# Americans, do you care about foreigners trying to influence presidential elections? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 25, 2016, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-do-you-care-about-foreigners-trying-to-influence-presidential-elections/763896 "2016-08-25T12:26:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2016, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-do-you-care-about-foreigners-trying-to-influence-presidential-elections/763896/21 "2016-08-26T19:30:08Z")
> [@Flyer](#): > > How many remember the Guardian’s attempt in 2004? > > [My fellow non-Americans ... | US elections 2004 | The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2004/oct/13/uselections2004.usa11) > > It did not go well. The reaction– > [Dear Limey assholes | US elections 2004 | The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2004/oct/18/uselections2004.usa2) Of course not. Selling out addresses of people who were not interested in hearing about it just made them seem like jerks. If they were smart, they would have set it up in partnership with a U.S. newspaper, and had people in the U.S. volunteer to get a letter from someone abroad about what they think. Set it up not as the UK having influence, but as providing information to Americans who wanted it. Not that they couldn’t just post a simple article pointing out the concerns that UK citizens had, and inviting US citizens to check it out. And, again, do it in join operation with some other paper who thinks their audience would want to read it. ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2016, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-do-you-care-about-foreigners-trying-to-influence-presidential-elections/763896/22 "2016-08-26T20:11:37Z")
If the U.S.A. is indeed an empire in decline, then who better than the British to offer insight and expertise? ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2016, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-do-you-care-about-foreigners-trying-to-influence-presidential-elections/763896/23 "2016-08-26T20:14:27Z")
> [@up\_the\_junction](#): > > I think after what the USA did in Ukraine I doubt Putin will ever calm down and stop interfering in US elections. Way, way over the line. Yeah, damn the Obama administration from getting in the way of Russia rightfully taking over the entire Ukraine instead of just snagging the Crimea! Fucking bastards, those USers, right? ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2016, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-do-you-care-about-foreigners-trying-to-influence-presidential-elections/763896/24 "2016-08-26T20:18:21Z")
I think it is inappropriate for foreign officeholders – Prime Ministers, members of legislatures, members of the European Parliament – to endorse political candidates in an election in a different country. That being said, it doesn’t get me angry, I just think it is in poor taste, and especially poor taste if that country is an ally. But ordinary citizens of other countries weighing in with their opinions? Doesn’t bother me. ---
**Author:** ![purplehearingaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@purplehearingaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehearingaid)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2016, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-do-you-care-about-foreigners-trying-to-influence-presidential-elections/763896/25 "2016-08-26T20:24:41Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > Considering the US, at times is extremely involved in the politics/elections of other countries, it would be a bit hypocritical for us to take affront to people from other countries weighing in on ours. This doesn’t mean everyone agree with what the US is doing in other countries so I feel it OK to mind if foreigners try to influence our presidential elections . ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2016, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-do-you-care-about-foreigners-trying-to-influence-presidential-elections/763896/26 "2016-08-26T20:45:22Z")
> [@Ravenman](#): > > I think it is inappropriate for foreign officeholders – Prime Ministers, members of legislatures, members of the European Parliament – to endorse political candidates in an election in a different country. That being said, it doesn’t get me angry, I just think it is in poor taste, and especially poor taste if that country is an ally. > > But ordinary citizens of other countries weighing in with their opinions? Doesn’t bother me. Pretty much this is how I voted and thought about it. The only time I care is when foreign governments try and actively influence our election via their own states resources either overtly or covertly. Private citizens weighing in? I’m totally fine with that, especially since the US, being such a huge power in the world, actually does have an impact on people in other countries, and who is or isn’t president has a tangible impact on them and how the US is perceived…and what we might or might not do, how stable we will be, etc etc. So I can see why people in other countries would be interested and perhaps concerned by who might be the next president, as well as curious and perhaps horrified, considering this particular election. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-do-you-care-about-foreigners-trying-to-influence-presidential-elections/763896.md?page=1)