All Things American Are In-Things in Bulgaria : Idealism: Observers fear that nation’s expectations of the United States are unrealistic and probably unhealthy.

SOFIA, Bulgaria —  It was crowd-pleasing time in post-Communist Bulgaria, and the emcee knew exactly what to say.

“How will we catch up with the Americans?” he cried to a huge outdoor fall election rally. “Easy! We’re taking their ideas and money all the time, and soon we’ll be just like them!”

The crowd cheered. Dozens of little American flags fluttered beside the Bulgarian red, white and green.

Bulgaria, a country once so tied to Moscow it was known as the 16th Soviet republic, is in the midst of a startling infatuation with all things American.

All over the capital, Bruce Springsteen and Texas rockabilly blare from taxis and hamburger kiosks tuned to the Voice of America. The hottest-selling boutique item is a large-face wristwatch decorated with the American eagle.

Late for an appointment in Sofia? “I will say I had American people with me. That is the best excuse these days, just like we used to say, ‘I had Soviets with me,’ ” said Blagovest Sendov, president of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, laughing as he concluded an interview.

“Right now, the American is the ideal,” he said. “Bulgarians believe that Americans never lie, they never steal, they never throw rubbish on the streets.”

But thoughtful Bulgarians, as well as foreign observers--Americans included--worry that Bulgaria’s expectations of the United States are unrealistic and probably unhealthy.

“As a small nation, we have this urge to find somebody who will take care of us, and sometimes we get overenthusiastic,” said former prime minister Andrei Lukanov, who leads the Socialist (formerly Communist) Party.

“It is a great mistake for us, because the U.S. is not going to help us like the Soviet Union,” said the Academy of Sciences’ Sendov. “There will be a lot of disappointment. Bulgarians are talking about help, but they think of the old kind of help.”

For Bulgaria, the most Sovietized of the Eastern Bloc countries for 40 years, Soviet “help” meant virtual dependence. Its economy relied on Soviet energy, raw materials and know-how.

“We have been told for 50 years that everything we have is because we’ve been helped by the great Soviet Union. You built a factory--it was a ‘present’ from the Soviet Union. You opened a farm, and thanked the Soviet Union,” said Sendov.

Since the fall of Bulgaria’s hard-line Communists in November, 1989, the country’s economic ties with the Soviet Union have withered. Moscow’s new insistence on payment in hard currency for fuel has left cash-poor Bulgaria out in the cold. Recently, for the second winter in a row, Bulgaria resumed severe rationing of heat and electricity.

The European Community is actually spending more in Bulgaria than the United States, but America carries a big megaphone.

The bulk of U.S. money--more than $1.7 million to develop political parties and prepare for free elections--came with early and enthusiastic U.S. support for Bulgaria’s democratic opposition.

But what American officials call the U.S. government’s “pro-active” stance here has rankled some Bulgarians.

“Now everybody is shouting about democracy . . . but you can’t impose democracy,” said an exasperated Sendov. “It is the fruit of a high standard of living. You have to create conditions where it will grow. It’s very good that this advice on democracy is coming (from the United States), but what we need first is investment. That will bring democracy much more quickly.”

Vice President Dan Quayle’s visit here earlier this year was meant to show U.S. support for the first phase of Bulgaria’s economic reform package. But the visit disappointed many Bulgarians because it brought no massive infusion of American economic aid. Nor is there likely to be one in the future, given the state of the U.S. economy, U.S. officials said.

In the long run, that may not be such a bad thing.

“I really like America because my daughter lives there,” said Petur Dertliev, chairman of the pro-democracy Social Democratic Party. “But our friendship should not overheat so we are simply replacing the old Big Brother with a new one. We don’t need a Big Brother--we need a brother. It is impossible to have too many brothers.”