Europe's Usurpation of the Obama Triumph

The Obama victory is nothing short of sensational, epochal and a true game-changer in American politics. And we American progressives have every reason to be immensely proud of having backed this wonderful man in this historic quest that has already changed this country and will do so much more in the months and years to come.

While it is wonderful to observe how the world has welcomed this victory and how Obama has been met with a good-will bonus the likes of which is unprecedented in human history -- just think about it, the man has been welcomed by virtually every country in the world -- I find it troubling that European countries in particular regard Obama's election not only as a wonderful event all its own, but that they view it as their very own victory; as a direct vindication of themselves. By so doing, they are using the Obama triumph to justify their moral superiority in that they claim Obama as a crypto or quasi-European who is basically an American by accident. Having watched German television over the past few days, listened to German radio broadcasts and read the country's leading newspapers, there is an unquestioned sense of celebrating a German victory: The de facto "German" Obama, or the Obama with German sensibilities has defeated the racist, retrograde and yahoo Americans. Watching Micheline Calmy-Rey, the eminent French television personality, exclaim triumphantly and with glee that "Obama parle comme nous... (Obama speaks like we, i.e. the French, do), implicit in her gestures and demeanor was the unsaid "et pas comme les Americains" (not as the Americans). And to hear the Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi -- a major Bush acolyte -- laud Obama as "young, attractive and well tanned" is tasteless to say the least.

My point is simple: Countries in Europe are rejoicing in the Obama victory and claiming it as a direct result of their moral superiority over Americans while at the same time hiding their own shortcomings and intolerances, the weekly ugly racisms at their soccer grounds, the discriminations that are so common to their own societies and the very fact that a person of Obama's racial, cultural and social identity, as well as his life's story, would never be elected dog catcher in any of these allegedly enlightened societies, let alone head of government and head of state.

Obama's triumph is an American story from start to finish as he has repeatedly stated. I hope that he -- as well as we -- will use this fact to deny Europeans their falsely claimed moral high ground by hijacking a unique event in modern history with which they had nothing to do. Just like we progressives have rightfully fought against American moral haughtiness, so, too, should we oppose such strains if they arise elsewhere, particularly if they are based on a usurped rather than achieved struggle.

Addenda:
I was delighted to have generated such a bevy of responses even though most were very critical of my argument. That is perfectly fine and most legitimate, and I very much expect and welcome such from a fine place of political discussion such as the Huffington Post.

Less wonderful were the few - but extant -- downright abusive, even hateful, e-mails that I received from folks on account of my piece.

There is absolutely no need for that.

Permit me to address only three comments:

1. Not only have I traveled to Europe, not only have I lived in Europe, but I actually am as much European as I am American. I was born and raised in the West Romanian city of Timisoara (Temesvar) where I learned Romanian, Hungarian and German; I then attended high school in Vienna; and I have returned to Europe all my life for extended research and teaching trips anchored mainly on the German-speaking world, but not only. I have stayed extensively in France, Britain, Italy and other countries of Western as well as Eastern Europe. In short, I know Europe quite well.

2. Never did I mean to imply that I am not ECSTATIC about Europe's love of and admiration for Barack Obama. He fully deserves these - and then some. And I am most welcoming of any and all support that Obama can get in this very troubled world in which he will need every ounce of it to succeed in his worthy endeavors.

What I did mean to say - and I stick by this completely - is that a number of European pundits and commentators whom I have followed in the wake of the past four days have analyzed the outcome of this election quite arrogantly and haughtily: basically as America's and Americans' having passed their audition, having redeemed themselves, having come to terms with their ignominious past by electing Obama. In other words, Americans had to pass a test of sorts. While I have welcomed such sentiments emanating from African American commentators, I find such views coming from European commentators a tad insulting. Again, I am not speaking of "Europeans" in terms of an entity that has been covered by appropriate survey research which surely will come and be of great interest to me. All I was saying is that part of the European "commentariat's" (the chattering class's) reactions to this stellar event was deeply problematic for me and continues to remain so. If and when Germany will elect its first chancellor of Turkish origin, France its first president of Maghrebi origin, Britain its first prime minister of West Indian (or Indian/Pakistani) origin, let us then revisit the matter. Until then, any moral superiority by Europeans towards Americans is uncalled for. Again, this has nothing to do with the complete legitimacy of Europeans' delight in Obama's historic victory. And my utter delight in the Europeans' delight to boot.

3. I know that Micheline Calmy-Rey is not a French TV commentator but Switzerland's current foreign minister, former president and one of its most prominent politicians, especially since I saw her repeatedly on television during my teaching at St. Gallen University in Switzerland. Sloppy and hasty editing of my original piece in which I cut and merged two sentences on two separate people, one on Ms. Calmy-Rey and another on a French television commentator, yielded the erroneous statement in my original piece. Such are the dangers of haste, the perils of our Internet age. Still, no excuse and I regret this error deeply.

Andrei S. Markovits is the Karl W. Deutsch Collegiate Professor of Comparative Politics and German Studies at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

He is spending the current academic year as a Fellow at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences (CASBS) of Stanford University.

Comments

[Shrinath]

Bobby Jindal in LA - a Republican Governor, parent's came from India! And he was being talked about to being a potential VP candidate for McCain back in august. And our very own Governator came from Austria! So I wonder where the author was getting his information from.

Having said that, the Europeans are genuinely happy. Plain and simple. I wonder where the author was getting his information from. And moreover, most people in Europe opposed the war. Due to the American influence and the peddling of the war by Tony Blair to his counterparts in Europe, the armies of those nations got involved. And I refer to Iraq. The genuine euphoria thorough out the world is happiness and joy for everyone!!! Most of the world is still in awe that USA once again has showed the path and that race does not matter!

But more than anything else, the Triumph belongs to the American people who elected Barack Obama in the first place. For the argument that people voted Bush into power, then you would have to brush up on the immediate history. 2000, the Supreme Court decided. 2004, voting fraud. Diebold and company ensured that Bush won. So think again, Mr.Author, before you write such articles making wild allegations.

[discourse jockey]

The feeling of moral superiority, if it exists at all, is related solely to Americans having had Bush in office for eight years. You can't take that back, but you can, as has happened, elect an excellent, well-spoken candidate to replace him. Granted, he's black and that's a positive footnote, but please don't be so condescending towards your fellow Americans! They did not primarily elect the first African American to the office. They elected the *best* available candidate, with his only serious contender happening to be a woman. Looking back, with the economic downturn having come before the election, it was clear that either Hillary or Barack was going to be it.

And take this for granted, Mr Markovits: We would have shown the same "moral superiority" had Democrats chosen Hillary as their candidate and Americans subsequently elected her first female President.

What you are doing is you are simply exploiting Barack Obama's heritage for your weak argument against alleged anti-Americanism. Hilarious.

[Z2221344]

I'm an American / Canadian dual citizen living in Canada and what I've found is another sort of egotism up here where people will argue one of two things (a) Barack Obama would have won the election by a much wider margin in Canada - implying therefore that Canadians are much more tolerant and progressive than Americans. Or (b) The Democrats in the States are far more conservative than even the Conservative party in Canada (a blantant falsity) - a weak claim to imply that Canadians still have some sort of progressive / moral high ground. There are of course even more hilarious examples to be found. One editorial I read proclaimed, with absolutely no tongue in cheek, that the (potential) election of Barack Obama was 'unfair', because Canada, being a more liberal, progressive society should be the first nation to elect a 'minority' to the highest office in the land. That's almost verbatim.

All this said, these opinions are decidedly in the minority up here. However they are still there, and to the extent that they raise their heads, incredibly insulting.

[TroubleNYC]

Has Britain ever had a black Prime Minister?

[adambum]

I am sick and tired of people hailing this past election as a breakthrough for African Americans.

Ok, I see the point, 50 years ago there was still segregatio­n.. but I feel we should move on. First, Obama is just as white as he is black, and second: it doesn't really matter! Seriously, who cares? I don't care! I cannot stand racism, but on the other hand, these ruminations over Obama's skin color is making me sick and tired... it's like the so-called non-racists are just as obsessed with skin color.

All I care about is that he was the way better candidate of the two, and he won a well-deserved victory. Is the general public any smarter than 4 years ago?? No!! But the intelligence of the general public is basically at the same level in Europe and the US.

So I am just looking forward to see the changes he will making, hoping that he will live up to his promise. Perhaps then even larger proportions of the general public will change their minds.

[Northernmom]

But that is entirely the point. The victory is that someone with Barack Obama's background and skin color could rise through the American education and political system to be excellently qualified for the job. For many Americans over the age of 45, the election of Obama is the result of life long work and dreams, and many believed it would not happen in their lifetime. For many others, the fact that skin color was transcended by the character of the man makes it feel like a new era has begun. Please don't trivialize the experience of others. Racism is alive and well in America and around the world. The election of Obama stands as a testament to the heart of the American people and our struggle and desire to get past it.

[discourse jockey]

*Bush* was the one to actually transcend a boundary, and one that should *not* have fallen! He *wasn't qualified*, and yet he succeeded. Among all American Presidents, Bush 43 is the odd one out. Compared to what should have been seen by everyone as his very real handicap, Obama's heritage is a mere footnote --albeit a positive one-- and he's far more like other Presidents in that he is well-spoken and highly intelligent.

I agree that people who are trying to make it all about his heritage are playing down the fact that he was, first and foremost, simply the best candidate. Also, it's not a reason to congratulate yourselves too much. Bush is still President. Bush.

Btw, that's the moment when *I* welled up: On November 5, when there was a news roundup with excerpts from Obama's victory speech, and they cut straight to Dubya's reaction from the White House. That's when I cried a little. To see that difference. The prospect of having a *normal, i.e. outstanding* President again. Someone who can, like, talk in coherent sentences and not grin like Dubya, whatever he's talking about.

[Z2221344]

I'll agree that it simply doesn't matter that he's black - fact is he was immensly qualified for the job and he won the election on the merits of his character. That said I don't like it when people say that Obama is as 'white as he is black'. He isn't. If he were around in the segregationist south he'd have been standing on buses, drinking from different water fountains, and attending separate schools.

Finally, what I find most amazing, was not the fact that someone who's black could have one the election in 2008. But, rather, that someone who is SO liberal, SO international (in policy as well as history), and who's names are SO similar to those of America's chief 21st century antagonists could win the election SO decidedly. That says a lot about the ability of American's to think about who's best fit to run the country.

[Kojerk]

Mr. Markovits, you tread on dangerous ground! One mustn't challenge European authority (moral, political, especially intellectual) in polite company. Many of the responses I've seen to your article are of the tired "any criticism of Europe by an American is knee-jerk American jingoism of the worst kind" variety. So what have we learned from these responses so far?
1. European racism is more justified since African Americans are not "typical" immigrants like North Africans or West Indians in Europe, so their respective plights are not comparable to American blacks.
2. America is basically a diluted Europe anyway, so America will always be inferior.
3. Europeans' awful electoral choices are forgivable since they are naturally a more progress-minded people generally. Nevermind Berlusconi (ahem, twice), Merkel, Sarkozy, just to name a few of the current progress-minded crop).

I guess Europeans hated Bush so much that their only recourse was to elect right-wing candidates of their own (?) I am as critical of the United States as anyone, but I'm sure I'll be derided as another Sean Hannity-esque jingo-spewer by the "Europeans are the world's superiors" set.

[discourse jockey]

Well, if you're actually believe that there is such a thing as "the Europeans are the world's superiors set", let alone a portion of it active on this website, you would indeed qualify as a Hannity-a-like.

Erroneous assumptions and wrong allegations as the manufactured basis and excuse to let out your pre-existing hate of Europe, that sounds like the divisiveness of the FNC lot.

Fact seems to be that you don't like Europe. Why not just say that? Oh right, that wouldn't help you make your point. What was your point, again?

[Kojerk]

Quoted from one of your earlier posts:
"I fully agree. In 2000, America dropped the intellectual barrier and proved that *anyone* can become President. The tolerance they have towards non-intellectuals is truly admirable and we Europeans can only hope to ever achieve the same degree of open-ness.­"

"America dropped the intellectual barrier": It's hard to be more biased and offensive than that.

"...we Europeans can only hope to ever achieve the same degree of open-ness"" again, smug much?

I think you (of course, as a superior European) proved my point better than my poor enfeebled, bar-lowering mind could have ever done.

[Garioch]

As I've said before on this subject there have been and are minority individuals elected to posts rather more important than dog catcher throughout Europe and in your update where you task the U.K. in electing a West Indian premier or the Germans a Turk why not give us a fraction of the time the U.S. has had a significant minority African American population to do it in wouldn't that be fair before you start to get all U.S. exceptionalist and back slapping?

[PatForObama]

A very interesting perspective, particularly to an American who currently lives in Sweden. While there is definitely racism in Europe, I think that European euphoria regarding Obama's victory has more to do with getting rid of Bush as well as seeing that America is slowly growing out of its racist origins. That is a concept all can aspire to, and hopefully most will, given enough time.

The racial aspect of the election was an extremely minor issue in Sweden, and was certainly usurped by the chant on a local political TV show: "Hallulehjah!" followed by thunderous applause. I think Europeans are happy that we Americans got it right this time.

[JohnCrowley]

Let's not forget that Joe Biden calls himself an Irish Catholic, the Irish edge of Europe has every reason to celebrate, and not just because President elect Obama's great grand-father moved to the U.S. from Ireland in 1850. The dynamic new U.S. leader makes some of the European leaders more dismal in comparison. Angela Merkel gets more dreary and Slyviano Berlusconi gets more silly.

[LiberalDemIda]

You really need to change the title to your post, Madame Markovits. It's misleading.

You can't hold whole of Europe responsible for the right-wing in their own midst any more than you can say: "America angry over Obama's Triumph" based solely on those in ours.

[cobobs]

Read the post, but especially look at the photograph: http://www.ekosso.com/2006/07/being_black_amo.html#more
Also this from NYT: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/17/arts/17abroad.html?scp=4&sq=france%20obama%20africa&st=cse

[Ulla]

The joy of people all over the world and yes in Europe too about Obama's election, about the election of an American president who has the capability to reach not only across the aisle but also across the border of his own country is the reason of celebrating this election worldwide. How someone can turn this joy of having an American president elect who many people can identify with even if they are not American into something so low as allegedly claiming thereby moral superiority is just beyond me.
It's about hope, that with this election Europe and the world will have a partner in the United States again and not an ally, who only seems to be one, but acts unilateral as it deems best for the elite ruling but not necessarily for Armerican people or international partners and allies of the United States as we have seen in the last 8 years.
Obama's triumph is an American story indeed. It's the "american dream" fulfilled again in a way for the world to see. To see the unique way Obama as a person has inspired people in America and Europe withstanding even the pettiest false accusations during the campaign, trying to unify even against all odds and then to read someone who seems to be more concerned about who "owns or earned " this triumph is just sad and denies the true meaning of this triumph.

[Miosa]

Bring out the Freedom fries! For a second I thought that I was reading the Drudge Report. Sorry, your addenda do not improve the original piece (although I am glad that you knew, at least, who Ms. Calmy-Rey is). What "moral superiority" are you speaking about? We Europeans are quite aware that our own racial problems will not be easily solved, that there is pervasive racism in our societies and that we will need to rise up to the challenge in the coming years. As a European married to an American, I am offended by your views. Europeans were just happy to see the Bush years come to an end, and to see America reclaim its best legacy. We love the American dream. We hated Bush's policies of division an fear-mongering.

Also, your final comments are uncalled for. Do you think Americans are ready to elect a Muslim President? I doubt it. Similarly, and unfortunately, I don't think Europeans are ready to elect a Turkish or an Algerian President, either. African Americans are not part of the ordinary immigrant waves. Electing an African American has a particularly symbolic value - as I believe most of the country has recognized. When Europeans acknowledge that, you accuse them of feeling "morally superior". Your views are bitter and totally unfounded.

[discourse jockey]

One important point the Romanian immigrant Markovits is leaving out for one reason or another is that Europeans favoured the Democratic (i.e. more liberal) candidates in the last two elections as well, and they were shocked to see Americans elect their own disaster. So yes, there may be some WE TOLD YOU SO in European media commentary, and why not? We were right, and the majority of Americans who twice elected Bush (and Cheney!) was dead wrong.

Also, "Rachel2012": "They'll get there?" Get where? To where the U.S. are? FYI, the U.S. are the fabulous place that spends ~$ 6.000 per head and year for the health system -- the same system to which over 50 million Americans have no real access, because they cannot afford healt insurance. Germany spends *half* that amount and *everybody* is insured. I understand that even liberal Americans could never admit that the U.S. isn't number 1 in anything, but the fact of the matter is: They are behind other nations in many respects.

[Gdebs]

Ok, we were dumb to elect and re-elect Bush. Your newspaper headline " How can 49 million Americans be so dumb" was well deserved in 2004.
But now, just to start a new era of good will and friendship could we have a headline, "How can 52% of the Americans be so smart?"
Peace

[discourse jockey]

Of course you can! German leftwing newspaper "die tageszeitung" (or "taz") had the most intelligent and imho perfect title: They had their entire front page filled with the image of the Obama family on the Grant Park stage, with the caption "Gute Wahl", which is a pun as "Wahl" means both choice and election in German: "Good choice" (as in: they were as much or more in the tank for Obama as Germans overall) and "Good election" because of the record turnout and the relatively smooth going, as compared to 2000/2004.

[peterg76]

Why not let the Europeans enjoy their moment of "I told you so" smugness? They have been trying to drag the US into the 21st century, like a good friend putting up with abuse while trying to take car keys away from a drunk, and it has cost them to criticize Bush when the Democrats were falling over themselves to capitulate. That doesn't take anything away from the Americans' achievement in ending the Bush Dark Age.

[Mostro]

You can add as many addenda as you want, but there's still big and bold letters on the title of your post saying "Europe's Usurpation", not European media.
Quite different.