By rlubitz
In London, this election isn’t really a debate but a consensus of the whole entire country that Barack Obama should be elected yet again and the opponent is a *string of offensive names.*
This country fears the alternative. This country fears the alternative would be a step back in time. This country fears that things are too close and really, what are we thinking with that Romney character?
They fear what will happen to the EU, what will happen to US human rights and what will happen internationally.
On the front of every paper in London are poll results and a general fear of Romney successfully becoming president by a mere few thousand votes. This country is incredibly convinced that for progress to happen and for a general move forward, Obama must stay in office.
What is important about studying abroad is finding people just like you and people that are incredibly different. Here, politically, they are exactly like me.
I haven’t met a single person here, professor or student or resident, that is in favor of Romney and it really isn’t surprising. Obama and his family are a symbol of America in England and they love Michelle’s arms just as much as we do. After knowing that I study in Washington, DC, they pretty much immediately ask if I’ve met the Obamas.
Alongside pictures of the Queen in cheap gift shops in London there are pictures of the Obamas many visits. There are some Clintons in there too but a very, very notable invisibility of George W. Bush as they’d prefer to act like that never happened. Kinda like America.
Thinking about it now, they’re actually our Will and Kate. Maybe even prettier. Definitely a better dog.
I’m taking a class here on England’s working class, the professor has a particular disdain for Romney. “What a lousy jerk,” he says in almost every class. What I’ve heard most from him is that Obama should have been more liberal. The British kids in the class nod. The American abroad students nod. We are all in agreement.
It’s because of what study abroad teaches us and perhaps what we came overseas to find. It is lovely living in a socially liberated country. What we are still asking ourselves as a nation about basic human rights was decided one hundred years ago here. I’ve become more convinced of my vote since coming here and I’m grateful for it. They’re not the least bit bitter about his presidency, they don’t doubt little political moves. They see the big picture and that’s that what’s happened in the last four years has been kind of great.
I haven’t lost any of my rights as a woman, I’ve gotten some more money from the government and I’ve felt safer. I’m happy living in America and I’d like to be happy coming back.
I’ll be on a bus to Amsterdam when the real election results come in. I’ll be too nervous to sleep until I know because as a young person graduating college in one and half years, this time it really matters.
It’s closer in the polls than I ever thought it would be but all I can hope is that young people realize like they did in 2008 that a lot of good and a lot of bad can happen in four years. This is our first time as voting for president. Let’s not mess this one up.