,
they still let Berlusconi, a great friend and ally to Bush, return as prime
minister when Romano Prodi was unable to deliver. The
irony is that they want the complete opposite of Bush in the next American
president but they have the same ol' thing in Berlusconi.
It certainly will
be interesting to see what happens after Election Day. The Italians can have
all the opinions they'd like, but
they don't get to vote in the
American election. It will be the American people who decide the country's - and
some would argue the world's - fate
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