'Obama Is Certainly a European'

Der Spiegel (Germany) ^ | June 19, 2009

[Schnucki]

Oxford historian Timothy Garton Ash discusses the demise of Europe's social democrats, threats to the European Union posed by populist nationalists, the imminent change of government in Great Britain and America's rapid slide to the left.

SPIEGEL: Professor Garton Ash, in the midst of the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression voters have turned away from the social democrats and socialists in European elections. Isn't this paradoxical?

Timothy Garton Ash: I think there's an explanation for it. First, voters apparently feel that the conservatives and liberals are more competent when it comes to economic policy. Second, we are witnessing a return to nationalism as a reaction to the great crisis. And when that happens, voters tend to move to the right rather than to the left, in some cases quite far to the right.

SPIEGEL: It would seem that leftists, the critics of capitalism, would stand to benefit from a crisis of capitalism.

Garton Ash: In essence, you have two social democratic parties in Germany, just as we do in Great Britain -- with some minor differences. David Cameron's Conservatives are taking (former Prime Minister) Tony Blair's approach, except when it comes to European policy. And there is no decisive difference between the Christian Democrats and the Social Democrats in Germany, at least not by the standards of the last century.

SPIEGEL: In other words, we lack ideological differences, and we are all social democrats?

Garton Ash: I think so. We are not talking about capitalism as such, but about the question of which form of capitalism works best in our country. And then there is the question of competency. Our governments are behaving more and more like managers. After 10 years, voters are dissatisfied with the current management, and along comes a new one.

SPIEGEL: The left lost

[Schnucki]

SPIEGEL: While Europe slips to the right, the United States, under Barack Obama, is discovering the social market economy -- and is slipping to the left.

Garton Ash: Soon they'll be more European than we are.

SPIEGEL: How do you explain that?

[unkus]

Hussein 0bama is certainly not an American. He has no idea what it means to be an American.

The closest he is to being an American is being an “American Enemy”.

[IbJensen]

Obomba isn’t a European. He’s a Kenyan-African. Big difference.

[Nathan Zachary]

"SPIEGEL: How do you explain that?

Widespread voter fraud and a corrupt media.

[ClearCase_guy]

SPIEGEL: At least 15 percent of the new European parliament will consist of right-wing extremists, protest parties and joke parties. What does this mean for Europe's future?

Garton Ash: If I remember correctly, Bertolt Brecht said: "The womb is fertile still, which bore this fruit." We are deluding ourselves if we believe that the temptation of xenophobia and national populism no longer exists, and we shouldn't be surprised to see these forces being strengthened in the course of a major economic crisis.

It really irks me that the ENTIRE definition of "right-wing" has become: "the xenophobic nutcases". Given such a definition, of course everyone wants to be a left-winger. HMMPPPFF!

[Jeff Head]

Obama is certainly a Marxist...of whatever nationality and origin.

And Cap & Trade (Read Cap & Tax), is a perfect example. It must go down. It is another marxist construct aimed squarely at the free market. Email, fax, call your represenntatives TODAY & demand they vote against this very bad legislation. Gotta go 2 for 2 on this & socialized health care.

THE AUDACITY OF TRUTH ABOUT BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA

BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA IN HIS OWN WORDS

NOW WE KNOW WHAT A COMMUNITY ORGANIZER DOES

OBAMA, THE STOCK MARKET, AND ENERGY

THE AUDACITY OF TRUTH ABOUT BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA'S UPBRINGING

A JULY 4TH TEA PARTY SPEECH IN AMERICA

[immadashell]

Obama is looking to strip funding of crucial defense projects in order to fund his social agenda. He probably thinks Europe will come to our aid in the next war — that is, if there is still a Europe left.

[Paladin2]

0bama is an Indonesian.

[Robert DeLong]

First, voters apparently feel that the conservatives and liberals are more competent when it comes to economic policy.

Should the above actually say: First, voters apparently feel that the conservatives are more competent than liberals when it comes to economic policy. ??

Otherwise, I do not understand that statement at all.

[okie01]

SPIEGEL: At least 15 percent of the new European parliament will consist of right-wing extremists, protest parties and joke parties. What does this mean for Europe's future?

It means that the left-wing establishment elites have become totally unresponsive to the peoples' wants and needs. And, sure as hell, they are courting a disaster...

[ClearCase_guy]

The European definition of "liberal" (small L) is more in line with what we in the US consider Libertarian. That is to say: European liberals would tend to value liberty and smaller government somewhat more than Social Democrats would.

Of course, while I would view a European liberal as an ally, I think they would still fall short of what an American Conservative would really consider a sound political position.

[Nathan Zachary]

If Cap & Tax does get passed, say goodbye to ANY hope of economic recovery.

Cap and tax is counter productive. First it passes a massive tax burden onto consumers for all manufactured goods, whether they are made here or imported. It then taxes consumers again on this massive tax hidden in the cost of everything they buy. Then The public will be hit again with energy taxes on the electric and gas bills. Anyone living in an old inefficient house will get nailed on whatever amount they exceed on their energy quota for the size of home they own.
It's be interesting to see how much "cap and Tax" there will be on imported goods, and just how they will figure out what rate that tax will be. Will it matter if goods are made in energy efficient factories? I doubt it.

I doubt it is because this isn't about 'greenhouse gases" and stopping "global warming". It's about massive tax increases.

Tell me how this stops "greenhouse gases" and "gore-bull" warming? It doesn't. Not one least bit.(That's because it's all BS to begin with, they know it, and we know it, and they know we know they know it's BS.

The problem here is we've lost control of the government and have become it's subjects, and they've become dictators controlling every aspect of our lives based on retarded leftist treehugger beliefs.

[wolf78]

Otherwise, I do not understand that statement at all.

Used correctly, the term liberal refers to a small government, pro-liberty ideology, both socially AND economically (i.e. free-market). Somehow in the US the term liberal shifted and now refers to what is correctly called a "social democrat" (socially progressive, pro-union statist). Ironically, US libertarians are laissez-faire liberals. Originally "libertarian" referred to the left wing of the liberal spectrum, especially anarchists.

Wanna buy a milliard grammes of aluminium? ;)