registering voters

In the past couple of weeks, there has been a push to register American voters here in Hong Kong. I have been attending Democrat's Abroad since I moved here (thanks to the gentle push of some good friends), and so last week, I volunteered at one of the registration events. The event was set up so that anyone could vote, regardless of political party, but we did have signs indicating that we were with the Democrats and were supporting Obama. It was interesting to see people's reactions; in particular, the reactions of non-Americans. I had several European people stop and tell me their blunt political view, that is, that they were in full support of Obama and talked about what a disappointing (paraphrased words) president that Bush has been. I also saw many Chinese people pause, read our signs, and give us a thumbs up or a smile when they saw that we were in support of Obama.

In some of my travels, I've encountered people (shopowners, waitresses, other tourists) who, when they discover I'm an American, are keen to talk about politics. This past spring, their perspective was that the presidential race was only between Clinton and Obama...a Republican candidate was never mentioned. The world is watching what's happening, and I'm amazed at how well informed some people are. Going back to the States in the summer, I feel much more the political pressure on both sides, but being here, internationally, there's a much different feeling. I can't wait to see what will happen in November.