Do Foreigners Like Our President More Than We Do?
Oct 21, 2009 
Ben Donald 
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.”
Photos:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/violentz/ / CC BY 2.0
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The article really gives insights into the various facets of the personality called Barack Obama whose charming persona crosses all regional barriers. He has brought hope not only to America but to the world as a whole which is reeling from crisis to crisis. As a leader with clearly demarcated strategy breaking all conventional policies and gearing for a paradigm shift in the manner the world in general and America in particular has to progress, Obama stands a class apart from other text book politicians and war mongers. I fully agree with the writer in his concluding remarks that Obama should be given time for implementing his promises because at least he has a vision when compared to other great visionless visionaries!
The liberal/conservative dichotomy has existed almost continuously since modern western government have existed. Each side helps to mitigate extreme, potentially harmful beliefs on other. Though the outcome isn’t always ideal, I would venture to say that it’s much better than if any one side were entitled to unchecked power.
Having said that, I think the hackneyed, sometimes fallacious politics of modern ‘conservatives’ will die out soon enough. Republican electoral success had been on the decline even before McCain’s campaign resorted to unbridled slander, and they will recognize soon enough that they’ll have to change their ways in order to hold any public office in the coming decades.
In the meantime, their antics are certainly fun to watch!
I agree and it’s a pretty rough situation.
Particular values or beliefs (Liberal vs. Conservative) have somehow grouped themselves with two parties (Democrat and Republican), and people vote for which party will generally serve their basic values most.
I agree, it’s hard to be open-minded, and say that one is (open-minded) when there’s obviously some commercial or party interest involved isn’t right. I’m just pointing out that crucial lies and misinformation, are generally spread by conservatives and Republicans; this isn’t to say that Liberals and Democrats don’t do the same–I’m sure they do. It’s just that particular instances don’t come to mind of Liberals or Democrats openly and blatantly lying as often compared to conservatives and Republicans.
I just think that it shouldn’t really be about the actual parties, it should be about the values. Attacking from both sides just sidetracks from what is actually important.
Yes perhaps not on MSNBC but elsewhere they certainly do. I’m not doubting that Fox News is inaccurate–but like I said before liberals elsewhere present skewed and blown-up data about the Republicans. I’m not trying to implicate one party or the other. I’m not astounded by the bias on either side. It’s funny how people try to justify their validity and open-mindedness on both sides as well. I believe that both sides attack each other on a useless and untruthful basis.
But the conservative media (Fox Noise), and Republicans OPENLY LIE. You don’t see Liberals on MSNBC do that or Democrats doing that. The way Republicans and Fox Noise have blown-up and skewed the facts about the health-care debate is a perfect example. Watch a couple episodes of Countdown: With Keith Olberman on MSNBC at 8pm on weeknights and you’ll know what I mean (and be astounded).
Yes Democrats attack Republicans and slander them–it’s a part of politics (though unwelcome), but you can do so in a truthful manner.
I agree about the racial context since blacks, for the most part, vote along Democratic lines and are thus affliated with that party and as a result, when Democrats target Republicans they tend not to focus on race. I also believe that in almost every other circumstance it goes both ways. Democrats may not attack race but they pretty much attack everything else in the same fashion as the Republicans–yet in the liberal media, of course, criticism will be laid on the Republicans for the something that the Democrats do as well. This is extremely irritating to me.