The rest of the world may not be able to cast their vote in the upcoming presidential election, but they still have messages for US voters about how the choice will affect their families and home countries. Indie American satellite network Link TV created a mini video site called Dear American Voter that lets people from all over the globe create and send video messages to those of us who can fill a ballot.
The ploys range from sarcastic to serious and span the political spectrum. In one of the site's promo videos (see below) a handful of non-US citizens say they wish they had a voice in the election — one woman from Australia even suggests she should be able to vote for the US president. Clearly it's critical to keep the conversation open, but do you think a message from across the world could swing your vote?
Karen Millen
True Religion
7 For All Mankind
While it's interesting to hear the input of people from other countries. It would not sway my vote.
1I don't have the words...
2I appreciate the outside perspective as these are people who are impacted as a result of our decisions too. However, many of them are looking at this from a world affairs perspective when we often place a lot of emphasis on domestic issues when selecting a president.
I am baffled by the Australian woman's belief that she should have a vote. How can she know what is best for an American citizen when she is not one?
3And people think Americans are the ones who are arrogant!
4Exactly cab.
5I think this idea would offend and even anger a whole lot of Americans.
6It is good to have a global perspective, but I would not change my vote just because some french guy told me to. I like the Kenyan woman, she seems smart. The australian woman is cracked out though, why in a MILLION years should SHE get to vote? hahaha if you want to so badly, COME HERE AND LIVE HERE!
7I don't listen to all of my nosy and arrogant friends, family and teachers who tell me how I should be voting. Why would I listen to a bunch of strangers halfway around the world? I realize they have an opinion and a (small) stake in the matter, but come on. I thought butting in on other nations' affairs was one of the main complaints they have against us?
8Exactely Sarah. Would they like for Americans to start giving input as to who those countries should elect (assuming those countries actually hold elections)?
9I think it's good to listen to what people say in general, and I respect their opinions. However, I hate it when people from other countries think they should have the right to vote in our election. And this isn't the first time I've heard people say they should.
Um, hi, excuse me, you don't live here! I know that our country has a big effect on the world, but you don't like what we do? Tough! Elect someone in your country that will come over and give us a spanking. Because that's how it works. We have no control over what happens in your country, you shouldn't have control in what happens in ours.
They don't pay taxes here, they aren't affected by domestic issues. And I'm sorry, but no matter how stupid the average American is, I don't think they're really that much smarter.
10I enjoy reading magazines that have an international perspective and I think it's interesting to hear how people from other countries view us, and I think it's important to remember that as a super-power the U.S. does impact their lives... but I wouldn't change my vote because of anything any stranger said.
11When making big decisions such as who should be the next leader of our country, who is a huge player in global politics and affairs, getting perspectives from citizens of other countries could be incredibly beneficial. I know to take all of their comments with a little grain of salt, though. Verily, I , too, am baffled by the Australian woman's comment about being able to vote in another country's elections.
12Sorry, no ... how could someone who does not live in my country be able to vote or tell me how to vote? I appreciate the advice ... but I may or may not take it.
13Yeah, I keep getting emails from these people in Nigeria asking me to help them with some sort of bank account. I mean, if they can't even figure out how to get their own money out of an account, I'm sure not going to listen to who they think our president should be. That's for sure!
14What I want to know is when we can expect to see rac's video!
15Well first of all I think the suggestion that this would (swing my vote) is just a little too strong. However, our impact out side of our national boarders is something that we should all take into consideration. Especially living in a nation whose national pride swells to such proportions that it impedes our ability to be introspective. We all share the same air, water, oceans, environment and economic interdependence. There for it is helpful to here from our neighbors and friends not to disrupt our own agenda and priorities but to provide guidance so that we may approach our goals in a way that is more just for everyone involved.
16"Especially living in a nation whose national pride swells to such proportions that it impedes our ability to be introspective."
That's the most articulate thing I've read in quite a while. Bravo!
17No one except for myself influence my vote. However I really look forward to hearing other's perspective specially from countries that our culture and our government's choices impact.
But no way should they get the chance to vote in our elections unless they actually become a citizen here, here pay taxes and realize our domestic issues as well as our international ones
18*oops double here
19Can you even imagine what would happen if we Americans tried to influence other countries' voters?! It would just exacerbate the worldwide idea of us as egotistical blowhards! So why would we let them do that to us? I'm sorry, but I'm completely uninterested in what they have to say, because they don't truly know what it's like to live in America.
I'm tired of this attitude of being "apologetically American." Just because our country has made some unpopular foreign policy decisions, or because we are generally a privileged culture, doesn't mean I should have to duck and cover, or pretend I'm Canadian, whenever I go abroad. I have nothing to be ashamed of.
20I think what they have to say is interesting but it would not change how I plan to vote.
21"I'm tired of this attitude of being "apologetically American." Just because our country has made some unpopular foreign policy decisions, or because we are generally a privileged culture, doesn't mean I should have to duck and cover, or pretend I'm Canadian, whenever I go abroad. I have nothing to be ashamed of."
AMEN!!!!
22I like other country's perspectives and I certainly agree with several points they make. I am concern about both world and domestic affairs and it matters to me what impact America has on other nations. I'm not so egocentric that my vote is only about me. After all, I have friends, love ones, and relatives who reside in both Europe and Asia.
As for that Australian woman acting pompous and saying she should have the right to vote for an American president, that's idiotic beyond words. It's like saying voters in South Carolina have a right to vote on local issues in California.
Overall, I agree that all Americans need to be mindful of opinions outside our borders and take some consideration when deciding on who and what to vote on.
23YES Jillerin!! I'm so with you there!
Sure, it's nice to hear what people have to say, but it definitely would not sway my vote.
24Everyone's entitled to their opinion. No matter how useless it is.
25I agree jillerin457 save for personal security sake no one should have to apologize for their nationality. Besides no one in the video was even remotely hostile in their tone.
What we should apologize for is not being forthright in our recognition of our own imperfection as we are of our strengths. Getting American to indulge in just a little humble pie is likened to trying to get a child to take castor oil. America is a great country and we have done great things together. However, the point is good deeds are not a hall pass for indifference when it comes to mistakes and or unilateral decisions which impact a global community.
The world is just asking us to be a good neighbor and there is no audacity in that.
26I never hide the fact that I am American but I don't go around waving the flag and shouting "Im American!" either. From my experience I have never had someone dismiss me because I am American. A lot of people have nothing against Americans they just do not like the choices that our government has made and how it has affected their country.
I just think since we are such a huge influence on other countries and a world power it doesn't hurt to hear what people from other countries think
27"Can you even imagine what would happen if we Americans tried to influence other countries' voters?!"
Sorry, this statement makes me wonder if you've paid attention at all in history class or to the news...
28"Since the end of World War II, the United States, usually acting covertly through the CIA, has installed or toppled leaders on every continent, secretly supported political parties of close allies like Japan, fomented coups, spread false rumors, bribed political figures and spent countless billions of dollars to sway public opinion." (NY Times)
Hypnotic, it is an honor to post along side you.
29Oh, Stephley, how charming of you to question my education. Actually, I'm finishing my second Master's degree this summer, with a focus on 20th Century US History.
What I meant by that question, and what I think is quite clear from context, is what would be the impact if everyday citizens openly tried to influence other nations' voters. I made no claims about what organizations like the CIA have done, except what was implied by the comment about questionable foreign policy decisions.
Obviously none of us are proud of everything America has done lately. But that doesn't mean that I, personally, need to go to France, or Kenya, or India, and lecture citizens about the ins and outs of their government. I don't live there. I don't have the necessary information, or the right. What our own government does in this regard is clearly not commendable, and I'm not interested in following suit.
I appreciate those of you who understood what I meant!
30"It would just exacerbate the worldwide idea of us as egotistical blowhards! So why would we let them do that to us? I'm sorry, but I'm completely uninterested in what they have to say, because they don't truly know what it's like to live in America."
31"Just because our country has made some unpopular foreign policy decisions, or because we are generally a privileged culture, doesn't mean I should have to duck and cover, or pretend I'm Canadian, whenever I go abroad. I have nothing to be ashamed of."
These lines in your post, coming right after the first part of your post, call 'clear context' into question. Unpopular foreign policy decisions by the American government would be Americans trying to influence their decisions - the CIA is American. You said Americans in your first post, you used 'everyday citizens' in your second. The people who make foreign policy decisions or work for the CIA are everyday citizens - there are not different levels of citizenship. We are responsible for our government. To pretend we're not raises the whole egotistical blowhard issue again.
Yes, I think there are two different discussions at work here. Stephley is right. America has influenced a great many policies around the world since WWII, of which I am sure jillerin is well aware. I don't agree with the fact that people who make decisions are "everyday citizens" though. They have information the rest of us don't and they are entrusted with certain responsibilities we do not have to concern ourselves with. Theoretically we are all under the same law, but I think it's naive to say that someone like George Bush has the same level of responsibility or citizenship as an office manager at a shipping company in Duluth.
32Different level of responsibility, same citizenship. The office manager from Duluth can apply for a job with the CIA, can join the military, can go to work for Blackwater, could run for Congress. The office manager and Bush are everyday citizens who applied for different jobs. There is nothing magic or special about anybody in the government - sometimes they know stuff the rest of us don't, sometimes they pretend to. You want a job with the government so you can make decisions? Pick a department, take a test, have a friend recommend you, work for a political campaign. 'Everyday' citizens do it every day.
33We've all made some valid points here. The video is simply a testimonial of citizens from around the world asking us to keep in mind that with great power comes great responsibility. This phrase should be no stranger to any of us. These are not foreign government officials ranting on a political angle. These are real people just like you and I who's everyday lives are in our way.
There is absolutely no reason why strength and pride can not be maintained with added diligence towards truth and justice. No one is saying run around the world in 80 days and offer a thousand pardons. Simply adjust and implement that's all it takes folks and if you're too bothered to do that than all I have to say is pardon me.
34Question 1: Will they be buying gas for US citizens or helping with a morgage.
35i respect other cultures and love to travel but in my country i will vote for who is the leader based on MY concerns
36While it is interesting to hear perspectives from everywhere, this would not influence my vote.
37Based on my travels I'm probably already voting the way the rest of the world would like me to vote--never met a person in another country who was pro-Bush (or sided with Republicans). But what I really want is a president who actually listens to what other countries have to say and realizes that our actions affect the rest of the world. Like it or not, we don't live in a bubble.
38I agree to an extint javsmav, but I want a leader who, in the long run, will do what is best for this country, even if it isn't what the rest of the world wants us to do.
39just for fun...
Dutch Logic on election:
We in Holland cannot figure out why you are even bothering to hold an election. On one side, you have a
40b**** who is a lawyer married to a lawyer, and a lawyer
who is married to a b**** who is a lawyer. On the other side, you have a true war hero married to a woman with huge tits and owns a beer distributorship.
Is there a contest here?
Hi everyone -- I'm working on this project at Link TV. I think hypnoticmix put it best when he said we're just trying to be "good neighbors." That's what it's about -- sharing ideas and concerns, informing Americans as to what's going on in the world. We're not trying to be "apologetically American," but the U.S. has a big footprint in the world, culturally and politically, so we wanted to create a site where anyone could discuss what changes they'd like to see, and to give a view of the U.S. from the outside looking in. We want American opinions too of course.
Anyway, feel free to ask me any questions about it, and I invite you all to submit a video
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