Hope vs. Action Debate in Germany

From http://www.welt.de/english-news/article2574395/U-S-Presidential-Debate-in-Berlin.html

U.S. ELECTIONS ABROAD
U.S. Presidential Debate, in Berlin

14.October 2008, 13:53
Inspired by the political fervor in the United States, the German capital Berlin is abuzz with election-themed events. One of these, the Debate Club, examined whether or not vision is more important than action.

The passion released by the battle for the White House is not limited to the United States. Barack Obama’s speech before 200,000 screaming Berliners was criticized as a publicity stunt, but there’s no denying the zeal with which people around the globe, but particularly in Germany, follow the twists and turns of the U.S. presidential election campaign.

The enthusiasm is so great, in Berlin it has spawned a host of election-themed events, from Obama parties organized by Democrats Abroad, to a McCain-Obama debate between the Republicans and Democrats abroad. There’s a weekly film series at a major cinema showing U.S. presidential-themed films, panel discussions at the historic Amerika-Haus built after World War II to foster intercultural exchange, and a number of parties across the city planned for watching the returns come in on November 4th.

Of course one finds American expats at these events. At many, however, the vast majority are Germans, just as enthusiastic as their American counterparts. Estimates of the number of Americans living in the German capital run from 12,000 to 20,000. Either way, even without the scores of American students, artists, designers, musicians, government employees, and business people populating the city, there would be enough German interest to sustain these events.

One such event is the Debate Club, a German debate forum on topics related to the U.S. campaign, modelled loosely after the American tradition of presidential debates. Debate Club is held in a typically Berlin-hip location, the Rodeo Club in the old Berlin post office. Under a large domed ceiling decorated with intricate woodwork, a crowd of perhaps 200 politically-savvy Berliners gathered to relax and watch the two debating teams argue over the theme of the evening: do we need new bearers of hope?
At the door, guests were asked whether they supported hope or action. A difficult choice, but this was also the basis for the debate, in which the two teams argued for one side or the other, for vision or for pragmatism.

The ten debaters were instructed to stick to the evening’s theme, and not argue directly for one candidate or another, but this proved too much for some debaters. The final debater simply stated outright, she would use her five minutes to shamelessly deliver pro-Obama “propaganda”. At least she was speaking to a sympathetic audience: in Germany, where Obama is referred to as “the black Kennedy”, Obamamania rules.

McCain versus Obama has inspired debating forums overseas, including in Berlin.

As for the debate itself, perhaps due to its overly-polite format, or perhaps due to the abstract topic, it never really became a full-on debate. Instead, each participant delivered a five-minute statement, only a few of which directly addressed the other debaters. Some of the speeches were more rehearsed than others, but only one really stood out.
Sascha Lobo, a well-known blogger, underground marketer and author with a giant red mohawk, stood out even before he began to speak his piece. He said he was there to debate, and debating meant attacking the statements of the opposing team, representing hope and vision.

The argument of a member of the hope team, that those with utopian visions have changed history for the better, is bogus, he said; Kant’s treatise on “perpetual peace” did not come about through his philosophical musings. The American Dream, he said, was only possible through hard work: dreams did not put an American on the moon.

Finally, he quoted the old West German chancellor Helmut Schmidt, who said that when he had visions, he went to the doctor.

After the debaters had all had a chance to speak, the audience had a chance to vote again, via blue ‘yes!’ and red ‘no!’ cards, whether they believed we need new leaders emphasizing hope. Sascha Lobo’s performance proved convincing: while the first vote had been 70 to 30 percent in favor of hope, the second vote reversed this, with 72 percent supporting action over 28 percent for hope.

Debate Club concluded, then, with a call to action. An outcome that also reflects the mood that in tackling serious problems such as the present financial crisis, dreams are not enough.