Date: Wed, 6 Nov 1996 14:42:12 +0100 (MET)
From: malecki-AT-algonet.se (Robert Malecki)
Subject: M-G: Sweden-The American Elections!


This bounced back from this morning.

Sweden-The American Elections!

Dear everybody,

It is a bit after eight in the morning here and i spent most of the night 
until 4 am watching the TWO! nationalised election watches here in Sweden. 
Really fucking tired, so this will be very sporadic and stuck together like 
clue, however would like to present some thoughts while they are still fresh 
and some reflections on this stuff.

Just the fact that two election watches on the elections in the states on 
Swedish TV
says reams about Sweden in itself who had almost completely frozen 
diplomatic relations with the United States during the war in Vietnam. One 
of the watches was televised direct from Times Square in New York City. And 
the other was based here in Sweden with the former Social Democratic prime 
minister, Ingvar Carlsson as the main guest and the second guest was the 
American ambassor in Stockholm and boyhood friend of Bill Clinton.

One of the first observations which I found very interesting was the fact 
that Bob Dole
is one of the last of the pre second world war, second world war and cold 
war generation to run in elections. And the other is that Bill Clinton was 
clearly a candidate of and for the post war generation and not in the least 
the post war middle class and a political line in the bottom which says; 
Don,t rock the boat!, for us and the great life we have lived.

There was an interesting discussion about this in fact. One side claiming 
that Dole and what he represents is getting old and are in decline, where as 
the middle class and Bill Clinton are on the rise. If one were to look at 
the developments in the states, Blair in England, and the Social Democracy 
in Sweden.

What was interesting was the fact that some people saw a real danger that 
the World War Two generation who lived through the Nazis and the cold war 
were dying off because they embodied the experience of that struggle, where 
as the new middle class post war generation of spoiled brats have not and 
thus in the future could mean a new rise in facism or other dangers. etc.

Between reports from CBS and CNN on the elections. Reports were steadly 
coming in about Jeltsin's operation and his condition! Talk about black 
tuesday! Fuck how depressing. At the same time reports on the present Social 
Democratic Prime minister being in China and praising the Chinese for being 
"a stable country in development"...Which has caused and outrage here at 
least on the political surface.
Above this the subject was NATO,the UN, America's role in Europe the next 
four years, Nafta, the far east being really important. (What a joke) And if 
the republican revolution would be roled back or not. And interesting angle 
on the role of "talk radio" was new to me in regards to the right wing 
fundementalists and pubs. Africa was just mentioned in bypassing!

I do not believe in conspiracy theories, however I got the distinct feeling 
that at least from a Swedish standpoint a gigantic suck of relieve could be 
heard by 2am Swedish time when it became clear that Clinton had won. Ingvar 
Carlsson had a reflection about Kennedy at this point saying that he thought 
Kennedy better then Clinton but..

One of the important discussions was around who would be the new foreign 
minister. Where Holbrooke appears to be the darling and favorite candidate 
because of his new role in Swedish politics of being Clinton,s special 
representative on the Baltic Sea Counsil. It appears to me that some 
conclusions at least from here can be drawn at least as i see it.(This 
appears to be the most important issue for Swedish Social Democracy) and 
their new found friend Holbrooke and Clinton! The idea that Clinton gives 
this post to a republican, as a gesture of appeasement, was not popular at all. 

The big question about the dominance of the middle class in electoral 
politics at this point appears to be absolutely clear. Naturally this trend 
will last only as long as the middle class feels secure. And this is linked 
to the other key question. What is going on in the former Soviet Union. The 
extension of NATO to the east. At least from here being the key question. In 
fact the middle east was more of a parentisis the whole evening and Africa 
was hardly mentioned at all! This is interesting in that when I came here in 
the early seventies the "African liberation movements" stood in line at most 
of the Social Democratic and bougeois parties congresses! And the middle 
east was a big deal because of Dag Hammerskold nad the Social Democratic 
softness on the PLO. 

And with the Social Democratic prime minister of Sweden's visit to China and 
talk about stability makes it quite clear that the bottom line is the former 
Soviet Union, the health of Jeltsin, the extension of NATO, Sweden on the 
security counsil, The Baltic states and all the rest. Mainly about 800 
million Russians armed to the teeth with nuclear weapons in a highly 
unstable situation being the key to politics in the near and distant future.

Everything appears to turn around this one key issue. While at home 
appeasing the post war middle class and in the east saying to China such 
lovely things about stability. Interesting that Japan nor Germany are hardly 
mentioned. The present situation appears at least from here to be dominated 
about what is going to be done with the former Soviet Union.

But also a real fear that America would pull out of Europe into isolationism 
as in the pre second world war before the new lines are drawn on the 
European charts. The Swedes more then ever think that the United States 
plays a stabilising role to the present situation. Ingvar Carlsson actually 
said the only *real* super power left in the world today.. (Ha Ha that,s 
what he thinks!) But the Chernoblys and the nuclear capabilities of the 
former Soviet Union are like a great big fucking ghost hanging over the 
heads of western leaders. And I doubt if everybody is exactly united about 
what should be done about this...

In fact everybody was surprised that the question of the minorities and 
especially blacks appeared not to be and issue in the elections. But home 
grown consumer middleclass economics and security. Naturally the questions 
around healthcare being a key national issue.

Another interesting thing was that there was no discussion about Germany or 
Japan other then in the sense of isolationism vs free trade.

Lots of talk about how the Republican women went over in droves to the 
Clinton bandwagon. Thus the pubs had gone to far off the deep end with the 
Gentrich republican revolution and alienating many women who have rather 
newly in America stormed on to the political scene.

The left-right discussion was interesting also. According to them Nader 
representing the left and the far right-the far right in the Republican 
party. The American people did not support either who represented extremes! 
WOW. The labor Party was not even mentioned by the way. Although the trade 
unions were in the sense that it was good that Clinton did not win big in 
congress forcing him to pay political debts to the trade unions for their 
economic support to his campaign.

This is the short tired version! Only conclusion right now as a poor and 
working class guy and communist is perhaps I should go take a bottle of 
sleeping pills! But I will 
probably change my mind about that after getting some sleep. Besides as a 
communist one realises what this dependency on the middle class in the long 
run will mean. But I realize at least at this point why the left at least on 
Internet at this point looks like it does! Especially the new MI list and 
the discussions their. But also the almost desperate attempts from a lot of 
people to get as far away from Communist politics as possible. Hmmm, it must 
be the times or perhaps i was born at the wrong time along with millions of 
other poor and working class people. I think just now most about Russia and 
Africa also- so i guess i too am effected by living in Sweden.

If you have any questions post them to the list or me. I will try to answer 
them after getting some much needed rest. My 11 year old just went off too 
school.

Good Night or Good morning

Bob Malecki




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