Worldwide US Election Poll

[Twoyboy]

The Economist is running a worldwide poll for the US elections, mostly as a matter of interest. Now, it's not scientific, in that it's self selecting and at the moment, "voter turnout" is low. But this still interested me due to the a) uniformity of opinion across the world and b) massive margins by which Obama leads.

I've been fascinated for some time now with the Australian Media and how, even though they lean to the Right when reporting on Australian politics, seem to be massively in support of Obama in the US presidential election. Does this bias seem to run across the world? If so, is it a backlash to the massively conservative US media?

[wautd]

massive margins by which Obama leads.

Including in the US
Makes me doubt the accuracy of the poll to be honest

[Hillary]

As has been pointed out before on this board, the Democratic Party is not really a left-leaning party by any other than US standards.

I suspect that the Democrats policies are to the 'right' of any mainstream party in most other 'Western' countries.

Thus, the media in other countries doesn't really have a natural Republican/Democrat allegience.

In terms of this election, I think Obama is getting a decent ride by the non-US media because he is young, sexy and dymanic and provides better copy than an old war vet (Palin also got good press initially, in the UK at least, for the same reasons). There is also the ultra-religious side of the Republicans, epitomised by Palin, which is unique to the US amongst Western nations and is a real turn off to most non-US citizens.

I don't think it is any reaction to the US media, to be honest.

[ray245]

Well, given that the economist is considered a more liberal (although they are becoming more and more right wing) magazine, it has filter out a decent amount of people who may vote for McCain.

Come on, if the poll is runned by fox news, the sistuation will be well...reveresed? Maybe?

[Twoyboy]

Well, given that the economist is considered a more liberal (although they are becoming more and more right wing) magazine, it has filter out a decent amount of people who may vote for McCain.

Come on, if the poll is runned by fox news, the sistuation will be well...reveresed? Maybe?

True, which is what I meant above when I said it was self-selecting. However, the differences still made me blink. It's a huge margin, but I must admit, I didn't look at the US, because I was too interested in the rest of the world. The difference there seems to indicate the bias in the poll.

[ray245]

Well, given that the economist is considered a more liberal (although they are becoming more and more right wing) magazine, it has filter out a decent amount of people who may vote for McCain.

Come on, if the poll is runned by fox news, the sistuation will be well...reveresed? Maybe?

True, which is what I meant above when I said it was self-selecting. However, the differences still made me blink. It's a huge margin, but I must admit, I didn't look at the US, because I was too interested in the rest of the world. The difference there seems to indicate the bias in the poll.

Well, Georgia seems to the be nation where their international credibility is in question I suppose.

In a more 'liberal' site, and they have more people who lean towards McCain?

Well, that is saying something about their nation right now.

[RedImperator]

McCain was by far more openly pro-Georgian during the Second South Ossetia War than Obama was, and in the last debate he attacked Obama for not instantly condemning Russia and only Russia. It's not surprising he's more popular there.

[Covenant]

The Economist certainly isn't left-learning, but that doesn't mean it's readers over here aren't. If you polled a lot of readers of the Wall Street Journal, which is also a rather conservative paper, you'd see more than just conservatives reporting in. The big difference is The Economist is essentially a foreign paper dealing with international issues, and people who concern themselves with such things tend to be more intelligent and thoughtful, and those types of people are more likely to lean Obama. Just take this at it's face value--that Four out of Five intelligent readers of the Economist in America have some beef with John McCain. If we presume half of them are Democrats then you need are one independant and half of a Republican (possibly an oldschool conservative, not a NeoCon) to see how it could end up that way.

[phongn]

Well, given that the economist is considered a more liberal (although they are becoming more and more right wing) magazine, it has filter out a decent amount of people who may vote for McCain.

The Economist, at least in the years I've read it, seems to be fairly socially liberal and very much in favor of the free market. I'm not quite sure if you could call it libertarian - at least by the US definition - however, as it does suppose social programs.

[weemadando]

That just seems to confirm that the selections of Veeps and debates haven't changed the fact that the rest of the world just hates Republicans.