Exchange student reflects on historic election

By DAVID ERICKSON / Whitefish Pilot

The Pilot recently sat down with Whitefish High School foreign exchange student Simona Eicher of Switzerland to ask her what she thought about the recent U.S. elections.

Pilot: Why did you pick the U.S. for your foreign exchange year?

Eicher: I've always wanted to come here. My grandmother came here once.

Pilot: Is Whitefish similar to the town you grew up in?

Eicher: I'm from Balgach, Switzerland. It is a little similar, but the towns are all very close together in Switzerland.

Pilot: What did you know about the upcoming elections before you came here?

Eicher: I knew about the candidates. They talk a lot about Obama in Europe. They wanted him to win.

Pilot: What was the reaction in Europe to Obama's win?

Eicher: Most of them like Obama. They think it is good for the U.S. to have a black president. Most people in Europe were shocked when Bush was elected again.

Pilot: Do you think Europeans were surprised that a black man was elected to be president, considering there aren't any black presidents in Europe?

Eicher: We were not surprised. There are many black people in the U.S., and we don't have many black people.

Pilot: What did you think about the American elections?

Eicher: It was really aggressive. They are really mean to each other, and there is way too much publicity. There are mean commercials, like, "McCain is so bad and he says this . . . Paid for by Barack Obama…" Politics here is way more about putting each other down than talking about themselves.

Pilot: What are elections like in Switzerland?

Eicher: There are no political TV ads. None. We get a magazine that tells us about each candidate. In Switzerland, we have seven people (called ministers) that do the job of a president.

Pilot: Did fellow students talk about the elections much?

Eicher: We didn't talk about it that much. We aren't old enough to vote, except for some of the seniors.

Pilot: Are young people involved in politics in Switzerland?

Eicher: We have people come to our schools and tell us what they stand for.

Pilot: Are elections as big of a deal in Switzerland as they are here?

Eicher: No. At home, you vote for everything. Whenever somebody in government wants to do something, the people have to say yes first. You vote once a month. Here, you just vote for a person, and they are allowed to do what they want.

Pilot: Even though you're not an American citizen, did you have a preference after watching the election?

Eicher: I wanted Obama to win. America's a big part of the world, and it will influence our life in Europe. I hope it was the right change. Everybody knows the country needed some change.

Pilot: What did you think of the actual election night, when each state would turn one color or the other?

Eicher: It was really boring. I was watching, and California turned blue, and suddenly it was decided. I thought the speeches were good. Obama's speech was very good, and McCain's speech wasn't bad. I liked how he called for people to come together. I couldn't believe people in the crowd were booing when McCain mentioned Obama's name though, I thought that was bad.

Pilot: What do you think of the U.S. system of having an electoral college?

Eicher: I don't like the electoral system. The whole country should vote, and whoever gets the most votes should win. For example, the election was over before Montana had been counted. It was like Montana didn't even matter! All the votes were really close, so all the people's votes should count.

Pilot: Did you get any reaction from friends and family in Europe after the election?

Eicher: My mother called before the election and said, "Here, everybody thinks Obama will win, so the country can improve." Obama was pretty much on every front page over there. They were pretty happy that the first black man was elected. In Europe, the coverage of the U.S. elections is all about the scandals.

Pilot: What do you plan do when you get home?

Eicher: I plan to go to technical school in Zurich. I can't wait to snowboard here this winter, though.