Flutherites who don't live in America: Why do you follow American elections and who do you support?

Just a guess, since I’m not from another country, but the US has a lot of world influence (usually negative these days).

Also, from the people I’ve met from other countries, they tend to be more sensitive to international issues then the US is (the US elections being an international issue for anyone not from the US)

To attempt to answer your question from an American’s point of view: It’s because we are holding onto the big dog’s spot still. Despite all of our problems and troubles we still influence much of how the world works.

In less than a week I won’t be in America anymore for awhile so I’ll go ahead and pretend I belong in the sample group. Right now I’m stuck between McCain and Bob Barr. I’m thinking Republicans no longer represent the conservative ideal and have lost touch with the rest of America. The only difference between Republicans and Democrats is how fast they grow the government and Republicans are quickly trying to catch up. Our country made itself great not being a socialist republic but we’re well on our way to ruining that.

Ever notice how the U.S. tends to (for lack of a better word) meddle in other countries’ affairs?
Because the rest of us have noticed and come to expect this, we have a morbid curiosity in who will be the next to make these decisions.

The American elections affect the entire world… just look at how the past 8 years of Bush has wrecked havoc across the entire planet. Luckily, for most of the world, the devastation he caused to the US was actually greater – which is a novel claim to fame for a US president, but I digress. Anyway, I would support Obama – although I think even he will have a hard time bucking the system of politics in the US. I actually think the entire US political system is a farce, and the people have been completely removed from consideration, except purely as a PR maneuver. Hopefully a strong leader without a lifetime of pandering to special interest groups, like Obama, can come in and change things but I rather doubt it. Ralph Nader would also be an excellent President, I believe. But Americans tend to dislike leaders that are smarter than they are.

@jlelandg

The only difference between Republicans and Democrats in the U.S. is that one party knows how to make the country feel really good about the self-serving, corporate ass-licking, human rights-abusing, civil liberties-smashing, climate-killing, American exceptionalizing jingoism that makes us the greatest nation on Earth, and the other one hasn’t… yet.