Support around the world does matter
Seth Green’s recent post examining a recent McCain attack that criticized Senator Obama for his worldwide notoriety, hit the nail on the head. Seth rightly questioned whether in this time of global interdependence and conflict, a leader who is respected and admired around the world is actually a bad thing. Senator McCain certainly has policy differences with Senator Obama, and those should be examined by the voters. However, to criticize Obama’s celebrity seems to be political – and logical - blunder.
This got me thinking about the symbolic role of the presidency to the rest of the world and how that can sometimes matter more than many of the foreign policy decisions that the president makes.
Clearly, Obama’s story is one that has great appeal beyond the borders of the United States. He is a mixed race American with an African father and an American mother who spent some his youth living abroad in the Muslim country of Indonesia. After 232 years of white male presidents, to actually have a president that looks a bit more like the rest of the non caucasian world, would truly be a bold statement.
Around the world, America is both loved and vilified. It is loved for its culture and media that is present around the world. It is loved for the values and ideals for which it stands. It is loved for the American dream that says that with hard work and perseverance one can truly make a better life. At the same time, it is vilified for what many view as an overbearing and self-serving approach to its relationships with other countries. It is vilified by those who perceive it to have a “might makes right” ethos.
For many around the world, Obama symbolizes what they admire most about America. Most probably don’t know much about his policies. If they did, they might disagree on a variety of points. However, we must not underestimate the symbolic power that an Obama presidency could have, particularly after the past eight years that have emphasized many of the aspects of America most vilified by the rest of the world.
This is not to say that Senator McCain couldn’t also gain the respect and support of the rest of the world. David Ignatius had an excellent analysis of the personal story that has made McCain so appealing to so many in the US. McCain’s policies - at least the ones he espoused before running for the Republican nomination - were actually policies that could have generated significant respect around the world. For example, several years ago, McCain stood up to the Bush administration on its torture policy. Unfortunately, he has sinced softened his opposition. McCain also once stood for a sensible immigration policy that he has since recanted. It is unfortunate that McCain has distanced himself from the very policies that could have also created substantial support and goodwill around the world.
Of course, neither Barack Obama nor John McCain are seeking the votes of foreigners. However, either candidate will need to work with the rest of the world if elected president. For that reason, a candidate’s worldwide support is actually relevant.
It is true that McCain does not have the symbolic appeal of Barack Obama. However, rather than criticizing Obama’s celebrity, McCain might reexamine his more recent policy positions that serve to alienate many around the world. That’s not going to make him a global celebrity, but it would be a step in the right direction that would make a McCain presidency more appealing to those around the world.
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