Political Discourse

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We saved this post for the end of our time in Europe. Over the past few weeks we have had some stimulating conversations with Europeans on American politics. What amazes us most is their level of interest in our recent November 7th mid-term Congressional elections. Sadly, I personally would have no idea when elections were taking place in pretty much any other country, let alone know anything about the key players, parties, and issues at stake. Here are some excerpts from those conversations:

1) After a one hour discussion with a Dutch couple in Venice, the husband shook J's hand and said, "America should be proud of you; you defend her very well."
2) We met a Swiss man by the lake in Zurich who smiled and said, "There is only one man in America I do not like."
3) We sat next to a Swiss man and his German wife at a cafe in Vienna; he said, "George W. Bush is a little cowboy."
4) One of our Finnish friends correctly observed that the US is not one monolithic entity but a very heterogenous population with diverse viewpoints.
5) A Hungarian cab driver in broken English simply said, "Bush - kaput!"
6) An Italian woman at our pension in Budapest said, "We can dislike your government, but that does not mean we dislike Americans!" This was the overall sentiment.

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