Non-Americans dread Bush

By Eric Margolis
Toronto Sun
Sunday, October 24

WHAT DO a Pathan tribesman in Pakistan, a factory hand in Shanghai, a grape
picker in Chile, and a Canadian autoworker have in common?

Their lives are all shaped by decisions made by the White House, the closest
thing we have today to world government.

It's unfair the whole world cannot somehow vote in the upcoming U.S.,
elections since they affect all mankind. Maybe the rest of the world could
vote and count as one U.S. state, Internationalia. However, if this
happened, the result would be a landslide for John Kerry.

The vision of a re-elected George W. Bush ruling the world does not sit
well. Few non-Americans know anything about Kerry, but that hardly matters.
He is popular everywhere abroad simply because he looks civilized and is the
un-Bush.

My eagle-eyed friend, Countess Pamela de Maigret, brought my attention to an
interesting Internet site, BetaVote.com. This site tabulates straw votes for
Bush and Kerry from around the world. Though unscientific, and distorted in
its U.S. section by Bush unlovers, it provides a good sample of world
thinking about the election.

Overwhelming totals

Among 42,721 global respondents, Kerry leads Bush by 88% to 11%. In Brazil,
Kerry leads by 91%; by 79% in Italy; 91% in France; 71% in India; 77% in
Japan; 11% in Kuwait; 89% in Germany; 81% in Britain; 17% in Israel; 61% in
Nigeria.

Only in the African state of Niger does Bush lead, by 71%. Bush and Kerry
are tied, oddly, in Libya, North Korea, Christmas Island and Niue, wherever
that is.

What deeply alarms many non-Americans is the prospect of a second Bush term
dominated by a coalition of evangelical Christians, Christian "Rapturists,"
American partisans of Israel's PM Ariel Sharon, and rural voters from the
Deep South who reject evolution and think French is the native language of
Satan.

These groups tend to share a loathing of Europe, the UN, the Pope, Muslims
in general, Arabs in particular, intellectuals, anything international, and
believe themselves God's chosen people. Some born-again Christians see Bush
as a kind of messiah.

There is deep concern abroad that American politics is falling increasingly
under the influence of extreme religious groups at a time when secularism is
accepted across Europe and non-Muslim Asia.

Many Catholics will vote against Kerry on their bishops' orders. Many
American supporters of Greater Israel, who shape U.S. foreign policy these
days, believe they are fulfilling God's commands. The 41% of Americans
calling themselves born-again Christians are being whipped into a pro-Bush
frenzy by many of their preachers. So much for separation of church and
state.

America's fastest-growing cult, the Rapturists, believe once Greater Israel
is created and all Jews converted to Christianity, they will be instantly
transported to heaven while the world will be destroyed and all
non-believers slowly burned alive.

Their unofficial bible, the Left Behind series of books, has sold nearly 60
million copies. They are Bush's most ardent supporters.

Extremist groups

Such extremist groups would merely be curiosities of America's outback were
they not so dominant in Republican circles. A recent survey shows
born-agains in general comprising 22% of voters in Pennsylvania, 36% in
Missouri, 30% in Iowa, 27% in Ohio -- all key battleground states that will
decide the election.

A New York Times survey found big-city voters backed Kerry 69% to only 23%
for Bush; and, in small cities, 53% to 40%. But in suburbs, Bush leads 50%
to 42%. In rural areas and the south, Bush leads by a whopping 55% to 35%.

More educated Americans back Kerry, while Bush speaks for those who love his
folksy ways, mangled English, jingoism and religious pretensions.

However, a president who says he communicates with God regularly and claims
to be on a "divine mission" makes the world very uneasy.

Who will the Lord order Bush to "liberate" next? Iran and Syria? Sinful
France, with its cigarettes, wine and wild sex? Lefty Canadians with all
that water and oil? Or the Chinese, who reject Christian values and work too
cheap?

Add to the Bush vote the 20% of Americans who believe Elvis is still alive,
and you end up with an unbeatable majority.

Eric can be reached by e-mail at:

Copyright © 2004, CANOE, a division of Netgraphe Inc.

Reprinted from The Toronto Sun:
http://www.canoe.ca/NewsStand/Columnists/Toronto/
Eric_Margolis/2004/10/24/682899.html