Do Foreigners Like Our President More Than We Do?
October 21, 2009 
29 Comments
On the surface it is obvious that Barack Obama is a revolutionary figure in American politics. He is young, eloquent, and, namely, the first black president of the United States. But his election signified much more than a racial victory. The eight years preceding the Obama Administration included the collapse of the one of the world’s most powerful economies, the instigation of two seemingly interminable wars, and a tremendous loss of national credibility both at home and abroad. With gifted skills as an orator and a relatable sense of conviction, Obama captured the world’s attention as a savior for the American people—who were heading down a dubious path. His message of hope and belief permeated a global society stricken with conflict, resonating with all looking simply for a better world.
Recently, President Obama received the Nobel Peace Prize, becoming just the third sitting president to do so. The Norwegian Committee cited the optimism he created and the progressive attitude towards international diplomacy his administration has engendered as the justifications for their decision. Though audible gasps permeated the room as the decision was announced, the harshest criticism came not from the foreign diplomats, but rather Americans, who chose to berate their president, rather than share in the nationalistic pride and positive sentiment such an award could bring to the Obama Administration, and the country as a whole. But what has caused this disheartening disparity between the international perception of the 44th president and the way he is received at home, as notably different viewpoints have emerged since the beginning of his time in office.
President Obama Makes a Statement on Receiving the Nobel Peace Prize
In the months leading up to his election, Obama undoubtedly gained status as an international superstar. A series of polls conducted across the globe, showed our current president sweeping the board. All 22 countries surveyed in a BBC World Service poll endorsed Obama as their choice for the United States presidency. A 73 country Gallup poll reported the international support for Obama to be more than three times that of Senator John McCain. The international community was tired of the policies of the Bush Administration. The United States, for the previous eight years, had employed its “isolate and punish” strategy with respect to foreign policy. Everyone, everyone, was ready for a change, an upheaval within the system of US international relations. Obama soon symbolized this hope to a community of nations abroad. Upon his election, congratulations from hundreds of nations poured in, wishing the President good luck and expressing their desire to work with the United States to strengthen their diplomatic relations. This was the change to which the Nobel Committee was referring, this was the dramatic shift in the international climate which propelled Obama to center stage within the matters of international politics. But of course, how does any of this help us Americans, struggling to make mortgage payments?
Just a few days ago, President Obama visited New Orleans, stopping at a charter school to hold a town hall meeting. As the event came to a close, Tyren Scott – a fourth grader – was given the opportunity to ask the president a final question. He asked, “Why do people hate you? And why, aren’t they supposed to love you, if God is love?” Before responding, Obama laughed, and patted Tyren on the shoulder. He replied with his trademarked tongue-in-cheek manner, “First of all, I did get elected president, so not everybody hates me; I got a whole lot of votes,” but then continued, “But people are worried about their own lives. A lot of people are losing their jobs right now. They’re losing their health care or they lost their homes to foreclosure and they’re feeling frustrated, and when you’re president of the United States, you’ve got to deal with all of it. You get some of the credit when things are going good, but when things are going bad, you get some of the blame.”
Domestically, Obama is receiving too much of the blame. The country was plagued with problems, economically, politically, and militarily since before he ascended to the job of Commander-In-Chief. It seems so cliché, but the urgency to assuage these conflicts has become so prevalent, that people are still looking to find an overnight fix. That is simply and utterly an impossibility. The scope of these issues is tremendous, mind-blowing even. The economy, health-care, and other such issues require a greater collective consciousness than, as the president said, people only worrying about their own lives. Months, even years, will be necessary to solve these problems effectively. Sacrifices must be made and Americans must be willing to make them, including those in government. Stalling every attempt at progress will help no one – perpetuating a system adverse to development helps no one. Obama is not the bad guy here, no one person is responsible for the current situation and no one person can be hampered down with all the blame.
That being said, Obama does have a large support group within the United States. But in the direction our future is heading, all Americans should take the cue from their foreign counterparts. We all believed in change and progress last November, and though we are still waiting for many improvements, it is not the time to give up now. Barack Obama is a man that can turn this country in the right direction. But, he needs time, resources, and collective cooperation. Just as the Norwegian committee did when presenting President Obama with the Nobel Peace Prize, we should not be afraid to take a leap of faith. Instead of distrust and criticism, Americans must revive the sentiment of hope for an improved nation. This will be battle, our country has to bridge the gaps and commit to a plan of action.
The road ahead is tough, but this doesn’t faze Obama. In his final remarks to young Tyren he concluded, “I’m a pretty tough guy. Are you a tough guy? You look pretty tough. So you’ve just got to keep going on going, even when folks are criticizing you, when you know you’re doing it for other people.”
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http://www.flickr.com/photos/violentz/ / CC BY 2.0
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My comments about being on topic were directed toward everyone. Since I mentioned it, the comments have veered back towards Obama and the original discussion, so continue on that path.
Fair enough, but “Democrats” (not all Liberals or Obama supporters are Democrats), don’t go to the extremes that “Republicans” (I guess those who hate Obama), do. i.e, racist comments or socially inappropriate comparisons. There’s always been room for attack ads and messy campaigning, but pure racism and bigotry is where the line is drawn, and unfortunately for many Americans, they’ve crossed that line.
I was just trying to make the point that not all of those who hate Obama hate him because of his race or hate him because they believe he is a Nazi. Often people gloss over the fact that Democrats generalize and stereotype just like Republicans.
People who seek to bring Obama down certainly do refer to him as a Nazi or Socialist but Democrats do the exact same thing to Republicans! Corzine’s ads have targeted Christie and vice versa. It goes bothg ways.
This isn’t a reaction to a specific comment or person more just a general feeling that I have about this site, our towns, schools etc.
I don’t know when someone made a generalization about all Obama haters being racist. But if someone truly “hates” Obama, it’s hard to imagine that there aren’t some racial influences. There’s a profound difference between true hate and political/personal dislike or disagreement. People dislike Obama’s policies and his political beliefs, yes. I don’t agree with everything Obama does, and I love him just as much as the next Northeastern Liberal. But I have to say, people that publicly protest Obama’s policies usually add some sort of racial or “Nazi”-type spin to it.
1. We wanted to make the point that people make assumptions and generalize. We are not excluding ourselves from this. Ethan spoke in terms of the world as relatively liberal and we felt compelled to disagree. Comments between others showed fundamental disagreements–why was ours targeted?
2. I stand by what we said about race and the president.
3. People seemed to be angry about party divisions and the fact that people vote along party lines–however no one even discussed other parties and we wanted to bring up the fact that other parties do indeed exist and should be part of a political discussion.
I just wanted to bring the table the fact no matter what, our fundamental bias is disrupting our perceptions and it just seems as if that isn’t being conveyed in the comments…we would all like to think of ourselves as open-minded and accepting but ultimately, as shown by these comments, we are not and it is time to stop acting like we are! [This of course is completely applicable to this comment.] I have no problem laying out the bias.
4. I stand by what we said. It wasn’t directed at a specific person.
Perhaps we may have been too sarcastic? Sorry about that.
Two things. First, let’s keep the discussion courteous. Second, we should try to keep this discussion related to the original article topic.
1. The reason why many people have used Europe as an example is because its population is closest to us in terms of wealth and governmental system. Many if not all African nations’ people were very pleased with Obama’s election.
I wouldn’t pick apart generalizations. Yes, the Middle East is very conservative. China doesn’t say much, but it’s government was highly conservative. But the countries that spoke out about Obama were fairly liberal. None of the more conservative countries who might not have appreciated his election (Saudi Arabia, for example) were not especially vocal.
2. People who voted for Obama solely because he is black are not equally ignorant as those who refused to vote for him for the same reason. Increased racial equality is a valid issue, and it is therefore completely valid to vote for Obama because you think the fact that he is black could have an effect on race relations. However, ignoring other issues and voting for Obama based on race, whether in his favor or against him, is certainly ignorant.
3. Just for everyone’s reference, Chris Daggett is the Independent running for governor. I know very little about the race and the candidates’ policies, so I will not comment on that.
4. I’m not sure who you’re referring to here, but please keep all comments impersonal and non-agressive.
1. you say the rest of the world, and then the entire continent of Europe, is more liberal than us…what? I mean Saudi Arabia is pretty liberal, and Europe is only made up of England and France, right?
Why is it only Europe???? There are a couple a couple billion people who don’t live in the few countries whose opinions you value and say make up the “entire world”
2. Just because some of the people who hate Obama are racist, that doesn’t mean all of them are ignorant. And what about the people who just voted for Obama because he is black? Are they not ignorant because they support the same politician as you guys?
3. I’m confused by the discussion about the race for the governorship in New Jersey. There is a third party candidate running and nobody has even acknowledged him. If people are so angry about bipartisanship and party allegiances then why are candidates being defined by party rather than policy?
4. Why do people constantly feel the need to group themselves, paint themselves as victims, and distinguish themselves from the “masses”? It doesn’t make you special.
-sarah and caroline
Speaking as a foreigner: he definitely has much more likability than Bush.
And I still cannot understand why that 46% agrees with Republican ideas….. Anyway….
Well for one if you’ve ever seen Christie’s campaign adds, they’re rather dirty, and untruthful. I can remember one Corzine T.V add where he points out some instances where Christie straight-up lies, and misrepresents Corzine policies in attack.
Also, “Christie has faced strong criticism for several of the actions and decisions taken by the U.S. Attorney’s Office during his tenure; much of the controversy has centered on the several instances in which he awarded lucrative federal monitoring positions in no-bid contracts to friends, supporters, and allies.” Read for yourself:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_J._Christie#Criticism
There’s my proof.
my point is, on that Republicans got 46% of the popular vote, is that obviously a large percent of the population does not agree with the Democrats ideas. Also what is your basis that Cristie is a “total snake”. You make a point, but give absolutely no proof to back it up.