MARTINA'S WORLD TRIP
UNITED STATES: September 26 - December 3, 2004
Your Dictionary
(Übersetzungshilfe)
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MARTINA'S WORLD TRIP UNITED STATES: September 26 - December 3, 2004 |
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Your Dictionary
(Übersetzungshilfe) |
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| Tuesday, November 3rd, 2004 - Epilogue to the Elections | |||||
| Over 113 million Americans have decided: George W. Bush will remain President of the United States for another four-year term. Published figures this morning presented 58.527.955 direct votes (51%) for George Bush (274 Electoral Votes so far) and 54.992.753 direct votes (48%) for John Kerry (252 Electoral Votes). Even the provisional ballots of Ohio and the remaining uncounted votes of Iowa and New Mexico won’t turn the final result around. At 10:18 Central Standard Time, CNN breaking news announced that Senator John F. Kerry concedes. In his concession speech three hours later, he was visibly disappointed about the outcome of the elections. And yet I found him very gracious and outspokenly human. He said that he and his Party would continue to fight for the values they believe in but he also emphasised the need for unity in this divided country: “I did my best to express my vision and my hopes for America. We worked hard and we fought hard, and I wish that things had turned out a little differently. But in an American election, there are no losers, because whether or not our candidates are successful, the next morning we all wake up as Americans.” Indeed, the close election results suggest that the nation is pretty much split between their two major political directions. And yet President Bush has obtained more direct votes than any presidential candidate in history before. Some say it’s because he was admired for his strength and leadership right after 9/11. Fair enough, but wouldn’t it be time to revise his current intentions to ‘free the world’ by operations that look much more like an uncontrolled revenge for a crime for which they can’t get hold of the one and only who is to blame? Bush addressed the American people barely an hour after Kerry. In his victory speech he said “America has spoken and I’m humbled by the trust and confidence of my fellow citizens”. He especially addressed those people who had voted for Kerry and said he would work hard to earn their support, too. At least the other half of American voters seem to think that he is the right President to lead them into their future. How come? Do they really believe that he will make their country a safer place by continuing to fight his “war against terror” and that the American intervention in political conflicts on a global level is ethically correct? Apparently, the deployment of American military in the Middle East was one of the biggest issues expressed by the Republican and Democratic Parties in their election campaigns. Maybe those directly involved haven’t suffered enough yet. Maybe this country is a bit megalomaniac and people’s patriotism gets carried away a little to far. Whatever their motivation might be, the majority of Americans seem to have much more confidence in George W. Bush’s leadership than the international community does. Even without final numbers from Iowa and New Mexico, the American Presidential Elections 2004 are over. Personally, I would have wished for a different outcome. But hey, can 58 million Americans be wrong? I guess everyone has to answer that question for him- or herself. By the way: - All 11 states that had the option, voted against same-gender marriage. - 57% of the voters in Alaska voted against the legalisation of marihuana. - 59% of the voters in California approved to spend 3 billion dollars on human embryonic stem-cell research. Where is this world going??? |
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