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Drive-by poll: who would we vote for?

by Turambar
Sun Oct 7th, 2007 at 08:55:07 AM EST

I'm following the American presidential election campaign closely and after some months, I still can't grasp what the hell they are talking about. This (and diaries like this) led to thinking about the transatlantic differences in political culture, and finally, to this complex question:

If we were to elect an EU president (with similar powers) using the US voting system and campaign regulations, only being able to choose between the current candidates running for POTUS (with exactly the same positions they are now holding), who do you think would be elected?

Light political entertainment for a lazy Sunday afternoon — promoted by Migeru

As this is highly speculative, a few questions to get you started:
How would their positions resonate in the European public?
Would issues like the death penalty, gay rights, abortions, religious affiliations, "family values" and gun ownership shape the debate or rather be overlooked? What about Iraq (and Iran, Israel)?
Who would our media side with?
Who would parties, unions and lobby groups align with?
Who would get the most campaign contributions?
Who would win the six big countries (D, F, UK, I, E, PL)?

Personally, I think that it could well be a clash of the titans between Gravel and Kucinich, but maybe I'm a little naïve about how the majority of Europeans thinks and how big the differences in political culture still are.

No personal sympathy votes, please. And... go!

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Poll

Votes: 30
Results	\|	Other Polls

Drive-by poll: who would we vote for? | 21 comments (21 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

Re: Drive-by poll: who would we vote for? (none / 0)

Ron Paul, the only candidate endorsed by the anti-New World Order crowd. Not perfect but the only one not solidly in the pocket of the totalitarianism, a future world consisting of any number of grade B horrific sci-fi movies like Soylent Green or Gattica.

by Lasthorseman (Lasthorseman@comcast.net) on Sun Sep 30th, 2007 at 08:34:08 PM EST

Re: Drive-by poll: who would we vote for? (4.00 / 4)

His "the market is better than any government" position would lose him many possible voters left of the center. However, big business might favor him.
IMHO, he could be be able to win in some Eastern European states (more like Estonia than Poland), the UK or the Netherlands, but that's not enough.

"If you know your enemies and know yourself, you will not be imperiled in a hundred battles." Sun Tzu

by Turambar (sersguenda at hotmail com) on Sun Sep 30th, 2007 at 08:57:15 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Drive-by poll: who would we vote for? (none / 1)

He is my protest vote, like Ross Perot was before NAFTA.

by Lasthorseman (Lasthorseman@comcast.net) on Sun Sep 30th, 2007 at 09:47:58 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Drive-by poll: who would we vote for? (none / 1)

That's okay with me, but it's not about the question asked.

"If you know your enemies and know yourself, you will not be imperiled in a hundred battles." Sun Tzu

by Turambar (sersguenda at hotmail com) on Sun Sep 30th, 2007 at 09:59:23 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Drive-by poll: who would we vote for? (4.00 / 2)

Don't forget ET contributor paul spencer

Don't fight forces, use them R. Buckminster Fuller.

by rg (leopold dot lepster at google mail dot com) on Sun Sep 30th, 2007 at 08:45:21 PM EST

Re: Drive-by poll: who would we vote for? (4.00 / 2)

Winning without campaign ads seems a bit too difficult.

"If you know your enemies and know yourself, you will not be imperiled in a hundred battles." Sun Tzu

by Turambar (sersguenda at hotmail com) on Sun Sep 30th, 2007 at 09:01:05 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Drive-by poll: who would we vote for? (none / 0)

Well, you just have to look a little harder to find his. Good diary!

I didn't vote because I saw this as a European poll, but just a comment on Clinton. I think many could be surprised by how she would perform as President. I see her as being more liberal at heart than in campaign. She is smart enough to stay away from what would be considered ultra liberal positions in the US in order remain a viable contender. One could say that she has tempered her liberal outlook with a dose of reality.

That said, I don't know who I will vote for.

won't wonders never cease? _ Snuffy Smith

by Gringo (stargazing camel at aoldotcom) on Sun Oct 7th, 2007 at 04:22:26 PM EST
[ Parent ]

I'm not sure that matters ... (none / 1)

... because part of the Clinton philosophy of government was that they were always campaigning, and I haven't seen any big sign that she has broken away from that. So if she figures she has to campaign to the right of "where her heart is", then she's likely to govern there as well.

And after all, her big frame is, "I'm in it to win".

Utsukushii kereba sore de ii

by BruceMcF (agila61 at netscape dot net) on Sun Oct 7th, 2007 at 04:37:29 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: I'm not sure that matters ... (none / 0)

Mybe so, but this may be the only way to govern effectively. Compromise when necessary but keep plugging away. Again, not sure who I will vote for.

won't wonders never cease? _ Snuffy Smith

by Gringo (stargazing camel at aoldotcom) on Sun Oct 7th, 2007 at 09:24:58 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Drive-by poll: who would we vote for? (4.00 / 3)

I could see a Sarkozyesque campaign do well throughout most of Europe.
So, of that field, Clinton. She's an exceptionally good campaigner who could easily sell herself as the candidate of the "centrist" and "mainstream" European electorate. The media would absolutely love her.

"The basis of optimism is sheer terror" - Oscar Wilde

by NordicStorm on Mon Oct 1st, 2007 at 04:49:42 AM EST

Re: Drive-by poll: who would we vote for? (none / 1)

However, I think her appearance and demeanor is too artifical for Europeans, and she could count less on the media electing to not notice when she slips out of her role.

*Traitor*, n.
A benighted individual who perceives an illusory distinction between serving his nation and abetting the criminals who govern it.

by DoDo on Sun Oct 7th, 2007 at 03:13:33 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Drive-by poll: who would we vote for? (4.00 / 5)

Same system as in the US, hmm...

Then we have primaries first. Two party groups dominate the European parliament, the conservative EPP-ED and the Party of European Socialists, PES. EPP-ED has 35% of seats, PES 27%. The election would after that essentially be decided by how the other parties sympathisers go.

So who would win the two important primaries. Starting with PES, Kuchinich is one of few candidates that has the right positions to actually be a candidate, so I say Kuchinich. And who of the rest would win the conservative primary? Clinton perhaps.

Then they would face of with the classical Capital vs. Unions supporting them. In the end I think the misogynic tendencies would defeat Clinton, giving a slim victory to Kuchinich.

by A swedish kind of death on Mon Oct 1st, 2007 at 02:37:32 PM EST

Re: Drive-by poll: who would we vote for? (none / 1)

Judging by the poll, that seems to be what the majority of ET'ers think. Probably a very good guess.

"If you know your enemies and know yourself, you will not be imperiled in a hundred battles." Sun Tzu

by Turambar (sersguenda at hotmail com) on Wed Oct 3rd, 2007 at 07:21:38 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Drive-by poll: who would we vote for? (4.00 / 2)

I think you're right about Clinton. The thing is most of the Republican candidates are too far to the right to even fir in the EPP, so the EPP primary would essentially be the same as the Democratic primary, except for Gravel and Kucinich who would have go to the PES primary.

We have met the enemy, and it is us — Pogo

by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Sun Oct 7th, 2007 at 09:12:39 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Drive-by poll: who would we vote for? (4.00 / 3)

To visualize the match-up:

I know who I'd vote for.

But for some, even Hilary is a dirty socialist.

"If you know your enemies and know yourself, you will not be imperiled in a hundred battles." Sun Tzu

by Turambar (sersguenda at hotmail com) on Thu Oct 4th, 2007 at 12:45:29 PM EST

Man, (4.00 / 3)

Kucinich is ANGRY!

We have met the enemy, and it is us — Pogo

by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Sun Oct 7th, 2007 at 09:16:46 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Man, (none / 1)

So are all of us.

Peak oil is not an energy crisis. It is a liquid fuel crisis.

by Starvid (arvid.hallen at gmail.com) on Mon Oct 8th, 2007 at 05:57:55 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Drive-by poll: who would we vote for? (4.00 / 4)

Who would Europeans elect, and no personal sympathy votes? I had to go for edwards, even though like Turambar this looks like a "Gravel vs. Kucinich clash of Titans".

We have met the enemy, and it is us — Pogo

by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Sun Oct 7th, 2007 at 08:51:55 AM EST

Re: Drive-by poll: who would we vote for? (4.00 / 4)

I'm tempted to vote for Thompson just to be perverse. (And given a Thompson win, I expect perversity would be exactly what a lot of people would get.)

But in reality it's either Edwards or Kucinich - Gravel having been seen on YouTube throwing rocks into a pond, which rather disqualifies him, except as a Web 2.0 media event.

So it's Kucinich, because of nagging doubts that Edwards is the Left's - er - Clinton, and perhaps isn't being entirely sincere about his populist positioning.

by ThatBritGuy (thatbritguy (at) googlemail.com) on Sun Oct 7th, 2007 at 09:10:04 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Kucinich has had similar questions about ... (4.00 / 3)

... his sincerity ... just not made as loudly, because the Republicans don't worry about actually having to face him. His flip flop on abortion, his insistence on his right to be in Presidential primary debates while not debating his Congressional primary opponents.

But while Edwards is a progressive for where the US is right now, he's a moderate progressive after three decades of having the "middle" being pulled toward the right ... I'm not sure where he'd lie in the European political spectrum.

Utsukushii kereba sore de ii

by BruceMcF (agila61 at netscape dot net) on Sun Oct 7th, 2007 at 10:01:42 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Drive-by poll: who would we vote for? (4.00 / 2)

Edwards for the social democrats and Hillary clinton for the conservatives..

guiliani will trun ofr the hardcore rigth and Kucinih for teh hard core left....

Edwars would win.. he is the male.

a pleasure

I therefore claim to show, not how men think in myths, but how myths operate in men's minds without their being aware of the fact. Levi-Strauss, Claude

by kcurie on Mon Oct 8th, 2007 at 05:22:50 PM EST

Drive-by poll: who would we vote for? | 21 comments (21 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

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