Tony Blair is on The Daily Show tonight
Oooh. I wonder if Jon Stewart will ask him who he wants to win the election?
No, of course he won’t.
But wouldn’t it be good if he, y’know, did? And if Tony Blair, y’know, answered? By saying ‘Barack Obama’? That’d really mess with the minds of the Blair-loving American conservatives!
C’mon, Tony! You’re not in power any more! No one cares what you think! Well, no one over here does… But the American people might!
Tags: jon stewart, the daily show, tony blair
September 19th, 2008 at 2:34 pm
There’s definitely a segment in the U.S. that really cares about Tony Blair and what he thinks. For several months after September 11th I would fantasize that he was our President. I know he’s not so popular in Britain these days, but compared to George Bush he’s an absolute prince.
September 19th, 2008 at 3:53 pm
ha! you’re absolutely right – we would rather have had him than Dubya any day. he may have taken us to war, but his party and government were never as hawkish as the neocons. and it was perfectly acceptable to voice concerns about the Iraq war, right from the off (I took place in the first, million-plus march in London, in fact).
and yes, when in America over the past few years I did find myself talking to right wing, hunting, pro-life, pro-death penalty Christians who thought Blair was great. which I found very interesting, given that he was, ultimately, a Labour prime minister. I’m sure that if they knew his and Labour’s feelings and policies on certain matters they wouldn’t have been quite so for him!
September 21st, 2008 at 5:15 pm
Actually, I’m not so sure. US politics is much more about personality than UK, the guy you’d have a beer with – that’s who you want as president. Issues are reduced to key emotive (and distorting) ones: gay marriage, stem cell research, abortion. The right / left divide is built much more around that and tax then it is around the detail of economic or social philosophy. As a Catholic with relatively small c conservative social views and hawkish foreign policy, Tony Blair is not an unnatural fit with the American right. Overall, the UK Labour – Torie divide no longer corresponds that well with the US Dem – Rep divide.
September 21st, 2008 at 6:14 pm
yep, I see that, Arvind. the American right seems to think that Blair “fits” them somehow (and of course, he does in many ways – the religion and hawkishness, as you say). what I mean is: they may ‘feel’ that about him, and see that side of him, but they don’t know anything about the Labour Party, or the views of many of people in its ranks. or, indeed, that Blair would be anti-guns, pro-abortion (or at least pro it being an individual choice) and anti-death penalty.
completely agree re the difference between the Repubs and the Dems, and the comparative miniscule difference between Conservative and Labour. that’s why I’ve wanted to get engaged in this election, and am very fired up about it: it literally MEANS more than an election in Britain right now. it could swing America one way or another, make such a difference for good or bad. In the UK, we already live in a pretty liberal country where you know certain beliefs/policies are shared across party lines; there’s less to play for somehow.
re. American politics being about connecting with people/ the regular guy thing – for sure. you might find this as interesting as I did:
http://www.englandforobama.com/why-the-obama-campaign-needs-to-change-tack-or-how-we-can-learn-to-stop-worrying-and-love-the-democrats-campaign-strategy