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| Niklas Nordlof : ‘I think people of my age in Seattle are taken with Barack Obama. They feel excited about him being the next president.’ |
Nordlof's eyes are fixed on the election for many reasons. His generation, who has witnessed the rise of mass media and the boom of the internet, grew-up in the years of the Bush Administration. In this election, young voters are keenly aware of the key issues: a faltering economy, a lack of health care, a global climate crisis and the Iraq war. `We are too saturated with speeches that are meant to prevent anyone from being offended,' confides Nordlof.
When he returns home to Seattle in December, he plans to pursue a double bachelor's degree at the Department of Technical Communications at the University of Washington. In an interview with UT-Nieuws, he speaks out about the political candidates and the issues troubling his generation.
Who is your candidate of choice?
`I will vote for Barack Obama.'
What do you think of his running mate, Senator Joe Biden?
`I think Biden appeals more to my parent's generation. He seems to be fairly moderate, which is a feature that does not really inspire my generation. He has all the characteristics that Obama apparently lacks. For example, his experience is solid, and he has a moderate perspective.'
What are the most important issues facing Americans today?
`The economy and the Iraq war. Every American has strong feelings on both these issues, and the stances of both candidates will end-up deciding this election.'
On the Iraq war Obama calls for the immediate removal of troops and McCain's plan is to slowly remove troops by 2013. Should the U.S. be fighting in Iraq?
`I was never for the Iraq war, and it was obvious a year before we got into it that we were going to go into Iraq. Bush was talking about Bin Laden, Al Qaeda and Iraq in one sentence as if they all had some kind of connection, and then all of a sudden, we were fighting in Iraq. What I really like about Obama is that he was always against the war in Iraq.'
The Bush Administration's $700 billion financial bailout plan was rejected in the House of Representatives. What will happen today when lawmakers reconvene?
`The plan they had was flawed; it helped big banks who dug their own graves, but ignored the suffering of the average American who is facing interest rates that they cannot afford. I think this crisis stretches across political parties, and so predicting what the outcome will be is difficult. The simple fact is that something will be done. This is a crisis moment when politicians gather points for reelection, and everyone is trying to do the right thing. A successful plan would be one that directly helps the American people.'
Are you in favor of the Bush administration's recently approved rescue plan to spend $700 billion to bail out investment banks?
`I'm definitely against the bailout. My girlfriend who lives in California leans towards the Republican side, and even she is against the bailout. That says something! Even when I was in San Francisco, it was very pro-Obama. I think most Californians will vote for Obama.'
What are your reasons for choosing Obama?
`My main reason is his stance on the Iraq War. The country is in an economic crisis at the moment, and we need to refocus on that issue rather than `bring democracy' to a country that has quite clearly expressed that we are only making matters worse, not better.'
Over 45 million Americans are without health care insurance. What needs to happen in America to help these citizens?
`I am definitely for universal health care because the basic job of a government is to ensure the health and safety of its people. The health care system we have in the states does not work. In Canada and various European countries, for example France and Spain, universal health care is proven to work. I would rather spend the money we are spending in Iraq on health care for every American citizen.'
What role should the government play in relationship to immigrants?
`My personal opinion is that immigrants cause absolutely no problems. I have an interesting perspective because my mom is an immigration attorney in Seattle. She speaks Spanish and helps Latin Americans immigrate to the U.S. I think we should make a serious effort to make citizenship or the permanent residency process easier — at least we should sponsor more temporary worker programs.'
Why are Americans fascinated with Sarah Palin?
`I think Americans can relate to her more than Obama, who is eloquent at giving speeches. They like Palin even though she doesn't always say the right thing, and she makes mistakes. People see their own fallibilities. She really has a strong opinion on issues and is willing to fight for them. She's charismatic.'
Who is the typical American voter?
`I think the typical voter is less concerned with the actual policies of the candidates and more concerned with how they lead their private lives. If you look at the Obama campaign, his religion played a huge role in the election.'
Why are American voters intrigued with the private lives of politicians?
`I don't know, but I guess you see the same over here in Europe with the monarchy. The only difference is that you cannot elect Queen Beatrix. The monarchy provides Europeans with a look at the private lives of people guiding the country. In America, we look at the private lives of our politicians. We don't have a monarchy to entertain us.'
