Barack Obama's first 100 days
Apr 29, 2009 14:30:08 GMT
Post by Deleted on Apr 29, 2009 14:30:08 GMT
There were tons of articles in the press about this with quite a bit of interesting analysis, much too copious to repeat here.
The basic gist of a lot of the commentary was that although his approval ratings remain very high, the warm glow of his arrival is fading. Even though Americans know that he doesn't have a magic wand to fix everything that is wrong, they were sort of hoping that he did. The economy is still dismal and although people know that it will get better sooner or later, it is not much consolation for their lives right now.
Apparently there is also a interesting psychological and racial twist in the black American community on Obama as president . Several analysts mentioned that a lot of black people who had been blaming all of their problems on 'white people' making sure that they did not succeed are not quite as confident using that excuse anymore. But it is an extremely taboo subject in a reputedly egalitarian society, and it is not talked about openly -- there is a fear that 'affirmative action' programs and other legislation to help minorities will be cancelled if America finally becomes a color-blind nation.
Meanwhile, just about all of the rest of the world remains thrilled with Obama as president of the United States. The tone of the American government has totally changed, and people feel that the United States is finally listening to them again. Since foreign relations are about 80% talk and only about 20% action, they are quite happy with having just the talk as a starter.
The basic gist of a lot of the commentary was that although his approval ratings remain very high, the warm glow of his arrival is fading. Even though Americans know that he doesn't have a magic wand to fix everything that is wrong, they were sort of hoping that he did. The economy is still dismal and although people know that it will get better sooner or later, it is not much consolation for their lives right now.
Apparently there is also a interesting psychological and racial twist in the black American community on Obama as president . Several analysts mentioned that a lot of black people who had been blaming all of their problems on 'white people' making sure that they did not succeed are not quite as confident using that excuse anymore. But it is an extremely taboo subject in a reputedly egalitarian society, and it is not talked about openly -- there is a fear that 'affirmative action' programs and other legislation to help minorities will be cancelled if America finally becomes a color-blind nation.
Meanwhile, just about all of the rest of the world remains thrilled with Obama as president of the United States. The tone of the American government has totally changed, and people feel that the United States is finally listening to them again. Since foreign relations are about 80% talk and only about 20% action, they are quite happy with having just the talk as a starter.
