The Brits are following the US presidential elections with intense interest. Here, for example, is how The London Paper covered the Super Tuesday results last week:
If you look closely, you’ll note that Hillary and Barack were deemed sufficiently important to push full coverage of the Spice Girls reunion off the front page; greater honour cannot England grant. (Admittedly, troubled singer Amy Winehouse got a much larger front-page photo than any American candidate, but until Barack and Hillary have spouses in jail on charges of assault and trial fixing, they’re going to have to settle for second place.)
I suspect there are a number of reasons for the intense interest in our race. For one thing, most Europeans find it soothing to think ahead to a time when Bush will no longer be president.
For another, it’s simply a good story, pitting an underdog against a famous name, and the fact that it’s an equal contest is a surprise to many. Long before this election cycle began, the Brits I spoke to seemed to take it for a given that Hillary Clinton would be our next president. It’s only recently that they’ve realized that the Clintons are not as unambiguously admired in America as they are abroad.
But the main reason for the interest in our election is simply this: the rest of the world know they’ll be directly affected by America’s choice, and lacking a vote, the only thing they can do is follow the race.