Romney election triumph would sink US reputation in Europe, poll finds

[highplainsdem]

Source: The Guardian

The reputation of the US in Europe risks sinking back to Bush-era levels of unpopularity if Mitt Romney becomes president, according to new international polling published on Tuesday.

Only around one in 20 of those surveyed in Britain, France and Germany by YouGov held a positive view of the Republican presidential nominee.

The poll of more than 12,000 people across Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, Pakistan and China was prepared for the YouGov-Cambridge forum this week at which the Guardian is a media partner.

The results are a sign that affection for Barack Obama has diminished little since his 2008 speech in Berlin in which he promised to restore America's reputation on the world stage, even though, four years on, Guantánamo remains open and the US is still engaged in military action in Afghanistan.

-snip-

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/sep/11/romney-triumph-us-reputation-europe

[greiner3]

1. Too bad;

This would be viewed by a lot of Republicans as a GOOD thing.

[CBHagman]

2. The sad thing is, many in the States simply do not understand this, and/or don't care.

Typical GOP rhetoric involves bashing our allies (except for the British and the Israelis) while at the same time claiming that the Obama administration has caused our reputation to decline. It reminds me of the favored talking point during the '80s when George Will was claiming that Reagan was respected overseas. When I came back to the States after living in Europe, I found myself getting into an argument over the image vs. the reality.

[renate]

8. In 2004, the idea that we had a poor image abroad was a plus for many America-first-ers

I remember reading in the Guardian about people in England who wrote letters to voters in swing states asking them to vote for Kerry, and it really pissed a lot of Americans off. In a way, I can see why a U.S. voter wouldn't appreciate getting advice from abroad about who to vote for, although I cared a lot about how the world saw us and was embarrassed as hell about it. The letter-writing campaign definitely seemed to backfire, but maybe the people who cared what our image was abroad could see the point and didn't complain as loudly as those who took offense.

[KansDem]

3. Worse than Bush?

Slate

[indepat]

4. That RMoney would garner an approval rating of perhaps eight/nine times higher in the good ole USA

than in Europe suggests mass delusion imo coupled with an extreme ideological perversion for some type of government other than what the founders set up and envisioned.

[barbtries]

5. kind of a "no shit" moment,

but i'm glad it's being polled and reported on. we need for president obama to be re elected.

[eppur_se_muova]

6. Well, DUHHHH ! nt

[heaven05]

7. just

the other day, an associate was talking about how he thought america was seen by the rest of the western world. He shouted me down saying how great america is seen as, I just said "that's because of Obama, the Competent", and that mitt-twit makes us look foolish for even entertaining the notion that this clown and his buddy, aynryan could be a Leader of the free world. He laughed, he a rethug and I'll send him this.

[maddiemom]

9. We're in a world-wide co-operative situation today, with every opportunity and reason to know other

cultures and assimilate totally with the countries with whom we have much in common. I don't understand the Republican determination to stick to the outmoded USA! blindness which , not only stunts us in world politics, but is bound to lead to our real downfall. Limbaugh, Hannity and others are so out of touch with the real world as global reality, but have enough followers to cause real concern. I feel much of their ideas are just to make them rich through the ignorant. An insult to their followers? Hell, yes, now that the right wing admittedly is against critical thinking.