He’s not very popular as a president these days, but I can’t help but REALLY like him as a person. I can’t say the same for other presidents I grew up with. I think Clinton was an excellent politician, and I would certainty vote for Hillary if the election were today. Perhaps Obama didn’t ‘play the game’ as well as Clinton. He probably should have tried to, because he may have gotten more accomplished.
Even though I voted for Obama twice, I wasn’t *always *attracted to his character. One thing that took me by complete surprise is when he agreed to be on Zach Galifianakis’ ‘Between Two Ferns’. Sure he was pimping ObamaCare, but I never saw ANYTHING like that in my life. Of course, he got some criticism for it, but that was the day that I kind of grew to like him more as a person. It’s difficult to put into words, but the skit wasn’t patronizing at all. I certainly might have reservations about being grilled by a comedian like Galifianakis, and I’m a nobody! Sure, Clinton playing the sax on Arsenio Hall was great, but the ‘Between Two Ferns’ skit really made me look at the President in a whole different light.
I would have a beer with any living president, (well… a Dr. Pepper, because I don’t drink alcohol,) But Obama I would actually like to hang with. Maybe play some laser tag.
Oh, I also think Michelle is pretty cool too.
I may be naïve though. Maybe I’m missing something. I really haven’t been paying much attention lately, and perhaps there are things I’m not aware of that would damage my perception of him as a man, (not a President). Jimmy Carter seems like a good man to me, but I know how people perceived him as a leader.
I’m a conservative. I don’t like Obama’s policies or his supporters, but I think he’s a good person.
It’s kind of like how I feel about the Philadelphia Eagles: Their fans/supporters are terrible, but the team’s okay. (OK, maybe that wasn’t the best analogy.)
As a politician I’m not too impressed. He doesn’t seem to have to stomach or talent for governance. We need another lbj, Obama is no lbj.
As a person he is OK. Supposedly he plays basketball with various ex NBA and ncaa athletes and can hold his own. Not bad for someone middle aged. But no idea beyond that.
Don’t care. For his wife. I’m going to assume that behind the scenes she and he don’t get along well.
I’m not voting for a buddy; I’m voting for a President. Maybe he is a great guy, maybe he jerks off in the punch bowl at White House functions. I don’t care.
He strikes me as very intelligent, a good balance between idealism and realism, fair and almost too patient and understanding. Great sense of humor, great tact, self assured yet not fill of himself. I like him and you americans are lucky to have him.
In all honesty, a lot of it has to do with some of her facial expressions. At least the ‘perpetually discontent’ part.
That’s all I got.
I can see where, if you’re judging a book by it’s cover, someone might jump to that conclusion.
As far as her being a ‘social climber’, I don’t know why anyone would get that impression, and I shouldn’t have said that I understand why some people might. I was totally lying and was wrong for implying that I understood what Wesley Clark was saying. I apologize for not being completely honest.
But the ‘perpetually discontent’ part I can see on a superficial level.
But not really relevant to this thread. No one said anything about voting for someone because they’re a “great guy”. The topic is, what do you think of Obama as a man? I mean, as far as you can tell.
[With apologies for the hijack, but…] Some former governors have been good presidents, some have been bad. The last president who was a businessman was either Hoover, or (if you want to relax the criteria) Bush II or Carter. Of congressmen who’ve gone on to be president, few had a thinner resume than Lincoln, universally ranked among the top 3 presidents. So Obama’s lack of gubernatorial or business experience is neither sufficient nor necessary to explain his (alleged) incompetence in office. Rather, the Executive Experience fixation on the right is an ad hoc means of delegitimizing a president whose person and/or policies they intensely dislike. As a generalizable principle, it’s totally without basis. The right will eventually be forced to jettison it altogether when their best candidate at a given point in time turns out to be a first-term senator.
Look, everyone’s entitled to their pet theory about what it takes to be a great president, but in a sample of just 43 dudes (and that’s counting Wm. Henry Harrison) across 225+ years in wildly different historical circumstances, I just don’t think there’s enough empirical data to support any blanket statement that businessmen, governors, mayors, generals, or other so-called “executives” are likely to make better presidents (however defined).
I like Obama and his wife. I think they are genuinely good people.
I’ve been a little disappointed in the president of late, I admit, but watching David Axelrod talk about him the other night on The Daily Show, my opinion has improved. I think the President looks to the future when he makes policy decisions and I think history will remember him well. I have always thought he was a pretty cool dude.
Michelle comes across as very much a mom and loving wife. I also support her efforts to fight obesity.