Thursday, January 29th, 2004
Thank God we still have the Brits on our side - you know, there is that special relationship between our countries. So, a few weeks ago, I thought, what the hell, I’ll stop in London on the way back from a European business trip and see some friends. They took me into their home despite their special dislike of our president.
I did my best to disassociate myself from Bush and his policies, but I still felt uncomfortable, even sad, watching “Breakfast with Frost” on the telly that Sunday morning. David Frost and his guests talked about Guantanamo and the Brits imprisoned there in violation of the Geneva convention. They questioned how the United States, once a beacon of human rights, could be so hypocritical and so destructive of its own principles. The special relationship notwithstanding, America’s image is taking a beating in the UK.
Individual friendships between Brits and Americans no doubt will survive the Bush administration. But I’ve been wondering about other kinds of relationships, like, for example, those between US companies and European consumers. Good will is a tangible asset, and one the US had in abundance after September 11. Now it’s gone, and I’ve been asking myself, aren’t all those pragmatic, clear-headed, bottom line-oriented, fully globalized Republican business people at least a little worried? Doesn’t a small kernel of doubt start to nag at them when they shift their eyes off the Wall Street Journal editorial page onto news pages full of the declining dollar and other unpleasantness?
I suspect some are concerned. They may not admit it to their peers and they certainly won’t call into Rush to complain, but they’re rattled. And they should be. According to a recent survey, US-based companies, compared to those of the UK, France, Germany and Japan, are the least trusted by people representing our partner in the special relationship. Why? It’s not what you think. It’s not so much accounting scandals and the like. It’s the Bush administration. That same study found that 42% of well-to-do British consumers are much less likely to buy US products because they disapprove of Bush’s policies. In France and Germany, that number - not surprisingly - is closer to two-thirds. (Full disclosure: I occasionally consult to Edelman, the US PR firm that conducted the study).
So what should US business leaders do about the problem? Vote Democratic.