Obama and Us

Obamania isn’t exactly what it was in the US. The senator always has ultra-motivated fans, but he is now a separate, total candidate, with questions and tests to face. The “phenomenon” must transform himself into President, the “rock star” into Commander in Chief. This is a serious challenge, and it has not yet been won.

In France, on the other hand, Obama has already been elected. A poll taken at the end of May by the Daily Telegraph showed a plebiscite, with 65% in his favor, against 8% for John McCain. Why such a wide difference? Would America’s choice of one candidate over another have such an impact on our lives?

Clearly, in terms of world economics and international security, decisions made in the US are felt throughout the rest of the world. But it is difficult to predict which course the next President will take. George W. Bush campaigned in 2000 on a prudence close to isolationism, and then 9/11 happened….

Even if it is hardly doubtful that his successor will try to regain America’s international reputation, it isn’t our egotistical interest which explains French Obamania. John McCain, raised on the experience of the Cold War, doubtless has a more classical conception of transatlantic relations. According to his foreign policy advisors, he would be less demanding of Europe, having less illusions about its capacity for action.

It could go differently with Obama. Giving in to the protectionist tendencies of the left, he already seems more reserved on free trade. With his promise of bringing the Iraq troops home in sixteen months, new security challenges will arise where he will want to involve allies. Closer to European positions on Iran or Israel-Palestine, open to dialogue with Cubs and other “pariah” states from the Bush administration, he is no less at the mercy of events that could harden American foreign policy.

So, why do we vote for Obama? First, the political center of gravity is more to the left in France than in the US, which makes a Democrat in the US a center-rightist in France. Opposed to abortion, in favor of the death penalty, John McCain is perceived abroad more as a conservative than a maverick. In comparison, Barack Obama, because of his mixed origins and his international attachments, seems like a “global man,” capable of understanding the experience of other peoples.

But, basically, the acrimony generated by Bush’s America also brings the desire to idealize again. And, for that, America must be capable of doing something that we don’t expect ourselves to do. Would the French elect a President of color, a son of immigrants? “No,” answered recent participants at a conference at the Institute of Political Studies. That’s why we doubt his capacity to win against McCain.

We want America to be better than we are. We want it to learn from centuries of wars in Europe and not invade Iraq for bad reasons. We do not tolerate that it commits acts against Man in the name of anti-terrorism. We want it to take the lead in the fight against global warming. What is the last subject on which we thought that the Americans were right and we were wrong?

If Barack Obama is defeated in November, it will be perhaps because of his character, or his campaign, or his program. But for many French, it will be the confirmation of their worst suspicions about a country that is never exactly living up to the ideal vision that they have of it.

That says a lot more about us than about the Americans.