At the top of Friday’s CBS Early Show, co-host Russ Mitchell reported on location from Athens, Greece as part of the show’s ‘Destination Unknown’ series and managed to squeeze in this observation: "...coming here, also, meeting people on the street, Europeans, they're absolutely giddy about the election of Barack Obama. They're actually coming up to us and congratulating us, which is interesting. So Europe is reacting in that way."
Later in the 8:30AM half hour, Mitchell returned to that observation: "As I said earlier in the broadcast, you get the sense being over here in Europe that the attitudes of some Europeans towards Americans may be changing with this week's election of President-Elect Barack Obama." Mitchell then turned to correspondent Richard Roth, who reported: "America's got a new President-Elect and a lot of the buzz on this side of the ocean is that's cool."
Roth, reporting from London, visited a local pub to get British reaction to Obama’s election: "Here in the country that was briefly called 'Cool Britannia' not so long ago, we're hearing some new compliments for the former colony." One patron remarked: "It makes America a better place." Roth asked one woman: "You like our movies?...You like our music?...So now you like our politics?" She replied: "I think they're a lot healthier now. Everybody's talking about it. So America is the thing of the moment at the moment and definitely -- definitely cool."
Roth concluded the segment by holding up a t-shirt that read, ‘Kiss Me, I’m American,’ and said to Mitchell: "So this isn't going to surprise you, Russ. Someone here suggested it may be time for me to put on this..." So now that Obama has been elected, it is apparently okay for Americans to patriotic again.
Here is the full transcript of the segment:
7:00AM TEASE:
RUSS MITCHELL: Hey, kalimera, guys, from Athens, Greece. On an absolutely stunning Friday afternoon. Yes, those sneaky folks at the Early Show secretly whisked me away yesterday. Next thing I knew, I was here in the birth place of democracy, Athens, and it is absolutely beautiful. What a great day. I am standing on Philapu Hill, which is in the center of the city. Behind me there's the Acropolis, there's the Parthenon. The sprawling city of some 4 million, on the other side of me is the Mediterranean. Not a bad day. Coming up in the broadcast today, we're going to examine the rich history of this city. Also, we're going to have some food we're going to drink some Uzo and we're going to do some dancing. And I bet that dancing is going to be really interesting after that Uzo. We shall see. Guys I got to tell you, coming here, also, meeting people on the street, Europeans, They're absolutely giddy about the election of Barack Obama. They're actually coming up to us and congratulating us, which is interesting. So Europe is reacting in that way.
8:31AM SEGMENT:
RUSS MITCHELL: But as I said earlier in the broadcast, you get the sense being over here in Europe that the attitudes of some Europeans towards Americans may be changing with this week's election of President-Elect Barack Obama. My colleague Richard Roth is about 1,500 miles away in London with more on that. Richard, good afternoon to you.
RICHARD ROTH: Hi Russ. Well you know, Italy and France have food and fashion, the British have the royals and the Beatles. But America's got a new President-Elect and a lot of the buzz on this side of the ocean is that's cool. Here in the country that was briefly called 'Cool Britannia' not so long ago, we're hearing some new compliments for the former colony.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: It makes -- it makes America a better place.
ROTH: Though wherever the Brits lift a glass or a pint, there's someone with another point of view. Cautious about giving too much credit to American voters.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN B: Indeed, as they voted for the last guy, as they voted for the guy before, as I voted for the guy before.
ROTH: If America's image is changing, it's still a matter of degree. I'm talking hot.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN C: It's not hot in my mind. It isn't a hot change, there might be a change on the way, but certainly not there yet.
ROTH: America's now cool, isn't it? Call her unconvinced. But don't consider that the final word. You like our movies?
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: We do.
ROTH: You like our music?
WOMAN: We do.
ROTH: So now you like our politics?
WOMAN: I think they're a lot healthier now. Everybody's talking about it. So America is the thing of the moment at the moment and definitely -- definitely cool.
ROTH: So this isn't going to surprise you, Russ. Someone here suggested it may be time for me to put on this, but, I don't know. I think it looks a little small.
[HOLDING UP A T-SHIRT SAYING: 'KISS ME, I'M AMERICAN']
MITCHELL: Just a little, Richard. Just a little. Maybe they can get a bigger size for you. Thanks a lot, sir. Really appreciate it.
—Kyle Drennen is a news analyst at the Media Research Center.
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riigghhht...the daily
November 7, 2008 - 18:28 ET by TruthMongerriigghhht...
the daily insult to our intelligence - duly noted
thanks See B.S. :)!
truly amazing what happens to public opinion overseas without the constant drumbeat of "American evil," isn't it - it's like MAGIC!
LIke they couldn't find anything positive
November 7, 2008 - 18:40 ET by exLibLike they couldn't have found anyone the last 8 years to say anything positive about the US?
I remember a study that came out when Tony Blair won his re-election around the same time Bush won re-election.
It said that well over half of those in the UK had a favorable or non-negative view of America and Americans.
It is only the selective view of the media that the US is so "hated" by the vast majority.
Of course, before he even go to be President, when elected in 2000, he was "hated" by the Euros. So they really don't take much to make up their minds, it's either hate (R) or love (D).
Finally, it certainly doesn't help that during an R administration Carter and Clinton were over there accusing their own country of torture, lying, etc... Just shows that they have no class, no allegiances other than to themsevles and their own party.
Who Cares?
November 7, 2008 - 18:41 ET by Jman449What is our obsession with what Europe thinks about us or anything else for that matter? This is a continent that historically can't police its own affairs and has dialed "911" to the USA time after time. Caring what Europeans think of the United States is like the LA Lakers being upset over what the LA Clippers think of them. Who gives a damn? Europe is a parasite continent. Don't worry, though, if China or the IslamoFacists come calling, they will quickly accept our help while they look down their nose at us.
LA Lakers....that's
November 8, 2008 - 00:50 ET by MichelleCLA Lakers....that's classic!
Seriously though, my sentiments exactly. I've always thought it's cool to be an American.
Republicans believe every day is the 4th of July. Democrats believe every day is April 15th ~ Ronald Reagan
Ever wonder
November 8, 2008 - 01:07 ET by general companyHow much the rest of the world would love us if our very own press did not hate us so much.
Anyone remember WWII or Korea, and how many celeberties joined military and supported the USA. How would these folks deal with the current crop of American haters?
"Television is a freak show" Bernie Goldberg
Good morning General
November 8, 2008 - 12:20 ET by cocodrieUnfortunately nobody replaced Bob Hope. The movie stars who were war heroes receive no credit. They're all gone and America is much poorer.
The London Economist is, essentially, Libertarian
November 7, 2008 - 19:24 ET by Josh SNThey also have a worldwide subscriber base.
In their poll, which included 55,000 people, Obama won in almost every single country on the face of the planet.
In which countries did Obama not win? Good question! Iraq, Namibia, Congo, Sudan and Algeria
I loathe and hate the Bush administration and the Democrats over their treatment of the situation in Congo. Hate is an understatement.
Death toll in Iraq, where George Walker started a war: 300,000 people in 30 years. MOST of those occured long before George Walker took office.
Death toll in the Democratic Republic of Congo (a.k.a. Congo-Kinshasa). 4,000,000 between 1998 and today.
For those who are awful at math, the meat grinder in the DRC was 50 times as deadly as Saddam Hussein ever was... and most of it happened while Bush was President.
The problem, of course, is there are no good Republicans.
yawn
November 7, 2008 - 20:59 ET by candanceI'm a typical white person.
idiot josh
November 7, 2008 - 21:21 ET by porpoiseboywhy does it matter who the rest of the world would elect our president? what kind of idiot are you? when has my opinion counted in an election in another country? now i know why the word ultramaroon was invented!
as far as the congo goes....where was clinton? where will obama be....no one is going into that shi#&ole. where's the u.n. ? dude, you are living on a pink cloud. is it your argument that we should go into all places in the world where gross human inequalities and oppression and death exist? where else should we go? or is it your argument we should go nowhere? should body count be the most compelling force? you have no answers, only bullsh*! talking points.
Ecclesiastes 10:2 The heart of the wise inclines to the right, but the heart of the fool to the left.
Josh...no surprise
November 7, 2008 - 21:12 ET by LionKing"The problem, of course, is there are no good Republicans."
Hyperbole and over-generalization.
Whenever you put TOO much faith in man, you are bound to be disappointed. All fall short of the Glory of God!
I thought you were about 18 years old
November 8, 2008 - 12:08 ET by ahussernow I know you are about 16 years old and you really should complain to your teachers that they didn't teach you any history whatsoever. Or are you just ignorant. If you want to involve yourself in that sewer of a continent Africa go ahead. Since you are underage you can join any of the numerous and should I say murderous rebel forces, you get to wear a neat beret and carry an AK.
"...no civilization, no matter how rich, no matter how refined, can long survive once it loses the power to meet force with equal or superior force." - Bernard Knox
People so enthused about
November 8, 2008 - 14:59 ET by GregEPeople so enthused about the world loving our president are so simply because they don't have a clue.
The world loves the Obama because it sees him as someone that will play along best with them, and by that I mean be more interested in what they like and want to do. That might sound great, but remember these are nanny states that rely extremely heavily on the United States to protect them, so being so enthused about their liking us is ignorance. They like Obama because he's most like they are. The United States is the sole "different" nation in the world, slowly working its way, unfortunately, to being no different. I couldn't give a rats arse whether the world is happy with our presidential choice. If they are, think about why that is.
"I said earlier in the
November 7, 2008 - 20:11 ET by winston smith"I said earlier in the broadcast, you get the sense being over here in Europe that the attitudes of some Europeans towards Americans may be changing with this week's election of President-Elect Barack Obama."
Ross is actually happy that the Euros think we're "cool" again. Is that his word? Who is he writing for -- junior high school students? And the media has never explained why it's so important that the Euro citizens approve of U.S. policy. We're supposed to agree that what they think of us actually matters somehow? My suspicion is that the media will travel abroad desperate to find anyone and everyone who hates America when there is a Republican in the White House. They will look for anything , fabricate any story that jibes with their Republican hate -- all the while assuring us that it is the Republicans who are the haters. And then you recall their miserable, hateful treatment of Sarah Palin and you just have to laugh. How I'd like to spit in their collective faces sometimes. If there were Euros who expressed sadness or anger over Obama being elected you can bet they wouldn't be included in Mitchell's final edit. The notion that we should respect or like the Euros better simply because they're happy we elected Obama shows you how superficial they are and precisely the kind of juvenile mindset that dominates the so-called MSM. See BS indeed! Do they ever wonder why they lost half their audience?
Yes, the lefties all across
November 7, 2008 - 22:48 ET by JerryYes, the lefties all across the globe love us again. So do the Muslims. So do the Communists. So does Al Qaeda, Osama, the Taliban, Hugo Chavez, and the ghost of Che Guevera. All the enemies of freedom love us again. Wonder why?
When asked if he went to war with Iraq to derail the impeachment vote: “I don’t think any serious person would believe that any President would do such a thing." - President Clinton (Dec 1998).
PREVIOUS THREAD
November 8, 2008 - 05:05 ET by Jack BauerPREVIOUS THREAD RE-TREAD...
I feel I have to apologize for Europe to my American friends.
I apologize for the stunning ignorance most Europeans exhibit about America. They know nothing about the history, the self-reliance, its constitution, its peoples' fierce determination to protect their freedoms, including the right to bear arms. (Unfortunately they only know what they are told by the BBC -- Hollywood movies, TV, and popular music.)
I apologize for the stunning ingratitude of Europeans for America being the ultimate guarantor of their safety, as they reduce their military spending to pitiful levels, as they spend even more on their bloated massive welfare state programs.
I apologize for the sneering contempt of European elites for the vast majority of America's good Christian folk. The birthplace of the Christian Church has long since sold its soul to the big nothing in the big nowhere.
I apologize for Simon Cowell...
aaahh the sound of it! a small aside
November 8, 2008 - 08:29 ET by tonemeisterafter all we have the euro's to thank for so many ism's, nazism, communism, marxism. as far as genocide on bush's watch. what about rwanda on clintons? madeline albright often laments that they didn't do more...
Economy in tough
November 8, 2008 - 08:59 ET by GregEEconomy in tough times......
Terrorists planning the next attack.....
Iraq still fragile......
Taliban resurgence......
Russia looking to control world energy.....
Iran developing a nuclear weapon......
.........but forget all that trivial nonsense, we're cool now. That's all that matters.
Hmmm...
November 8, 2008 - 09:32 ET by Meredith1966I'm guessing, then, that if in four years we throw the Obammunist out on his ear and elect a conservative, we won't be 'cool' anymore and will, in the opinion of those enlightened Europeans, have taken a step backwards. Hmm. If so, I hope we cut every dollar of foreign aid and pull every US troop out of Europe. I'm glad they like us, I really am, but they need to examine the past 60 years of history and like us for protecting their sorry a$$es against the totalitarianism that was Soviet Communism. They need to visit the military cemetery at Normandy and like us for sacrificing the blood and lives of our young men to free them from Nazi oppression. I know that many on the Left roll their eyes at such comments, but it is obvious the Europeans will put their interests before ours, as well they should. But shouldn't we reciprocate and do the same? Our economy is hurting, we've got problems, so why the hell aren't we doing as they do and looking out for ourselves first?
I believe the people of Brittany
November 8, 2008 - 12:13 ET by ahusserhave never waivered in their support of the U.S. As an aside to that statement. I noticed during the tour de france that when the race went throught brittany there were no displays of the french flag only the brittany flag. Methinks Europe has some regional division issues that are never covered in the E-MSM.
"...no civilization, no matter how rich, no matter how refined, can long survive once it loses the power to meet force with equal or superior force." - Bernard Knox
Fortress Amerika
November 8, 2008 - 13:28 ET by semolina_filcherBy the fourth year of the WWII, Hitler had his "Zeitung Europa"- Fortress Europe. Most of mainland Europe, sans the Soviet Union and the few neutral states, were under the Nazi control and were pretty much Hitler's toy to play with.
Then came the Americans. We sacrificed precious American blood to help liberate Europe. Now, we have "Zeitung Amerika"- Fortress America. Will we sacrifice precious American blood to liberate itself from within?
I would hope not..
Fortress Amerika
November 8, 2008 - 13:28 ET by semolina_filcherBy the fourth year of the WWII, Hitler had his "Zeitung Europa"- Fortress Europe. Most of mainland Europe, sans the Soviet Union and the few neutral states, were under the Nazi control and were pretty much Hitler's toy to play with.
Then came the Americans. We sacrificed precious American blood to help liberate Europe. Now, we have "Zeitung Amerika"- Fortress America. Will we sacrifice precious American blood to liberate itself from within?
I would hope not..
Double post...arrrgh!
November 8, 2008 - 13:29 ET by semolina_filcherDouble post...arrrgh!
US was always cool
November 8, 2008 - 14:46 ET by SDSNov 4th was a step back for the US of A. A day we selected our President solely based his race. It’s a sad day when Americans have been bullied into picking the least qualified person for the job. The American “brand” has been undermined for so long by the same people that are cheering Obama. European opinion is just a reflection of the news they receive from the MSM.
Pop culture, race, and
November 8, 2008 - 15:01 ET by GregEPop culture, race, and mainstream media, produced the Obama as next president.
If our nation continues to elect presidents based on a pop culturistic presentation of the candidate, America is done.
Cool? It's a bizarr-ee
November 8, 2008 - 15:50 ET by TheAssessorHad dinner with a friend last night, a retired exec., world traveler etc etc. 'Who did you vote for'? I asked. 'Obama'. 'Why'? "He's so cool". This isn't just bizarre.. it's a flat out bizarr-ee.
It's America, not Omerica
TA... Exactly...they
November 8, 2008 - 16:03 ET by bigtimerTA...
Exactly...they can't name one good reason for voting for him except basically "just because"....blah blah blah...
Hope and Change...this country is going to change alright...and the damage done to it will last long after I am gone, in more ways than one.
Btw...it wasn't much different when Clinton was reelected, I never thought in a million years the lemmings out there with all the scandals would possibly reelect the POS...but they did...
Now the danger is the complete control by the leftists and all the cramming they will get through ...I really weep for what is going to happen on down the road...
Yet we have the msm adn other so-called moderates saying this is what is wrong with our party (GOP) we need to get rid of the conservatives and go with the RINOs...
Not me..no more...no way...no how.
"America isn't the problem...America is the solution." ~ Rush Limbaugh
and Bin Laden somewhere in
November 8, 2008 - 17:23 ET by dark_dsand Bin Laden somewhere in a cave in Pakistan says " we can stop our campaign to destroy the infidels they are cool now ...who would try and destroy James Dean ...this was really all about that we thought of America as uncool .. allah akbar god is hip"