Transatlantic relations expected to benefit from US vote

US-EU relations will benefit from a fresh start regardless of who wins the elections in the United States, according to Jerry Hagstrom of the National Journal, a Washington-based political weekly.

Speaking yesterday (6 October) at an event organised by the US Embassy in Brussels, Hagstrom categorically stated that in both scenarios the “neo-cons” would disappear from the political scene. 

“If Obama wins, the neo-cons are out. If McCain wins, they are in trouble,” said Hagstrom. 

But the US commentator warned against the common misperception according to which Democratic candidate Barack Obama would necessarily be more “pro-European”. John McCain, the “staunch free trader”, should be the preferred candidate of European anti-protectionists, Hagstrom said. 

He added that Obama may be tempted to emphasise relations with other parts of the world instead of Europe because of his ethnic origins. But he also referred to Obama’s Berlin speech of 24 July 2008 (EURACTIV 25/07/08), in which he said that “there is a feeling in Europe that America is part of what has gone wrong in our world” and that “now is the time to build new bridges”. 

According to Jerry Hagstrom, the financial crisis took both candidates by surprise. 

“Neither McCain nor Obama want to talk about the financial crisis,” he said, adding that this was the reason why the debates were “dull” and tended to concentrate on issues both candidates knew better. But he nevertheless acknowledged that the crisis was helping Obama more, since all financial regulators had been appointed during George W. Bush’s two terms. 

But the US commentator did not write off the Republican ticket’s chances. He said the combination of John McCain, a “war hero, an icon and a maverick,” and Sarah Palin, “another maverick”, augured well for “very exciting elections with very exciting personalities”. 

“Either we will have an Afro-American president, or a woman as vice president. This is proof that America has changed,” Hagstrom said. 

The commentator also lamented the sad ending of George W. Bush’s second term and especially his lack of leadership over the financial crisis in the last two weeks. He said that if Ronald Reagan or Bill Clinton were in charge in a similar situation, they would have known how to lead and what to say to Americans and the world. 

If the event that Obama loses the elections, Hagstrom said that he expected Hillary Clinton to run for the top job again in four years time. The main mistake in her campaign, as he saw it, was not having sent out clear autobiographical messages, as Obama did successfully. As a result, many Americans only saw her “as Bill Clinton’s wife”. 

Read more with Euractiv

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