A bitter-sweet breakfast
The prevailing mood was one of reserved joviality and relief that the result hadn't turned out to be a contested one, similar the bitterly disputed battle four years ago. In the all-American atmosphere punctuated by red, white and blue balloons, Democrats, Republicans and Independents donned Uncle Sam top hats and political pins, and waved American flags. The crowd of 200 or so eagerly eyed the two big-screen televisions, awaiting the latest news on results from Ohio, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa and New Mexico.
The race proved to be as tight as analysts had expected, but as the morning wore on, all signs were pointing to a Bush win.
Most participants said Polish-American business relations would have continued to prosper whether or not Bush had won. Others were not so gracious.
"It's turned out much better than I expected," admitted a relieved Artur Klimczak, the head of Citibank's CitiGold Wealth Management. "I grew up as a Republican, so I would support whoever is at the top of the ticket, but I like George Bush personally as well." He added: "I think a Bush win would be good for business because he favors small government and a do-it-yourself attitude."
But Henryka Bochniarz, President of the Polish Confederation of Private Employers, took a different point of view.
"No matter who has won, it won't make a big difference for business in Poland. A lot depends on Poland's image in the world, and a lot has to be done to raise Poland's economic image globally. We are seen as the land of Lech Wałęsa and the Pope, and we have to change that. It's up to us to get more involved. The ball is in our court."
The result of the American presidential election Tuesday last week was a close but clear win for President Bush. Bush received 51 percent of the popular vote to Kerry's 48 percent, winning by a margin of approximately three million votes. Bush collected 286 electoral votes to Kerry's 252.
The WBJ asked businesspeople, journalists and opinion makers from both sides of the Atlantic what they thought of the result
On-the-fencers
Henryka Bochniarz, President of the Polish Confederation of Private Employers
"I believe that Polish-American relations don't depend only on who's President, but also on us. There must be a coordination of policy. Poland's participation in the war in Iraq has done a bit to change Poland's image-there's some more sympathy towards our country now. It hasn't done so much to affect the economic image of Poland though."
Wojciech Grabowski, electrician, journalist and marathon runner
"Most of my friends in the states are Kerry supporters, but economic relations between our countries will remain good no matter who the President is. The most important thing is contact between Poles and Americans. We must have more of it, and we must get closer. I'll be participating in an 'American Run' next July 4 in the States to promote such contacts."
Interior Minister Ryszard Kalisz, SLD
"I took no sides in this election. I was rooting for neither candidate. Poland now holds a high place in American-European relations, so either man winning makes no difference in U.S. policy toward Poland."
Slawomir Kaminski, Senior Expert to the Presidential Chancellory
"This election is not so much about who has won, but about the division in American politics. We can see two camps with different methods for solving challenges: one which chooses the multilateral route and one which chooses the practical route."
Professor Longin Pastusiak, Speaker of the Polish Senate
"There's a lot of room for more economic cooperation between the two countries. Polish businesses usually look to the E.U. first. Although the U.S. remains the largest economy in the world, it's only the third largest foreign direct investor in Poland, behind France and the Netherlands. More work has to be done on both sides."
Leslaw Kuzaj, National Executive of G.E. Poland
"Nothing would have changed if Kerry had won. The business relationship between our two countries is just great. I work for an American company, and I see that people like American products and see that they are competitive."
Bush-ites
Ron Nawrocki, chairman of Republicans Abroad and MD of investment firm BI Solutions
"Bush's foreign policy has helped to open up business opportunities for Poland. The weak U.S. dollar is hurting exports, but I'm sure Polish exports to the States will do better than French, German or Russian exports."
Janusz Przeorek, of Expressmap Sp. z o. o.
"The heritage of Reagan and the first Bush will be continued by George W. Bush. Bush winning creates a stable American government, and therefore a stable business environment. A stable America is good for Poland. That's the bottom line."
Kerry-ites
Damian Bednarz, student of Political Studies at Warsaw University
"There used to be a time in our country when failing at your job or acting poorly toward your boss meant you got fired. Maybe we forgot that piece of capitalism."
Tim Lang, Environmental Engineering Researcher, Jagiellonian University
"Bush has done a lot to estrange our allies. A lot of them have come to question U.S. foreign policy. They see that Bush has changed the U.S. from a respectable country into a neo-colonial empire trying to foist itself on the rest of the world. To me, a Bush win means a big loss for the U.S."
Daniel Glasson, student of Economic Development at Warsaw University
"I'm pretty disappointed. I've spent quite a bit of time overseas, not only in Poland, but all over the world. I've seen how Bush's foreign policy negatively impacts Americans abroad."
The race proved to be as tight as analysts had expected, but as the morning wore on, all signs were pointing to a Bush win.
Most participants said Polish-American business relations would have continued to prosper whether or not Bush had won. Others were not so gracious.
"It's turned out much better than I expected," admitted a relieved Artur Klimczak, the head of Citibank's CitiGold Wealth Management. "I grew up as a Republican, so I would support whoever is at the top of the ticket, but I like George Bush personally as well." He added: "I think a Bush win would be good for business because he favors small government and a do-it-yourself attitude."
But Henryka Bochniarz, President of the Polish Confederation of Private Employers, took a different point of view.
"No matter who has won, it won't make a big difference for business in Poland. A lot depends on Poland's image in the world, and a lot has to be done to raise Poland's economic image globally. We are seen as the land of Lech Wałęsa and the Pope, and we have to change that. It's up to us to get more involved. The ball is in our court."
The result of the American presidential election Tuesday last week was a close but clear win for President Bush. Bush received 51 percent of the popular vote to Kerry's 48 percent, winning by a margin of approximately three million votes. Bush collected 286 electoral votes to Kerry's 252.
The WBJ asked businesspeople, journalists and opinion makers from both sides of the Atlantic what they thought of the result
On-the-fencers
Henryka Bochniarz, President of the Polish Confederation of Private Employers
"I believe that Polish-American relations don't depend only on who's President, but also on us. There must be a coordination of policy. Poland's participation in the war in Iraq has done a bit to change Poland's image-there's some more sympathy towards our country now. It hasn't done so much to affect the economic image of Poland though."
Wojciech Grabowski, electrician, journalist and marathon runner
"Most of my friends in the states are Kerry supporters, but economic relations between our countries will remain good no matter who the President is. The most important thing is contact between Poles and Americans. We must have more of it, and we must get closer. I'll be participating in an 'American Run' next July 4 in the States to promote such contacts."
Interior Minister Ryszard Kalisz, SLD
"I took no sides in this election. I was rooting for neither candidate. Poland now holds a high place in American-European relations, so either man winning makes no difference in U.S. policy toward Poland."
Slawomir Kaminski, Senior Expert to the Presidential Chancellory
"This election is not so much about who has won, but about the division in American politics. We can see two camps with different methods for solving challenges: one which chooses the multilateral route and one which chooses the practical route."
Professor Longin Pastusiak, Speaker of the Polish Senate
"There's a lot of room for more economic cooperation between the two countries. Polish businesses usually look to the E.U. first. Although the U.S. remains the largest economy in the world, it's only the third largest foreign direct investor in Poland, behind France and the Netherlands. More work has to be done on both sides."
Leslaw Kuzaj, National Executive of G.E. Poland
"Nothing would have changed if Kerry had won. The business relationship between our two countries is just great. I work for an American company, and I see that people like American products and see that they are competitive."
Bush-ites
Ron Nawrocki, chairman of Republicans Abroad and MD of investment firm BI Solutions
"Bush's foreign policy has helped to open up business opportunities for Poland. The weak U.S. dollar is hurting exports, but I'm sure Polish exports to the States will do better than French, German or Russian exports."
Janusz Przeorek, of Expressmap Sp. z o. o.
"The heritage of Reagan and the first Bush will be continued by George W. Bush. Bush winning creates a stable American government, and therefore a stable business environment. A stable America is good for Poland. That's the bottom line."
Kerry-ites
Damian Bednarz, student of Political Studies at Warsaw University
"There used to be a time in our country when failing at your job or acting poorly toward your boss meant you got fired. Maybe we forgot that piece of capitalism."
Tim Lang, Environmental Engineering Researcher, Jagiellonian University
"Bush has done a lot to estrange our allies. A lot of them have come to question U.S. foreign policy. They see that Bush has changed the U.S. from a respectable country into a neo-colonial empire trying to foist itself on the rest of the world. To me, a Bush win means a big loss for the U.S."
Daniel Glasson, student of Economic Development at Warsaw University
"I'm pretty disappointed. I've spent quite a bit of time overseas, not only in Poland, but all over the world. I've seen how Bush's foreign policy negatively impacts Americans abroad."
