Remember when The Guardian asked readers to write letters to voters in Clark County, Ohio, asking them to vote for John Kerry? It caused an international uproar.
Recently the BBC went to Springfield, to ask people there if they'd like a chance to influence the vote here in the British elections. Typical reactions: "Huh?" and "Tony...what did you say his last name was?"
It seems, despite the chance to pay back the interfering dentally-challenged Brits, they don't give a rat's ass who wins. (The Guardian editor who came up with the idea recounted some of the letters they got in reply, most of which indicated their readers were "plaque-infested tea swillers.") The reporter who covered the story for the Springfield paper said it took them 30 minutes to figure out how to dial internationally. She's now coming here to cover the British elections, courtesy of the BBC. (The Guardian editor called her "charming," like he still hadn't sorted out the meaning of "patronizing.")
I hope she reports that people in Britain mostly prefer coffee these days, and their pearly whites are just that. And I hope she gives them the addresses of voters in, say, Sedgefield. Reminding voters here just who Tony Blair's American supporters are might convince them to vote against him.
