As I sit in front of a TV in a major European city with a ton of problems of its own, the only thing that seems to be on anyone’s mind here in Barcelona — or in Spain — is what will happen today in the United States. Every network has sent not just their Washington or New York correspondents to cover the lead-up to the elections and their subsequent unfolding, but also their most prized journalists, who are Washington, Chicago and other locales. The familiar faces of the star anchors on the evening news are missing from the newsdesk, and they speak to us from a backdrop of American flags or images of the Capitol. Clearly this isn’t just any election.

9 hours ahead of those in my home state of California, my stomach is already churning with nervousness as my friends sleep. Today is the day. On the street, newspaper headlines — and talks in smoky cafés — predict a victory for Obama. In this fiercely liberal and progressive city, where I’ve encountered my fair share of skepticism (ahem, that’s a euphemism) towards Americans, I am finding that most people are convinced that we won’t make the same mistake again. It almost feels like if the U.S. elects Obama, Europeans will almost be capable of forgiving us for the last two failures of the American electorate. On the flip side, should McCain emerge as the new leader of the world’s most powerful country, there will be more than a lack of forgiveness — a resounding “you got what you deserved.”

Over the past several months, friends, colleagues and acquaintances here in Barcelona have all enthusiastically proclaimed to me that the next time I return home, Barack Obama will be my president. The speak about as if it were a given, beaming with expectation. Even those people who might not have given a shit about anything related to the U.S. last year are excited. I don’t think it’s presumptous to say that the the prospect of Obama as the new U.S. President is important to everyone the world over. A colleague said to me yesterday “If the world could vote, Obama would win with 99%.” From what I’ve seen, I can’t say I’d disagree.

In what might be the most illustrative — albeit surreal – demonstration of the importance people the world over are putting on this race, last week Shamans from Peru got together to perform a ritual to help Obama win the elections, and even predicted his victory. The poignancy of this isn’t lost on me. What happens in the U.S. directly affects Latin America, and the Shamans are pulling out all the stops.

Continued in the next post