Another possible cause of the American people’s disrespect for President Obama is the tension filled line between the Democrats and Republicans. The animosity has become so intense on both sides that as harsh as the Republican’s criticism of Obama is, the Democrat’s criticism of President Bush was equally harsh. Bill O’Reilly, of the extremely conservative Fox News Network constantly mocks Obama. On the other hand, Rachel Maddow who has a show on the very liberal MSNBC claimed she was insulted and embarrassed by Bush. (Shea) I believe that no matter what color the president is, as long as he is a Democrat, the Republicans will criticize him, and vice versa.
Another possible reason for the disrespect for Obama is the situation that the United States is in right now. We are in the middle of a financial crisis, two violent conflicts, and strained relations with other countries such as North Korea and Iran. In crisis, everyone tends to blame an authority figure, no matter who he or she is. To be fair, Obama did not cause the solution, he inherited it. It is possible that many people still blame him for not fixing the situation sooner.
There are many factors that account for the animosity towards President Obama. Race is certainly one of them. However it is certainly not the only factor, because there are plenty of people of many races that dislike, and like, Obama. An overall loss of respect for the position of President, tension between the two parties, and the current situation in America also contribute to his poor approval ratings.
Works Cited
Franke-Ruta, Garance. Carter Cites "Racism Inclination" in animosity towards Obama. 15 September 2009. 24 September 2009
Gavin, Patrick. The 10 Most influential D.C.Twitterers. 23 Feburary 2009. 24 September 2009
Shea, Danny. Rachel Maddow on Daily Show, "Insulted" "Embaressed" by Bush. 8 January 2009. 24 September 2009
I would just like to say that I completely agree with Anneliese’s response to the Carter article. I do not doubt that racism is still an issue today, but it is true that America has come and incredibly long way from that. We elected a black president! Therefore race clearly is not as huge of an issue if the majority of the country voted for a black man to be our leader. I am sure that some amount of the dislike towards Obama is because of the color of his skin, but I believe it is a small amount compared to everything else. Anneliese made such a great point by pointing out that Bush received just as much disrepect as Obama has, if not more. I agree with the quote in the article: “playing the race card ... from the bottom of the deck." Many people are being overly sensitive and just using racism as an excuse for Obama’s low approval when really he has it for the same reasons any other president would. Less repect for the president, disagreements between the Democrats and Republicans, and our present problems in America are the main reasons that people do not repsect Obama. If America wants to overcome racism, we need to believe that we truly have come a long way from that.
ReplyDeleteFirst off, I’d like to say nice job to Anneliese for referencing the Nixon administration and the decline of the public’s respect for the president, no matter who he is. I completely agree with her statement and think that this, along with rising tension between political parties, is what is to blame, not race. Wilson shouted “You lie!” because he disagreed when Obama said that illegal immigrants would not be covered in his proposed healthcare plan. The fact that Joe Wilson and the majority of the Republican Party have such strong opinions against Obama’s plan for healthcare has nothing to do with race. It is merely a large difference in political views. I agree that Wilson was totally out of line by shouting out loud on the floor during Obama’s address to Congress, but I also think that Carter went a little overboard by claiming it was a racist comment against Obama. This country has come a long way in terms of racism; even just over the past couple decades. The article mentions that Carter just turned 85; maybe he should stop living in the past and recognize how far we’ve come along since his time.
ReplyDeleteLike nearly everyone before me I agree that it is highly unlikely that there were racist sentiments behind Wilson unbecoming behavior during Obama's speech. I feel as though way to much is accredited to racism when it comes to the Obama administration. People are way to quick to play they race card in any sort of disagreement involving Obama, people must realize that while many people do not show enough respect to Obama it can hardly be assumed that this is a result of a racial issue. Throughout history there has been an abundance of problems the US public has found with its leaders; including the previous president George W. Bush, who experienced a myriad of types of blatant disrespect, as well as Herbert Hoover whose actions in office earned him mocking namesakes such as Hoovervilles. While a very small portion of the grief given to Obama may come purely from racist origins it seems much more believable that the majority of the public's dissatisfaction comes from the immense amount of hype surrounding his campaign, now that changes haven't immediately occurred and all the nations problems simply flown away discord is begin to show. This discord is apparent not only in the public but also politics, I believe this is to fault for Wilson inopportune and inexcusable behavior, not a racist mindset.
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