Kerry, the Big Cheese in France
Wed Feb 18, 8:29 AM ET
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It's contagious! John Kerry (news - web sites) fever has spread to Democrats living overseas. In the past few days, overflow crowds have turned up for straw-poll caucuses held by local chapters of Democrats Abroad in several European capitals, and the Massachusetts senator has emerged a clear winner.
In France, organizers had to scurry to photocopy extra ballots when nearly 800 people -- three times the expected number -- showed up for a recent caucus in Paris. Kerry won with 58%, while Wesley Clark (news - web sites) and Howard Dean (news - web sites) evenly split the remaining 42%. A few days later in London, Kerry won again, with close to 60% of the vote, at a caucus that drew more than 600 people -- also an unexpectedly large turnout.
Results from some other European caucuses are still being tallied, says Sharon Manitta, a London-based spokeswoman for Democrats Abroad. But, she says, with more than 20 caucuses throughout Europe already held, "It's clear that Senator Kerry did very well."
ANTI-BUSH. What's fueling Kerry's European groundswell is the perception that he has become unstoppable. "Kerry had no support here whatsoever until about three weeks ago," says Connie Borde, chairwoman of Democrats Abroad's French chapter. "But now people see that a vote for Kerry is, as the French would say, utile" -- that is, it won't be wasted.
Delegates elected at overseas caucuses will attend an international caucus in Edinburgh in March, at which 22 Democratic National Convention delegates will be chosen to represent Democrats abroad.
What's striking about the overseas contests so far is the unusually high turnouts on the Continent, compared with other locales that have substantial American expatriate populations, such as Canada, Japan, and Hong Kong. Party leaders say the trend reflects President George W. Bush (news - web sites)'s extreme unpopularity with Europeans on issues ranging from the Iraq (news - web sites) war to environmental protection. That sentiment seems to be rubbing off on expatriate Americans locally -- especially in recent months as transatlantic tensions have run especially high.
"People here aren't anti-American," Borde says. "They just don't like George Bush." John Kerry, s'il vous plait. |
