If you think that the race for the presidency has captivated Americans’ interest more than any other election in recent memory, you might be surprised to learn that the interest is just as strong–if not more so–abroad.
Barack Obama landed the cover of Esquire’s Spanish issue in March, and captivated journalist Javier del Pino, who admitted that he was infected by “Obamismo,” “the virus that affects everyone.”
Obamismo has spread throughout Latin America’s magazine pages and blogs. In a recent trip to the bookstore in Mexico City, I bought magazines as diverse as the literary supplement, Letras Libres, and GQ Mexico, all of which mentioned Obama’s name and offered a unique perspective on his candidacy compared to domestic news.
As del Pino concluded, there’s passionate interest abroad in Obama, a candidate who is viewed by many as someone who could restore America’s image before the rest of the world. Apparently, change and hope is a message that translates.
Talk to us! What analysis of the presidential campaign have you read abroad? How is the coverage similar or different compared to domestic coverage? Leave your comments below.
Photo: a35mmlife
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11 Comments... join the discussion!
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I love that there's a Spanish word for Obama-mania!
It is fascinating to watch the rest of the world being fascinated by Obama, isn't it? Two weeks ago I came downstairs in a small hotel on a tiny island in the Grenadines chain, in the eastern Caribbean, and found the entire staff gathered around the TV watching the Pennsylvania primary results come in.
Of course, here in Canada we're also following every twist and turn. But that's sort of different - we always follow American politics closely, more so than the rest of the world I think.
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Obamismo–I love it. Obviously his integrity and charisma are felt by people overseas and that's exactly what we need to get our reputation abroad, back in good standing.
Gobamismo!
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So true. It seems like the rest of the world is more ready for Obama as president than Americans are.
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I love that there’s a Spanish word for Obama-mania!
It is fascinating to watch the rest of the world being fascinated by Obama, isn’t it? Two weeks ago I came downstairs in a small hotel on a tiny island in the Grenadines chain, in the eastern Caribbean, and found the entire staff gathered around the TV watching the Pennsylvania primary results come in.
Of course, here in Canada we’re also following every twist and turn. But that’s sort of different - we always follow American politics closely, more so than the rest of the world I think.
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Obamismo–I love it. Obviously his integrity and charisma are felt by people overseas and that’s exactly what we need to get our reputation abroad, back in good standing.
Gobamismo!
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One news report said that the Germans were calling him "Der Schwarze Kennedy"
http://www.bild.de/BILD/news/politik/2008/01/05/u...http://www.aicgs.org/eventlist/view.aspx?ID=266&a...
"Mit Barack Obama bekommt Amerika einen neuen John F. Kennedy!"I'm not sure what to think of that. Is Obama a symbol of change by nature of his policies or because more superficial reasons? If it's the former, one has to admit that there's little to go on with only four years in Senatorial office. If it's the latter, heaven help us.
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One news report said that the Germans were calling him “Der Schwarze Kennedy”
http://www.bild.de/BILD/news/politik/2008/01/05/usa-obama/obama-kennedy,geo=3409676.html
http://www.aicgs.org/eventlist/view.aspx?ID=266&top_parent=156“Mit Barack Obama bekommt Amerika einen neuen John F. Kennedy!”
I’m not sure what to think of that. Is Obama a symbol of change by nature of his policies or because more superficial reasons? If it’s the former, one has to admit that there’s little to go on with only four years in Senatorial office. If it’s the latter, heaven help us.
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Thanks for sharing, everyone. It's really interesting to hear how people around the world are interpreting the US presidential primaries to date. I'm just back from Cuba, and I have to admit how surprised I was that there was not much talk about the primaries, which is a bit unusual for Cuba.
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Thanks for sharing, everyone. It’s really interesting to hear how people around the world are interpreting the US presidential primaries to date. I’m just back from Cuba, and I have to admit how surprised I was that there was not much talk about the primaries, which is a bit unusual for Cuba.
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Nice post Julie! I'm in Korea now, a country that seems to boast a collective wariness for dark-skinned people. And yet, every Korean taxi driver with a bit of English under his belt doesn't hesitate to talk my ear off about Obama. It surprised me that a Korean would speak so praisingly of an African-American. Perhaps because cabbies listen to news radio all day, they get to know Obama's campaign and see past his race. Curious, isn't it?
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