Obama's International Following

[Carlos_E]

Obama's International Following
By Shailagh Murray


Sen. Barack Obama may be struggling to connect in Wheeling, but he's doing well in Wien.

"The World Wants Obama Coalition" of international and U.S. expatriate supporters has turned into a booming marketplace of campaign-related outreach -- mostly involving people who are not eligible to vote in the United States but who are transfixed by the Obama candidacy.

The site lists 23 local Facebook groups (i.e. "J'aimerais trop que Barack Obama soit President!" and "Latinoamerica Apoya a Barack Obama") and eight global groups (like "The Whole World for B.O." and "Obamaism Worldwide"). Blogs and websites include barackobama.ru (in Cyrillic) and swedesforobama.com.

A "Bridges for Obama" photographic project, organized by Meredith Wheeler, a Chicago native now living in Lautrec, France, depicts Obama supporters and signage on 40 prominent bridges around the world, from the Pont Neuf in Paris and the Ponte Vecchio in Florence to the Bosphorus Bridge in Istanbul and the Nujibashi Bridge in Tokyo.

Another group is working to subtitle Obama videos into different languages, and is seeking volunteers to help with Arabic and Urdu. The archive already includes Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese translations. And the site gives instructions for making get-out-the-vote calls to U.S. voters using the low-cost Internet telephone service, Skype.

The instructions read, "Start by explaining who you are, and asking if they would be happy to talk, for example: 'Hi, I'm Justin from London, England, and I'm part of an international movement supporting Senator Obama. I can't vote in this election, but if you have a few minutes I'd love to talk to you about how a President Obama would improve America's standing in the world.'"

There are links to Obama songs, including a Spanish ring tone and a Mexican mariachi number, "Viva Obama." The candidate has inspired a Bollywood tribute and a reggae song. The Irish band Hardy Drew and the Nancy Boys posted a Clancy Brothers meets Beastie Boys original number, "There's No One as Irish as Barack O'Bama":

O'Leary, O'Reilly, O'Hare and O'Hara

There's no one as Irish as Barack O'Bama

You don't believe me / I hear you say

But Barack's as Irish / As was JFK

His granddaddy's daddy / Came from Moneygall

A small Irish village / Well known to you all

Toor a loo, toor a loo, toor a loo, toor a lama

There's no one as Irish / As Barack O'Bama

"Senator Obama looks different, he sounds different, and millions of non-Americans believe he will act differently," reads the coalition's manifesto. "We cannot vote in the 2008 US elections, but if we could, we'd back Obama."

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/the-t...wing.html#more

[zartan]

"Senator Obama looks different", wow what a well founded basis for casting votes.

Just remember, Carlos is not an Obama supporter!!

[Carlos_E]

"Senator Obama looks different", wow what a well founded basis for casting votes.

Just remember, Carlos is not an Obama supporter!!

Huh? Can you read?

I'm not just an Obama supporter. I support the DNC.I have contributed to several democratic campaigns. I'm not just sitting here giving lip service. I'm involved. And for your information. The campaigns I contributed to, the people running were White. So stop trying to play the race card.

[zartan]

Huh? Can you read?

I think yer paying lip service to not being an Obama supporter, you've started about 5 Obama threads now!

[kfrost06]

yet Obama can't even win over his own party

but hey, Hamas, the terroist group endorses him!

[Carlos_E]

I think yer paying lip service to not being an Obama supporter, you've started about 5 Obama threads now!

Wow, you can't read. I said I'm not JUST an Obama supporter. I also support the DNC. As in I support Obama and the DNC. Does that clarify if for you? I can try and type smaller words.

[zartan]

Wow, you can't read. I said I'm not JUST an Obama supporter. I also support the DNC. As in I support Obama and the DNC. Does that clarify if for you? I can try and type smaller words.

Doesn't that imply you're a supporter?
No need for the hostility, I (semi)understand your claims, but whatever you want to label it, you're supporting Obama posting all these political threads and endlessly arguing in his favor.

[Carlos_E]

hey, Hamas, the terroist group endorses him!

That again?

http://tpmelectioncentral.talkingpoi...eged_endor.php

It was only a matter of time, really. If you ever doubted that Joe Lieberman would be using what's left of his "Independent Democrat" credentials to legitimize the GOP's bogus "Hamas endorsed Obama" attack, here he is on CNN doing just that...

When Wolf Blitzer pointed out that Obama also labels Hamas a terrorist organization, making his position the same as McCain's, Lieberman said, "that's true," adding that Obama "clearly doesn't support any of the values and goals of Hamas."

Then, with depressing predictability, came the inevitable caveat:

But the fact that the spokesperson for Hamas would say they would welcome the election of Senator Obama really does raise the question, "Why?"

And it suggests the difference between these two candidates.

Lieberman is clearly emerging as a chief attack-dog for McCain on foreign policy, and here he is echoing McCain's talking points with unerring precision: While we all know that Obama doesn't in any way support Hamas or its goals, it's okay to use the group to tar the Illinois Senator anyway, merely because McCain and the Republicans want to.

One wonders whether Harry Reid will keep this sort of stuff in mind when considering committee chairmanships in 2009.

[Carlos_E]

Just remember, Carlos is not an Obama supporter!!

I think yer paying lip service to not being an Obama supporter, you've started about 5 Obama threads now!

Doesn't that imply you're a supporter?

Make up your mind.

[Carlos_E]

Hamas, the terroist group endorses him!

John Edwards is endorsing him tonight.

Edwards to endorse Obama

Posted: 05:08 PM ET
(CNN) — CNN's Mike Roselli and Suzanne Malveaux have confirmed that former Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards will endorse Barack Obama at a Michigan campaign event about an hour from now.

Obama will come on stage in Grand Rapids and say he has a special guest to introduce, followed by the appearance of Edwards himself.

[zartan]

Make up your mind.

I thought you understood it was sarcasm