Expats at the FCC in Phnom Penh watch the final Obama vs. McCain debate.
Expats at the FCC in Phnom Penh watch the final Obama vs. McCain debate.October 31, 2008
Elena Lesley
Huffington Post
PHNOM PENH -- Since early September, American nationals have flocked to Phnom Penh's Foreign Correspondents' Club restaurant every Saturday night. The political debates they come to watch may have happened days earlier -- and been replayed on TV multiple times. And, as with the Palin vs. Biden debate, electricity blackouts might repeatedly disrupt the screening.
Still, the FCC events regularly attract a full house.
"Americans in Cambodia are turning out in droves," Wayne Weightman, the Cambodia chair for Democrats Abroad recently told me. "People may have already seen the debates, but they want to watch them together."
While they may be living thousands of miles from home, working in a poverty-stricken Southeast Asian country, Americans in Cambodia are well aware of this election's significance. As are their friends of other nationalities -- Cambodian, French, German, Australian, Korean. As an American, I am always struck by the amount of attention paid to U.S. politics by citizens of other countries -- we certainly do not return the favor -- and this year, interest is especially keen.
As Weightman told me: "It's not just Americans in Cambodia, but all nationalities in Cambodia. The whole world is watching this."
I was also in Cambodia for the 2004 presidential election. Although there was certainly a good deal of interest in the election's outcome at that time, the local political activity this year has far surpassed what I saw in the past. Conversations and debates about U.S. politics buzz throughout the city's expat bars and cafes. Foreign-run restaurants are planning to start broadcasting election results in the early morning of Nov. 5 -- which would be the evening of Nov. 4 in America.
A dynamic Democrats Abroad chapter here has helped motivate the already energized electorate. Weightman is the force behind the organization. An immigration consultant from Hawaii who has lived in Cambodia for the last eight years, he remembers the disappointment he felt in 2004: "I was sitting in a little hotel room in Thailand watching Fox news, because that's the only channel they had. I was ill watching the results."
Weightman vowed to get more involved in Cambodia's fledgling Democrats Abroad chapter. Although he happens to be a high school friend of Barack Obama's, he says he would have become chair of the organization this January no matter who the Democratic nominee was.
"It's been a huge, huge undertaking," Weightman admitted. "I've put a lot of my life on hold."
Including his honeymoon, which had to be postponed so Weightman could organize a February primary at Phnom Penh's "USA Donuts." His house has been transformed into Democrats Abroad headquarters, filled with banners, baseball caps and "I voted for Obama from Cambodia" t-shirts.
"If we were any more grassroots, we'd be digging a hole in the ground," Weightman joked.
He says the local effort has built momentum over time and now has a devoted base of volunteers. They spend eight- to ten-hour stretches manning desks at the FCC, helping Americans navigate the labyrinth of state voter registration procedures and absentee ballot deadlines. Volunteers even assist Republican voters, who do not have a comparable party organization in Cambodia.
Weightman admits that voting from abroad "is not a simple process. What your little ballot has to negotiate to get to being counted could make an incredible film."
Each state has different regulations and deadlines. The process usually involves multiple mailings, faxes and email correspondence with people who have no sense of the conditions of the place you are voting from. (I nearly laughed when I received an email from my home state suggesting I pick up materials at any "library, post office or DMV office.") And a developing country like Cambodia, with its shaky phone lines and sluggish postal system, is more challenging than many.
There are around six to seven million Americans living overseas, and while it's against Democrats Abroad policy to disclose at this point how many people the group has registered, participation in Cambodia "has dwarfed our expectations," Weightman said. "The amount of people we've touched is amazing."
No doubt many of them will skip work next week and gather in front of two big screens at the FCC, waiting to see if their labor-intensive votes made an impact.
"I don't live in America, but it's still my country," Weightman told me. "Nov. 5, I want to feel I did all I could."
Still, the FCC events regularly attract a full house.
"Americans in Cambodia are turning out in droves," Wayne Weightman, the Cambodia chair for Democrats Abroad recently told me. "People may have already seen the debates, but they want to watch them together."
While they may be living thousands of miles from home, working in a poverty-stricken Southeast Asian country, Americans in Cambodia are well aware of this election's significance. As are their friends of other nationalities -- Cambodian, French, German, Australian, Korean. As an American, I am always struck by the amount of attention paid to U.S. politics by citizens of other countries -- we certainly do not return the favor -- and this year, interest is especially keen.
As Weightman told me: "It's not just Americans in Cambodia, but all nationalities in Cambodia. The whole world is watching this."
I was also in Cambodia for the 2004 presidential election. Although there was certainly a good deal of interest in the election's outcome at that time, the local political activity this year has far surpassed what I saw in the past. Conversations and debates about U.S. politics buzz throughout the city's expat bars and cafes. Foreign-run restaurants are planning to start broadcasting election results in the early morning of Nov. 5 -- which would be the evening of Nov. 4 in America.
A dynamic Democrats Abroad chapter here has helped motivate the already energized electorate. Weightman is the force behind the organization. An immigration consultant from Hawaii who has lived in Cambodia for the last eight years, he remembers the disappointment he felt in 2004: "I was sitting in a little hotel room in Thailand watching Fox news, because that's the only channel they had. I was ill watching the results."
Weightman vowed to get more involved in Cambodia's fledgling Democrats Abroad chapter. Although he happens to be a high school friend of Barack Obama's, he says he would have become chair of the organization this January no matter who the Democratic nominee was.
"It's been a huge, huge undertaking," Weightman admitted. "I've put a lot of my life on hold."
Including his honeymoon, which had to be postponed so Weightman could organize a February primary at Phnom Penh's "USA Donuts." His house has been transformed into Democrats Abroad headquarters, filled with banners, baseball caps and "I voted for Obama from Cambodia" t-shirts.
"If we were any more grassroots, we'd be digging a hole in the ground," Weightman joked.
He says the local effort has built momentum over time and now has a devoted base of volunteers. They spend eight- to ten-hour stretches manning desks at the FCC, helping Americans navigate the labyrinth of state voter registration procedures and absentee ballot deadlines. Volunteers even assist Republican voters, who do not have a comparable party organization in Cambodia.
Weightman admits that voting from abroad "is not a simple process. What your little ballot has to negotiate to get to being counted could make an incredible film."
Each state has different regulations and deadlines. The process usually involves multiple mailings, faxes and email correspondence with people who have no sense of the conditions of the place you are voting from. (I nearly laughed when I received an email from my home state suggesting I pick up materials at any "library, post office or DMV office.") And a developing country like Cambodia, with its shaky phone lines and sluggish postal system, is more challenging than many.
There are around six to seven million Americans living overseas, and while it's against Democrats Abroad policy to disclose at this point how many people the group has registered, participation in Cambodia "has dwarfed our expectations," Weightman said. "The amount of people we've touched is amazing."
No doubt many of them will skip work next week and gather in front of two big screens at the FCC, waiting to see if their labor-intensive votes made an impact.
"I don't live in America, but it's still my country," Weightman told me. "Nov. 5, I want to feel I did all I could."
18 comments:
Also check: http://insight.magnumphotos.com/insight/cambodia-0
And also: http://johnvink.com/news/2008/10/18/elections-not-here-there/
If Obama wins (i.e. Democrats control the U.S.), then it is finished for the Scam Rainxy Party. They have been getting by very easy with George Bush in office, but with the Dem controlling both the Executive and Legislative branch, I don't see any future for Scam. The EU is having its own financial trouble now, so i don't think they are willing to help much.
To exacerbate the matter, Scam has lost most of his party's corruption source, such as the Chairperson of all committees in the National Assembly. What he has now is what is left from the bribes he received from Kith Meng to flip flop his pledge to boycott the opening of the National Assembly. After that, I predict that he will embark on another trip to beg European for some doughs.
My advice to you Scam is this: leave the country. There is no future for you or your gang, including Mr. Lao Mong Hay, who is too scared, by the way, to come to his motherland. It's much better to use your bloated skills somewhere else.
Penh Panha, Phnom Penh
May BUDDHA bless you the new US President,love from khmer american!
http://fr.youtube.com/user/maitreyaproject
http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=7QzcRe2nFTg
Sometime GOD gave us the Second chance to correct our way of do something wrong in the past.I believe Mr.Obama will win the Election for 2008.
He will influence all difference nationality of young people to keep the America strong.
May GOD Bless the U.S.A
I'm very excited about this election. As a new US citizen, i'm so grateful to be able to participate in this history-making election. I had never felt more enthusiastic in an election, most of them were in Cambodia.
In this US primaries and election cycle, it's also interesting to see the pattern of votes and choices for the President among Cambodian Americans. There is a striking difference of Presidential favorites between the first generation, middle age or older Cambodian Americans and their children or grandchildren. From my discussions and chattings with some Khmericans, i feel that the older Khmers tend to lean toward the Republican mainly because they think of Republican as the true Capitalism and Democrat as somewhat similar to Communism. And there's no other nationality more afraid of Communism than Cambodians are, given all the bitter experience with Communism, especially the Khmer Rouge and the earlier Vietnam-control Cambodian governement.
However, from my talks to some young Khmericans, I sense a complete different look of Presidential choice. They prefer Obama more mainly because they socially are more liberal and pro-democrat. WIth that said, I think the net gain for Khmerican votes will go to Obama. This is because many older Khmericans don't believe their votes will mean much, as a result, they don't go to vote. Only those are more educated, a small amount, will go to the polls.
Through all these conversations, I found myself pretty sad about what they said about Obama. Some old folks have a very toxic racial view toward him. I'm sad because they forget that they are also a minority in America. All their rights and freedom as non white minority are inherited from those who fought with blood and soul for everyone to be equal. I can't blame them for not seeing this simple historical importance for us as minority. Instead, they let their views to be clouded by their own experience with those African Americans who, to the disgrace of their brothers, sisters, and families, have commited crimes and created chaos in our communities.
One crucial thing that we have to consider very carefully is that "hate or dislike" cannot solve social problems that we are facing. Only embracing those who have gone to wrong tracks and bring them to change is the solution, the only one. If we want less crimes, we have to educate those who potentially will commit crimes. But education doesnt come easily, first we have to give them confidence and self-esteem to change the culture that they somehow keep inheriting since the civil right movements. And that "change" can make some progress with the Obama Presidency.
As a Buddhist-philosophy leaning Atheist, I see the fight for and against "gay marriage" in California very religious and just a symbolistic value. With more than 60 millions dollars spent, I don't think this issue will make any change. This is a fight between religious believers, mainly hard-core Christians and civil right activists. I'm not even sure if athist gays even care.
What's unfortunate is that the people who don't have much clues about it or are not affected by it are caught in between because they will determine one way or the other.
The religious people, for their cause to oppose same sex marriage, try to convince that allowing gays to get married will somehow make young children gay through gay education in middle schools. I seriously find this argument very appalling and groundless.
I don't think "gay marries gay" can do anymore damaging than "boy can sex boy or girl can sex girl." Granted that the later is well known existing, the same sex marriage is merely a religious issues and won't make any difference in children's mind whether their sexual orientation are affected or not by the knowledge of same sex romance existence.
Personally, I don't give damn about it. But if i was asked about it, i'd say, "let them have it."
Will Obama change? Come on, give me a break.
Will McCain help Cambodia? Big dream people.
All former US president promissed to change this and that. But they changed so little or nothing when they got to the office. Obama will be the same.
Tell me, how many US presidents have helped Cambodia? If you are still dreaming about that, you know so little about US government. If McCain wins, he will build more relationship with Vietname.
Black men need CHANGES!
(quaters, dimes, nickels, even pennies.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gA6_k3NtXZs
Dear Penh Panha (Phnom Penh),
អាខ្អុំកញ្ជះយួនឯងត្រូវយល់ថា ថ្ងៃអន្សា
របស់អាឯង នឹងមកដល់ក្នុងពេលឆាប់ៗនេះ៕
អក
Yes, I vote for Phymean Noun at least once or twice a day. I pray she will win $100,000 from CNN to help Khmer children.
Everyone please vote for her. http://heroes.cnn.com/default.asp
Khmer CA
non of the black guy or the old guy will think much of other countries. They're running for the US not your nation.
That's right...every presidents or prime ministers care mostly for the good of it's own nation. What do u expect? Why should they give a shit about other countries? They should fix their own problems first before they go fix others. And if we're living in the U.S. or a U.S. citizen living abroad, then we should give a shit.
You retarded people are clueless about international relations and the international economy. It's called globalization, retard!! you should care, dumb ass. You don't think if any of the countries, U.S. , those in the E.U., China, Japan, etch. economies collapse, that it wouldn't effect your country? Of course it does, stupid. When the chimp, W. Bush was president, he didn't have the funds to help other countries, because it was spent on Iraq. With Obama, he'll "spread the wealth" and help those really in need. It's called using soft power to influence other countries without having to go to war.
10:14 PM, if they retarted, it make you smart ass.
I make my prediction on 9/03/2008
Who is going to be the next President of United State?
"I believe Mr.Obama will be the next President of United State.Because this is about the future for all citizen of the US"
May God Bless the U.S.A
Obama will be the next president.
The next leader of Taliban.
at the final step..
the next in the prison.
I wonder how he has make so much
money.. Lobbying in the insurance
energy, etc.
Look what happen to the world.
the world of lies because of these bad
lobbying.. Obama is in the world of lie.
May you guys or gals name a person
that has been muslims changed into
others religions?
Muslims people changed religion?
Especially a man... I never saw that.
Only Obama !!! is it true?
Does not mean i like McCain...
Even i think he's a good man.
He's really old to be a president.
Already 71...
well only time can tell (4years)
Yes! McCain is very good man,But Mr.Obama will be the next President of United State.Just the reminder Mr.Obama will not Run the Country alone with the Congressman and with nation support.Please do not get angry and Please be happy would you.
May God Bless U.S.A !!!
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