Bangkok Goes Obama
Bangkok woke up to a beautifully mild U.S. presidential election count morning and gave a clear mandate to President-elect Senator Barack Obama to go ahead and change the world. That is, the mock ballot at the U.S. Embassy’s Election Watch party gave that clear mandate. By 662 to 53 votes. There was no doubt among local and foreign Bangkokians who should lead the world’s tarnished super power.
The embassy’s election party began at 7 am Bangkok time with a run on the 120 press badges. When a new supply of badges arrived, McCain already celebrated taking Kentucky with 8 electoral votes – Obama took Vermont with 3 electoral votes. But McCain’s success was to be short and suffering intense. Republican strongholds fell rapidly. At 11 am BKK time CNN projected Obama as America’s president-elect.
Trouncing McCain. The Bangkok Hyatt’s ballroom went wild. Already minutes after its opening the room had been cram-packed with diplomats, Democrats & Republicans Abroad, journalists and if not hundreds of students. Some sporting an Obama/Biden AND a McCain/Pailin button on their chest. Bangkok’s U.S. Election Watch was pure “democracy in action” – what a refreshing change from Bangkok’s notorious “democracy inaction.”
Imagine Thais wearing a PAD and a UDD button. Even though many of the nonpartisans at the Election Watch sported the two buttons, think Thai: Obama/Biden they mainly carried on their left side, over the heart. “You can see how we’d vote,” told me a giggling student. And what kind of students you saw. Thought I was at a beauty pageant …
And there were tons of students. Said Cynthia Brown, the embassy’s Deputy Press Attaché: “Last time we had more diplomats, this time students, schools and universities.” The Greek ambassador for himself though, representative of the older generation, seemed to slightly regret Obama’s strong pulling ahead.
“I’d voted for Pailin, women are better politicians,” he said. But it was the younger generation’s morning, while delicious snacks such as Monterrey Jack & Mustard Melts gave the whole Election Watch a picnic/party ambience. Loud applause erupted when CNN projected Pennsylvania’s and Ohio’s hotly contested battleground electoral votes for Obama.
Combined with the new balance of power in the upper and lower house expect a blank slate for the Democrats for the next two years. “A huge, huge win for Senator Obama” CNN’s Wolf Blitzer was overheard as saying – and this Blitzer is everywhere these day, quasi superhumanly. I wonder what this guy’s eating.
When sharp looking U.S. Ambassador Eric G. John took the stage and thanked for the broad Bangkok turnout on Election Watch, the Democrats had the country in the bag already. But John must not fear for his job as he’s no political appointee, but a professional diplomat.
After a change at the helm there’s the formality of all ambassadors to hand in their resignation, even though typically it’s hard for a new president to kick political appointees out of office. Whatever the outcome, “hopefully the values and traditions America stands for will prevail,” Cultural Affairs Officer John Paul Schutte told absolutely.
In a corner, I discovered a Chinese, seemingly uninterested in what was going on. If he was not excited about America’s election. “We have election evely mo’ning,” he said. Seriously, not …
As said, Obama won Bangkok’s mock election by 662 to 53 votes. The embassy’s Cynthia Brown: “A bit of a landslide over here in Bangkok.”
Great photo feature!
A total repudiation of the neo-CON tinkle down mean spirited agenda that has so divided a country and brought the world to the brink.
A victory that transcends race and class – god forbid, Thailand – in its current social and political darkness, could use a twinkle of such hope.
[...] View post: Bangkok Goes Obama [...]
[...] US embassy in Thailand held a mock elections in Bangkok. Guess who won in the ballots? HaPPi like a HiPPo describes the mood in Bangkok: “In the past [...]
Peter, the victory may have transcended race, but now that is exactly what the victory is becoming all about. My very Republican niece has been called racist several times today based on her skin color and her non-support of a Democrat. Ironic, don’t you think? I am very disappointed in America at this moment. Taking an issue that Obama has made very clear his feelings on and turning his whole victory into a race issue, seems like a slap in the face.
Jesse Jackson crying crocodile tears on CNN after the nasty things he said …
How the media play the race is quite disturbing indeed.
Obama’s above race, he’s proven that, but the never ending headlines read: “America’s first black president.” And most images we get to see are blacks celebrating.
Even though the whites and hispanics and blacks and you name them carried him to victory.
Me fears soon blacks will be blamed for everything in the U.S.
And he’s anyway no black man. He’s an African-American mestizo.
BangkokDan
Actually, he is bi-racial.
He stayed above the race-card until it became a benefit to the campaign. I am not saying that he sanctioned using race, but it got used by at least the media in the end. His speech concerning Rev. Wright & the race issue almost got my vote. However, in the end, his policy beliefs and mine aren’t that compatable, so I voted for McCain.
I am very disappointed in my country and my countrymen for going back to the same-old, same-old. We should just leave the color of one’s skin (or the equipment in your pants) out of it and focus on healing our nation with the best possible candidate.
Dis-appointed: Excuse me, but I think the Republicans and McCain represent “same old” crap party and politics. Look where the world is today after 8 years of “same old.” In all sincerity, the race card is always there to be used by whomever for whatever reasons, such as yours, SB.
Well … I wish that the Obama Beatitude starts to cool off a little bit.
It’s becoming embarrassing … You should see the circus in Europe …
Anyway. Bravo for this lively reportage in BKK.
Something bothers me. Exit polls CNN:
http://edition.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/results/polls/#USP00p1
% of votes for Obama:
White people: 43%
Black people: 95%
I don’t know what you think, but something looks seriously wrong there …
Maybe I don’t trust these exit polls. America’s ethnic groups according to the CIA’s Fact Book (July 2007 estimate)::
- White 79.96%
- Black 12.85%
- Asian 4.43%
- + Amerindians, Alaska natives, native Hawaiians, other Pacific islanders & two or more races
America’d gone McCain with 43% support of 4/5 of the population.
But it was more a vote against Bush than for Obama. Maybe.
BangkokDan
So … somehow Peter Hall, you manage to turn my post around which was a response to your post into me using the race card? Excuse you indeed …
And another thing … you want to fight about Bush? Well honey, you ain’t gonna get that fight from me! I am neither a Rupublican nor a Democrat and I think both parties stink. I did not vote for my first choice for president, but I sure as heck wasn’t going to vote for someone who will try to put their hand in pocket as a small business owner every chance he can.
I just hate that too, SB, when people twist your words for their own use without contributing anything! But now I see what fun I’ve been missing out on, and have migrated over to the offending party and feel more purposefully driven after I learned of a poster who claimed there was no such word as “gullible” in the dictionary!
I am glad to see people in Bangkok getting involved in American politics. The world needs to keep an eye on America!
[...] US embassy in Thailand held a mock elections in Bangkok. Guess who won in the ballots? HaPPi like a HiPPo describes the mood in Bangkok: “In the past [...]