Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Politics : Don't Blame Me, I Voted For Kerry -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Lizzie Tudor who wrote (4711)	3/1/2004 9:24:26 PM
From: ChinuSFO	Respond to of 81568

"Anybody But Bush" Many U.S. Expatriates Prefer 'Anybody But Bush' Mon Mar 1, 2004 07:05 AM ET By Erik Kirschbaum BERLIN (Reuters) - Often caught in the firing line when foreigners vent their anger at George W. Bush, many American expatriates are flocking to Democratic primaries abroad and pinning hopes on a John Kerry election victory in November. U.S. expatriate voters number more than six million worldwide, but they have long been a nebulous and somewhat neglected bloc whose absentee ballots end up scattered, with limited impact, across 50 states. But three years of Bush's foreign policies have rattled their adopted countries and shaken into action many expatriates weary of hostile questions on Iraq, the environment and other issues. Some are brimming with enthusiasm for Kerry, a Massachusetts Senator and the Democratic front-runner ahead of this week's "Super Tuesday" primary races in several states. Others say any candidate would be better than Bush. "Bush is one of the biggest threats to world peace and to the standing of the United States in the world community," said Darren Sullivan, 35, a photographer who lives in Amsterdam. "His reasons for war in Iraq were never convincing," Sullivan said. "It increased hate people feel for America. My vote won't be so much for Kerry as it will be against Bush." Democrats Abroad leaders have said unusually large numbers are flocking to caucuses being held in about two dozen chapters around the world -- to pick delegates for regional and world caucuses to be held in Edinburgh in late March. Megan Ceronsky, an Oxford University student, was with 600 other Americans at a record-breaking primary in London recently. "I'm often asked to explain American foreign policy and domestic politics, but it's a difficult and frustrating task... Bush does not represent what I love about my country," the 26-year-old said. "It was clear everyone was disgusted with what has happened under Bush." There are still many expatriates who say they will vote for Bush again. "I don't feel embarrassed by Bush," said Judith Goeke, an American lawyer based in Belgrade. "I'm a Republican. I don't support everything he stands for. But that doesn't mean I'm ready to leap into the Kerry camp." BUSH MOBILIZES DEMOCRATS ABROAD Others say it's more than "Anybody But Bush" that has electrified Americans. Kerry's international credentials, his pro-environment record, language skills and having lived abroad himself have cheered expatriates and non-Americans alike. Kerry, who speaks French and some German, lived for two years in Berlin in the early 1950s, as two German magazines that featured him on covers noted recently. A Catholic, he also recently learned that a grandfather was an ethnic German Jew born in the Czech Republic who later moved to America at the turn of the last century and converted. Many Americans in Germany, France and Russia said they were aghast at how Washington slammed allies for opposing the Iraq war and how some back home staged actions like pouring French wine down gutters or renaming French fries "Freedom Fries." "I'll vote for any Democrat who's nominated -- I just want Bush out," said artist Amaranth Ehrenhalt, who lives in Paris, at another Democrats Abroad caucus packed with more than 500. Many Americans joined millions marching in anti-war rallies around the world. There were also boycotts of U.S. goods. "Bush has a knack for manipulating the truth," said Bart Redmond, a Kansas native and former Howard Dean supporter living in Moscow. "I feel confident I will get a straighter story from Kerry than I would from Bush." Film publicist Gene Rizzo has lived in Italy for 34 years but said he had never wanted to vote more than this year. "Bush has radicalized me politically," said Rizzo, who has organized an absentee voter registration drive. "A lot of people are going to support whoever the Democrat is, regardless." In Cairo, writer and researcher Patrick Werr said he had not voted for years but would apply for an absentee ballot in 2004. "We need a 'regime change' in Washington," said Werr. "Because of Bush's policies there has been a distinct coolness toward Americans in Egypt that I never felt before. I'm not sure Kerry's the greatest, but he couldn't be as bad as Bush." David Castillo, a businessman and Vietnam veteran living in Saudi Arabia, said he voted for Bush last time but never again. "I'm definitely going to jump ship," he said. "Bush is quick to draw the gun but hasn't a clue how to make the peace. I would vote for anybody else. I would even vote for Donald Duck." ) reuters.com