What Do the Dutch Think of Barack Obama?
Wednesday November 5, 2008
Amsterdam residents and visitors celebrated the American presidential elections last night in several venues around the city. Movie theaters broadcast CNN live until the wee hours of the morning, political-party branches abroad held sold-out viewing parties and special breakfasts featured panelists to discuss the results.
So what do the Dutch think of the new US president-elect? Simply Amsterdam News reports that a large majority of the Dutch population -- that is, somewhere between 75% and 90%, depending on the opinion poll -- favors Barack Obama.
What's even more interesting is what the Dutch assume Obama stands for. The same source claims that most Dutch people thought Obama would be against the right to bear arms, against capital punishment and in favor of gay marriage -- all of which are not true. It must be wishful thinking, as arms possession has always been illegal in the Netherlands, capital punishment was abolished in 1870 and the country legalized gay marriage in 2001.
So what do the Dutch think of the new US president-elect? Simply Amsterdam News reports that a large majority of the Dutch population -- that is, somewhere between 75% and 90%, depending on the opinion poll -- favors Barack Obama.
What's even more interesting is what the Dutch assume Obama stands for. The same source claims that most Dutch people thought Obama would be against the right to bear arms, against capital punishment and in favor of gay marriage -- all of which are not true. It must be wishful thinking, as arms possession has always been illegal in the Netherlands, capital punishment was abolished in 1870 and the country legalized gay marriage in 2001.
Comments
It’s good to see that the rest of the world paid attention to this election and it’s outcome. It makes me feel like we are all connected.
jh
I don’t think it quite accurate to state that it is not true that Barack Obama is against the right to bear arms. In 1996, Obama was recorded advocating a ban on the manufacture, sale and possession of handguns. He has since disavowed such a position; however his true stance is still suspect. An email response from his campaign addressing his stance on the 2nd Amendment yielded the following, the “Second Amendment creates an individual right, …he also believes that the Constitution permits federal, state and local government to adopt reasonable and common sense gun safety measure.” So essentially he believes in the 2nd Amendment, but also believes it can be tempered by the federal, state and even local authorities? I have never studied Constitutional law, but I don’t think this logic would fly if applied to say the 1st or 13th amendments. Other than that your article is lovely, as are you.