Interesting summary!

Several US journalists expressed their surprise on several TV stations today over how closely Europeans are following the US race and how much they know about it. Best show in town, as far as we are concerned (no evening date without a long discussion of US primaries these days), since most of our governments piss us off at the moment as well. (Could you leave my paragraphs if you post it, please?)

So here’s my take: Texas will have the same problem as had CA last week: Many voted by mail weeks before Obamania set in. This will mean fewer votes for Obama than if they voted on the very day, I think. They might have changed their minds in the meantime. And: If it’s an open primary and if you’re a Rep, you want Hillary to be the opponent and not Obama (although I am actually convinced that Hillary is the better one-to-one debater of the two and she has endured all the shit in the world from the Reps and misogynists at large already, whereas I find him weak on that front. He needs big crowds to look good, I’ve noticed), so it’ll be interesting to see whether they genuinely are going to vote for whom they like or for who could be defeated by a Rep., i.e. Hillary. I am beginning to feel pity for that woman. Politically, she’s more progressive than Obama on some fronts, after all, but she is part of the system, that’s true.

Didn’t know about the jerrymandering, bloody hell!

Europe’s into Obamania as well, BTW. He’d get 90% here, I think. I am happy that he finally came up with a few concrete programmes (did he mention how he’d finance them, though?), because so far it’s all been very lofty and just kiddy-style feel-good and I am too much of a political animal to be swayed by anybody’s rhetoric – plus mindlessly following a leader because he has a few good lines is dangerous.

EU Commissioner (and ex-Blair Man For All Seasons) Peter Mandelson BTW reminded people today that Europe’s enthusiasm for Obama was one he shared, but strictly speaking, McCain would actually be the one who was the least likely to close the borders to foreign imports, i.e. he’d be the one the EU should wish for, economically speaking. The guy who interviewed him was in utter shock and needed resuscitation.

Brigitte