Cairo, Egypt December 29, 2008
Everybody is an expert in Egypt on United States Presidential Politics. Every Egyptian I have contact ask about President Obama. Take Hassan the camel Driver at the Great Pyramid of Giza, Hassan asks, "do you like President Obama?". I thought is the fictional Office of the President-elect getting real play in Egypt? However, my answer did
not go into how Obama is not the President, not
until Jamuary 20, 2009, but I did say I did
not vote for Obama, and I do
not like his politics. "Why you do not like Obama?" Said Hassan the camel driver.
At that point what does it really matter, so I just stated, "I have to wait and see."
The camel driver is not the only
person to mention Obama, I have had Muhammed the guide, Muhammed the carpet seller, and multitude of others. Obama is a popular guy even in Egypt.
I even had a long conversation with our guide about the principles that made the USA prosperous, and how free-markets and less government intrusion in our lives helped to bring about a greater middle
class and in the minds of the world rich Americans. In Egypt there is basically two classes rich & poor, the haves and the
have nots. You do have a middle class, but the majority of Egyptians are poor, why is this? According to my guide it Is the distrust of the government.
In his own way he was saying, it's the government that causes the problems, I said that is the reason I do not like Obama, he sees government as the solution, but as you say it is the problem.
Egyptians have no nose for presidential politics, but at least one knows government is the problem.
-Lex Rex
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