PROOF POSITIVE: US Blue Party Welcomes UK's Gordon Brown & EU Socialist Party Leaders Who Endorse Obama in Effort to Influence U.S. Election Outcome
Britain's opposition Tories as well as the McCain campaign quickly latched onto what appears to be naked bias by British Prime Minister Gordon Brown. In Tuesday's Parliamentary Monitor, a version of Washington's Roll Call, he penned an article lavishing praise upon Mr. Obama. "In the electrifying U.S. presidential campaign, it is the Democrats who are generating ideas to help people through more difficult times," he wrote. The Illinois junior senator is a like-minded "progressive politician who [is] grappling with the challenges" of his time. Mr. Brown's article did not mention John McCain.
William Hague, a Conservative Member of the British Parliament, called the PM's comments "out of order." The McCain campaign's response was more mocking. Spokesman Michael Goldfarb noted that while the piece bestowed the "coveted Gordon Brown endorsement" on Mr. Obama, it seemed to do so for a policy proposal -- Mr. Obama's so-called Foreclosure Prevention Fund -- that Mr. Obama himself has quietly dropped.
Mr. Brown's supporters privately blame a junior Labour Party official who was using Mr. Obama's example to gin up support for his own party's foreclosure relief proposals. His aides say Mr. Brown never read the article before signing off. In any case, the gaffe is another reminder that Mr. Obama still draws strong support from the European elites, however much the European mass media has lately shifted its fascination to the mooseslayer Sarah Palin.
...Mr Brown's apparent enthusiasm for Mr Obama caused an uproar in the U.S. and provoked worried calls from Mr. McCain's officials to the British embassy in Washington.
They feared that he had breached the longstanding convention that requires Prime Ministers to keep out of foreign elections by backing Mr Obama.
...There was also a widespread amount of annoyance – not confined to Republicans - that a foreign political leader should be seeking to influence the US election.
...British Prime Ministers have largely declined to disclose their support for American candidates.
However the Blair administration was questioned for its close relationship with the Al Gore election team in the run-up to the 2000 election...
...At a press conference, Mr Brown attempted to reassure Mr McCain by denying that he was intervening in the US election. He said: "The decision on the American election is a matter entirely for the American people and I have scrupulously met both Senator McCain and Senator Obama and talked to them both about the issue that affect our two countries and the future of global issues."
William Hague, the shadow Foreign Secretary, said Mr Brown should not have written the comments. He said: "A responsible British prime minister needs to be ready to work with either presidential candidate after the US election, and should neither take sides nor be seen to be taking sides."
... Unlike T Blair (who infuriated Labour MPs by failing to attack Bush), Gordon has strong and deep links to the Dems, but as soon as he became PM he had to bury all that and be extremely careful not to endorse either candidate. A natural ally of Hillary Clinton, he has been as wowed by Obama as others in the Labour Party. Yet he must know that a McCain presidency is just as likely in a tight race. It seems in this article he just couldn't help himself and let slip what he really thought. Lets see if the Dems in the US seize on his support....
...But Major was not the first to blunder his way into American elections. According to Henry Kissinger, Harold Wilson "committed the extraordinary misjudgment of betting on a Democratic victory" in 1968 - by appointing a friend of Dem candidate Hubert Humphrey as US ambassador to Washington.
...The Party of European Socialists was well-represented at the US Democratic National Convention where Barack Obama was nominated Democratic Presidential candidate.
...PES participants were hosted by the Chair of the National Democratic Committee Howard Dean. They had a full agenda and took part in the International Leaders Forum (ILF) organised by National Democratic Institute, meeting with prominent policy makers and politicians, including Bill Clinton, former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House of Representatives.
...PES Secretary General Philip Cordery said “The European socialists and social-democrats support Barack Obama for President.
...PES Activists from Hungary are producing and selling apricot jam to show their support for Barack Obama.
‘Barack’ means apricot in Hungarian – spelt exactly like Obama’s first name -
...We also wanted to show that we PES activists share the same democratic values and aspirations as Mr Obama. He embodies the principles and values we want to promote as PES activists. We support his ideas for change and the attitude of his politics.”
See ITSSD Journal on Economic Freedom, at:
http://itssdeconomicfreedom.blogspot.com/2008/09/proof-positive-us-blue-party-welcomes.html
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