American expats in Belgium on the US election: Robert Downey
With deep family roots from Europe, Robert Downey (62) from Ohio has lived in Leuven for 15 years. His maternal grandparents were born in Slovakia and immigrated to America before World War 1. Even with a family history of immigration, Downey is happy that Donald Trump has again secured the presidency, as he believes that one of the biggest threats to the US is the Southern Border.
Downey often travelled to Europe for cycling and skiing holidays. This and his family’s European history were the impetus for him to eventually move full-time to Belgium. “While nowadays, it may seem easy, particularly with the prevalent trend of “global nomads”, 15 years ago, if one is in business (as opposed to academia or government), it is not easy to find a suitable job abroad,” Downey states. “Particularly in Europe, expats are viewed as “expensive” by employers, in part because of the negative impact of US global taxation policies.”
Downey was offered a position as a global sales development manager in Belgium in 2008. “In essence, I traded money for adventure and exploration,” he said, referring to the income cut he would take compared to his salary in the US. He has found camaraderie with his Belgian colleagues, saying he is grateful for their help with integrating into Flemish culture and society.
For Downey, Europe is the place he hopes to stay and retire in. “I like the culture, the beauty of the surroundings, the quality of life, the long holidays and the safety and civility of life,” he says. He states that he finds the US boring, “that's why the country is obsessed with watching and playing sport” he says. “There’s simply nothing else to do. All the towns are the same, the food is the same, the people are the same.”
Despite his reticence to return to the US, he does not plan on giving up his passport. “It is impossible to predict the future,” he says. “I could lose my job, or (Ursula) Von der Leyen could bring on World War III by failing to negotiate a peaceful end to the Russia and Ukraine war. So, I want to keep that passport in case I need it.”
Belgian and American politics
Downey has learned to appreciate both systems of government in Belgium and back in the US. “They are different, and there is no perfect way. Politics need to match the culture,” he says. Even with his aversion to American sporting culture, he uses a sports analogy in explaining American politics, “American culture wants a quarterback,” he says, “They need a singular leader to set the tone, plan and execute the plays, per se. Belgian politics, and to some extent, European politics, is more like soccer, a team game.”
Referring to politics in the EU, Downey hopes to see more influence from Hungary’s Victor Orban and Italy’s Giorgia Meloni. He cites them as “the best leaders in the EU right now.” “Both of them care about preserving their own countries native culture, and not allowing the global elites and the Brussels beauracrats to tell them how to run their country,” he says.
As a supporter of N-VA’s Bart De Wever and Vlaams Belang’s Tom Van Grieken, he finds the cordon sanitaire to be “undemocratic by nature.” In political terms, a cordon sanitaire is the refusal of one or more political parties to cooperate with certain other political parties, generally those that are percieved as extremist. “It is telling people who vote a certain way that their vote doesn't count or that their opinion is meaningless,” says Downey. “It is hypocritical that many of the same people who claim that Donald Trump is a “threat to democracy” are the same ones who support the undemocratic process of cordon sanitaire.”
Additionally, he belives Van Grieken is honest about many hot topic politican issues, “I think Van Grieken is speaking the truth about the problems of illegal migration and the excesses of the climate change fearmongers,” he says.
Immigration
For Downey, immigration remains the most important issue. He does not want to see Europe face the same challenges as the US. He invokes a quote from Trump when discussing his apprehension on immigration, “If you don’t have a border, you don’t have a country”. “Uncheckemass illegal migration will turn Belgium into a third world country in the next 20 years if they don't get control of it now,” Downey claims. “I hope that Bart De Wever can form a government that has a real commitment to solving this problem.”
He addresses the irony of his feelings towards immigration, considering his family were immigrations to the US years ago and he himself is an immigrant. “I am here legally, and I work and pay taxes. I am opposed to people thinking they have a “right” to enter any country, and get unlimited benefits by “claiming” they are oppressed,” he states.
Downey fears immigration will be the downfall of both the US and Europe. To him, Trump’s win on Tuesday indicated a win against the migration trend and acts as a cautionary tale for European politicians. “Trump's victory should be a warning to European politicians,” he says. “And that message is that if you don't listen to the people, you will eventually lose elections,” he says. “
Researchers at CATO Institute, a libertarian think tank, found that undocumented immigrants were 37.1 per cent less likely to be convicted of a crime than US-born citizens. Research also shows that there is no correlation between undocumented people and a rise in crime. An additional study by the National Institute of Justice found that undocumented immigrants are arrested at less than half the rate of native-born US citizens for violent and drug crimes and a quarter the rate of US-born citizens for property crimes. Still, Downey, like many Trump supporters fears the effects of longterm immigration patterns.
Climate change
Another point of contention for him is climate change. “The climate cult has peaked,” he says and states that Trump’s election will put pressure on Europe to cut back on green energy plans and regulations. He believes a founding reason why Trump won is because American voters were tired of hearing about what he considers to be a climate hoax. “They were tired of being told every day that the biggest threat to their life was something called “climate change”. Tired of being told every flood, every drought, every cold or heat wave was caused because they dare to drive a petrol car or use a gas boiler,” says Downey.
For Downey, the political season in Europe is a welcome change to that of the US. He finds that the American elections are “never-ending”. “The shorter campaign period in European countries, and the UK, keep the political messaging focused, and more importantly, give the citizens a break from the media circus that surrounds campaigns,” he says. He has been inspired as well by Belgium’s government. “ Another positive of the Belgian system is strong, competent and empowered local governance. This is how Belgium can continue to function during times where they cannot form a national government.”
The social policies in Europe have contributed to his yearning to stay. “I value the spending on infrastructure, particularly for outdoor and social activities, such as cycling paths, swimming pools, museums and historical areas,” he says, but believes that cultural and societal spending will need to evolve as European countries battle debt. An issue that the US is no stranger to.
(MOH)
American expat Robert Downey © PHOTO BELGA HANDOUT
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