Letter: Europeans struggle to understand President’s popularity in U.S.
Europeans rightfully ask themselves how President Obama can be so popular over there, whereas here, he is on track to become the least popular U.S. president since World War II, a title long held by Jimmy Carter.
I see three principal explanations.
First, while campaigning for the presidency, Obama ran on a fairly centrist agenda with a slight slant to the left, and on a populist message, which appealed, first and foremost, to minorities, woman and first time voters. Once elected, he took a sharp turn to the left, and in the minds of many, became the president of the very far left. Many in the middle class felt left down. the young lost most of their enthusiasm and, in subsequent elections, either stayed at home or voted Republican. Democrats first lost the House, then the Senate.
This is in stark contrast to former presidents, who all moved towards the center, regardless of the platform they initially ran on, right or left. The best example is Bill Clinton, who early on in his presidency realized that he was going nowhere with a leftist agenda, then moved to the center and ended up becoming one of the most successful presidents as viewed by many today in both parties.
Second, the President chose ObamaCare as his signature legislation on which he had hoped to base his legacy. Prominent Democrats, like Charles Schumer and Tom Harkin, and others, have since come forward, and publicly admitted that Obamacare was probably the wrong law at the wrong time. Also, it did not sit well with many Americans that they were lied to by the President and members of his administration about key provisions of the law. At the most, Obamacare is seen as benefitting five percent of Americans. Not a good choice at a time when the unemployment rate was running at 11 percent, and the only thing on people’s mind was the economy, and being able to hold on to their jobs.
Third, Obama was elected on high hopes and expectations that he would be able to help ease race relations like no president before him. Unfortunately, to the disappointment of most, not least the minorities, that hasn’t happened. According to a recent Gallup poll, 55 percent of Americans think race relations have worsened. Only 15 percent believe they have improved. The balance either doesn’t know, or feel they are unchanged.
In conclusion, if you live in Europe, and only hear one side of the story, how would you know?
Karsten Malmos
