Obama Blizzard Blows Through China

Shanghai, China, Tuesday night:

Left-leaning Shanghai expats braved an electricity crisis and trampled through a week's worth of grey slushy snow to show their support for Barack Obama at URBN, the new carbon neutral hotel just north of the city's historic Jingan Temple.

The chic, boutique hotel has yet to open to the general public -- rumor has it's still waiting on it's license -- but the lobby bistro dubbed, "roomtwentyeight," is primed for gatherings. Chock full of conceptual appeal, this space tantalizes the diehard democrat with its natural, eco-friendly elements. AOO Architecture took an energy-guzzling old factory and converted it into a modern, green accommodation using recycled materials like old Shanghai bricks.

In the midst of the pollution, grime and waste that often characterizes Shanghai, the country's first carbon friendly hotel seemed a blessed and apt sanctuary to hold this rally for "change."

Barack Obama is the only candidate to generate any momentum in China. Whilst nary a peep has been heard from Hillary or Edwards supporters, Barack has been buzzing for months here at diners and mixers.

This year, some of us six million Americans living overseas found our tongues lolling when we heard that Democrats Abroad had developed the first ever, global primary. This election, instead of relying on some foreign postal system to deliver paper ballots in time, we could cast votes on the Internet. Computers set up at last night's rally encouraged us take advantage of the innovation.

I imagine the conversation at this rally resembled that of Obama conventions throughout the homeland. Voters discussed how Obama has out-twittered Hillary and the effectiveness of his website's font (gotham). Exchange, "how many hours a day do you study Mandarin" for "where did you find a nanny who speaks Mandarin" and Shanghai could very well have been New York City.

Meatballs, cheese balls, and pungent liver segued into the South Carolina victory speech splashed across a film size screen. Those of us who had yet to hear the oration because we don't have illegal Filipino cable, or our Internet is on the fritz perked up mightily.

Barack is no stranger to the first person plural pronoun and a speech aimed to make everyone feel included actually connected with those of us on the opposite side of the globe. Looking around the hundred or so rapt faces I thought maybe "we are ready to believe again." And by the time Obama finished telling me about some grizzled old lady who wrote a check for $3.01, I had no plans to tell him "we can't change."

Steering clear of the smear, Obama willingly praised his competitors -- an act that seemed as foreign to me as eating dog. When he roared that we must "end the disastrous policies of the current administration," he reminded me of the same thing China does on a daily basis: I am lucky to have a vote, to be an American.

Whether he's channeling Dr. King (and he is) or funneling democrats' eight years of resentments through gifted rhetorical devices, Obama delivers the message of change with a goose-fleshed panache that John Kerry couldn't have feigned to muster had he run against someone as fumbling as, well, George W. Bush.

And for the record, Jon Favreau is one kickass speechwriter.

Comments

[nammybk]

What is an excellent writer like Melanie doing in China. She is needed here in the good old USA to keep us informed about current events.

[arfeeney]

Wow, have we gotten so polarized that saying someone is "not outside of the mainstream of American political life" is tantamount to supporting them? Compared to the dossier on Ashcroft at that time, Rumsfeld did seem pretty mainstream. Let's remember that while Obama might have thought that Rumsfeld was not a completely unacceptable candidate for the job (which is really the only time Senators should be opposing nominees in my view), he did oppose Rumsfeld's signature policy, the Iraq War, unlike so many at the time.
Can't wait for Bill Clinton to start telling people that Obama said all the good Secretaries of Defense have been Republicans.

[LionEater]

Obama is also big here in South Korea. Koreans in general seem to be fascinated with him--he is always on the news.

[resonate]

Woot! My parents are some of those expats out in China now. Don't know if they voted for Obama they are registered republicans but I did all I could to convince them. The rest of the world sees that Obama has extensive international experience and wont be so quick to war, judge or continue American imperialism through our foreign policy. Its about FING time we have a candidate who thinks beyond their own pockets and those of their closest friends.

[lovethesinner]

Great read, and analysis of Obama's appeal. I agree about Obama's speech writer, he say's he's channeling Barack and has proved it.

I wish people would consider that our image to the world isn't the pictures we send out, it's the ideas that we take in. America needs an injection of new ideas. And the only one to bring that about is Barack Obama. As Ted Kennedy said:

"We have to elect people who can get the job done. And in order to get the job done, you have to bring people together. And to bring people together, you have to BE Barack Obama."

[lynnn]

?
So it is a bad thing that most of the world (minus the Murdoch Papers) see Obama as the anit-Bush?

go to watching america .com or one of the other web pages that translates news stories. I think you'll be in for a shock!

[Lazslo]

Thanks for the view from the ground in China Melanie! My wife is going to China in May, and is very excited as this is her first trip there. What the heck is your remark concerning Favreau about?

[RusStyles]

This is becoming the norm round the world. After only one year on the national scene, tis unprecedented universal-global support for Obama. It's beyond remarkable...

[GhostOfSchlesinger]

And, back here over the pond, it is an uphill battle, as it is difficult to undo 15 years of spin and outright distortion.

How does one leap successfully through the hoops necessary to convince working class America of the most important algebraic equation of our age?

HRC = NAFTA

How can we get people to say "yes" to the hopes, dreams, and well-enunciated policies represented by Obama; and "no" to the BillHillary voice that tells them they were beaten years ago and should ask no more of life?

It is apparent that only a grassroots movement - not incremental shifts within the margins of mediocrity - can transform our country.

But grassroots movements win maybe once every two or three generations.

So, I pray all you ex-pats (whom I envy more than you can imagine) are virtually living in your out boxes, composing an endless stream of emails to those among us that continue to suffer under the great weight of national discouragement that might sweep Bill/Hillary to the nomination, even the White House.

[AnninCA]

Next, well see an endorsement article from China.