People Cooling on Obama

I know that you can’t tell it from the coverage of the inauguration, but the shine is already coming off Obama. 

Barack Obama got a global standing ovation long before he was elected president. But in a fickle and fast-moving world, the overseas reviews are already turning mixed.

Though much of the world will party through the night Tuesday after Obama is sworn in as America’s 44th president — just as it did when he was elected — there are signs the ardor is cooling as the sheer weight of his challenges sinks in.

A deepening global recession, new hostilities in the Middle East, complications in closing the Guantanamo Bay prison, Iran, North Korea, Afghanistan — an impatient world has a stake in all of them and is asking how much change Obama can deliver.

“Just two months ago, the future president seemed a cross between Superman and Merlin the magician,” Massimo Gramellini wrote in a commentary for Italy’s La Stampa newspaper. “Now he himself admits he won’t be able to keep all his promises, and who knows? Maybe someone will ask for his impeachment by the end of next week.”

“The idealism has diminished,” said Samuel Solvit, who heads an Obama support network in France. “Everyone was dreaming a little. Now people are more realistic.”

Muslims want to know why Obama hasn’t joined the chorus of international criticism of Israel’s Gaza offensive. Last week posters of him were set on fire in Tehran to shouts of “Death to Obama!”

1. Why did you post this?

   Posted by (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on January 18, 2009 at 1913 hrs




2. Because it was in the news and I thought it was interesting.  I guess I didn’t realize that some things were off limits.

   Posted by Owen on January 18, 2009 at 1917 hrs




3. “The idealism has diminished,” said Samuel Solvit, who heads an Obama support network in France. “Everyone was dreaming a little. Now people are more realistic.”

   What was your question again?

   Posted by (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on January 18, 2009 at 1920 hrs




4. I know that you can’t tell it from the coverage of the inauguration, but the shine is already coming off Obama.

   You mean he is not really black?

   Is this “Black like me” gone awry?

   Are Michelle and the girls in on this?

   Posted by (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on January 18, 2009 at 2008 hrs




5. But in a fickle and fast-moving world, the overseas reviews are already turning mixed.

   Not so for Bush.

   Bush Dangerous Mutant Cowboy/Indian Hybrid

   You have to admire his consistent level of appeal.

   Posted by (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on January 18, 2009 at 2024 hrs




6. Your posting is certainly not off limits and I did not mean to infer such a thing. I am trying to understand the purpose behind the posting. You found it interesting news. So be it. Thankks.

   Posted by (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on January 18, 2009 at 2028 hrs




7. The trend will continue when he has to start making decisions and stop campaigning on change.

   Posted by yoSAMite on January 18, 2009 at 2139 hrs




8. How nice. The whole article is based on anecdotal information. So this guy goes out and conducts some man of the street interviews and claims this is the way the world is thinking. Yet another example of why papers are dropping the AP like a stone.

   Posted by (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on January 18, 2009 at 2213 hrs




9. Guess no one looked at the Urinal-Sentinel. I sure don’t remember this type of fawning over the Bush inauguration.

   Posted by (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on January 19, 2009 at 1528 hrs




10. Maybe there was not so much fawning because:

    1) The victory was not so clean cut and subject to controversy

    2) Many Americans dig presidents who can speak in complete sentences

    3) Things were not left so FUBAR by Bush’s predecessor.

    Americans can just smell the disaster that was left behind. Yet we have all these childish accusations about the alleged deification of Obama by his supporters from right wingers. We can be treated to a “this week in whine country” Sykes pretty much non-stop.

    Maybe it comes down to people recognize how bad things are and we’d better get behind this guys because this is our one shot for getting out of the hole.

    Posted by (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on January 19, 2009 at 1604 hrs




11. I laughed at comment #2 until I remembered “ummm, ummmm, aagh, ummmm”

    I smell the disaster yet to come.

    Posted by (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on January 19, 2009 at 1630 hrs




12. Owen - the #2 comment was great. I can’t decide which one was more funny #1 or #2.

    So they are burning Obama in effigy in Iran - I guess that isn’t my acid test to see if the shine has come off of Obama yet. (and believe me - I’m on TOTAL personal media blackout tomorrow to avoid getting some the Obamagasm on me.)

    This sorta sounds like some ner do well elites trying to make themselves look important by trifling about the next great new thing.

    Personally I think the shine will wear off after all the Gitmo people who were released restart their terrorist activities.

    Posted by (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on January 19, 2009 at 1639 hrs




13. Let’s play what if because nobody knows the future. What if the Obama administration turns this thing around? What if the Obama administration re-establishes respect for the US? What if the Obama administration accomplishes major health care reform?

    The opposite can happen of course and most will chalk it up to Bush leaving behind a reeking mess. But what happens if they pull it off?

    Posted by (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on January 19, 2009 at 2138 hrs




14. RE: #13

    T’aint gonna happen; one cannot tax their way into prosperity. Jay Weber played Reagan’s first inaugural speech this morning where Reagan stated, “the problem is government”. Obama believes the “solution is government”. He ‘s starting off with a flawed theory and it’s only going to get worse. Sorry to burst your Obama bubble.

    Posted by (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on January 20, 2009 at 1040 hrs