American Politics in Europe

Kerry conceded the Presidential Election sometime between the time that we took off from Glasgow and landed in Rome. We saw the news in our hotel room on CNN. Because of this election, I knew that it would be an interesting time to be traveling in Europe.

All over Italy, there was graffiti about Bush and the War. It was mainly the War--not Bush and morals, not Bush and economics, etc. While I could appreciate that protest, it did seem a bit ironic in light of Italy's place in WWII. I guess that they have seen what war can do to a country and they are very much against it. The graffiti was also in Switzerland and Germany, though to a lesser extent.

When Stacey and I were in the Cinque Terra, I was approached by an Italian documentary maker to be interviewed about the election and American politics. I was happy to do so. When I asked if I might see myself on TV in America, she replied, "I don't deal with America."

On the whole, American government and politics are incredibly unpopular in Europe now (the headline in one tabloid newspaper in the UK the day after the election read, "How could 59,000,000 people be so dumb?). Ironically, American culture still remains very popular. We were treated well everywhere we went. And we saw American culture everywhere we went. CNN and MTV are standard fare for TV's in hotels everywhere we've been. I watched Popeye "the Mariner" in Italian in Venice, the Simpsons in German in Switzerland, and Full House in German in Rothenberg. Simply put, American movies, music, and brands are ubiquitous.