Elections are national events. People pick the candidates who they think will make things better in their own country and for their own citizens. Some elections, however, like those for the United States presidency, have enormous international repercussions, many of which are determined by the reactions of non-Americans to the outcome.
When George Bush defeated John Kerry in 2004, the world felt great sadness. The feeling almost everywhere was “how could they do it again?” “How could they allow his policies to play out for another four years?” And “what happened to the America we used to know?”
The present election is a definitive sign for the rest of the world. The reaction to its outcome is clear in advance to anyone who bothers to read a foreign paper or go on-line to a foreign website. If Obama wins, there will be hope. If McCain wins the judgment will be that this country, the United States, is on a disastrous path that its people are unable or unwilling to leave.
Maybe this isn’t the best reason for vote for Obama. But maybe it’s a reason more people in this country should be thinking about.