# Do you believe that Barack Obama has the country's best interest at heart? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 4, 2010, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-that-barack-obama-has-the-countrys-best-interest-at-heart/527627 "2010-02-04T02:42:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2010, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-that-barack-obama-has-the-countrys-best-interest-at-heart/527627/41 "2010-02-04T15:43:05Z")
Bush’s and Obama’s love of America and Americans are very different. Both were trying to do what they thought best but for two different Americas. I think Obama is smart enough to grasp that America has become a very diverse place. Diverse people, diverse beliefs, diverse wants & needs. He’s trying to do what’s best for America as a whole and realizes not everyone will be happy with it as a lot of people don’t want to compromise their beliefs/values/wants. Bush was trying to do what he thought was best for his “ideal” America. The Christian family values Americans who he considers the “real” America. Take care of them first and foremost. If your needs/values/morals aren’t being served by this then you need to become more like them. I think Cheney is the same way. He loves Americans. But only those he thinks deserve the title of Americans. He hates everyone else. ---
**Author:** ![Nzinga\_Seated](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b5ac83/32.png) [@Nzinga\_Seated](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nzinga_Seated)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2010, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-that-barack-obama-has-the-countrys-best-interest-at-heart/527627/42 "2010-02-04T15:47:34Z")
Who the hell knows. I don’t trust any politicians, and I believe power corrupts. I only voted for him because he is black. ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2010, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-that-barack-obama-has-the-countrys-best-interest-at-heart/527627/43 "2010-02-04T15:54:16Z")
I sincerely think that all Presidents, the modern ones, at least, are trying to do what’s best for the country. They might think that by doing the best for their key constituency group(s), they’re serving the country best. Where I might disagree with it, that doesn’t (necessarily) make them bad people. That just means we disagree on some things. I hope the poll is private. I disagree with **Crafter Man** on a lot of political things, but at least he’s strong enough in his convictions to talk about it. I hope others aren’t cowed away by any pillorying, and I’d hope that people won’t pile on, simply because they can/feel like they have backup. However, with that being said, I am curious as to who the others are that picked options 3 and 4. ---
**Author:** ![Agent\_Foxtrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc29f/32.png) [@Agent\_Foxtrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agent_Foxtrot)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2010, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-that-barack-obama-has-the-countrys-best-interest-at-heart/527627/44 "2010-02-04T16:02:05Z")
I’m sure this has been mentioned before, but if Obama wanted personal gain, he wouldn’t have only been worth $1.5 million when he went into office. With his level of education and experience, he could’ve been a lot more wealthy if he wanted to be. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Fun\_Ball](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_fun_ball/32/17664_2.png) [@Happy\_Fun\_Ball](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Fun_Ball)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2010, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-that-barack-obama-has-the-countrys-best-interest-at-heart/527627/45 "2010-02-04T16:14:12Z")
> [@Jack\_Batty](#): > > For the record, I voted the first option. And I would have voted the same way Reagan, either Bush and Clinton … or for pretty much any president, except maybe Nixon. I agree. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2010, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-that-barack-obama-has-the-countrys-best-interest-at-heart/527627/46 "2010-02-04T16:44:06Z")
[Moderator Note]Knock of the debating _now_. If you cannot abide the opinions stated in this thread, take it elsewhere.[/Moderator Note] ---
**Author:** ![code\_grey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f4b2a3/32.png) [@code\_grey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/code_grey)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2010, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-that-barack-obama-has-the-countrys-best-interest-at-heart/527627/47 "2010-02-04T17:07:31Z")
Godwin, here we come! 🙂 Did Hitler love his country and seek to do what’s best for it? Does the answer to that question make any difference to our appraisal of the guy? ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2010, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-that-barack-obama-has-the-countrys-best-interest-at-heart/527627/48 "2010-02-04T17:08:36Z")
> [@Curtis LeMay](#): > > Curiously enough you have not called out Der Trhis for that who said the same thing and even worse (ie Bush wouldn’t mind thousands of Americands dead in order to advance his agenda) on the Bush thread. An endless parade of wars will result in a lot of deaths. that is a fact. The neo-cons wanted to confront a lot of “bad guys”. War will result in American deaths as well as a lot more foreign deaths. So whats wrong with it? I voted that Bush actually had the country;s interest at heart. He wanted to remake America with an aggressive military, hands off the financial leaders and bankers. I disagree that those will make America a better place. But the neos sure thought it would . ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2010, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-that-barack-obama-has-the-countrys-best-interest-at-heart/527627/49 "2010-02-04T17:10:47Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > Yes. I believe he’s trying to bring the U.S. “to its knees.” Once he and his cronies economically destroy the country, they will “fix it” using statist & socialistic policies. This is what socialists do. IMO, of course. But, if that was true, he is doing it for (his idea of) the good of the country, right? So your answer can’t be #4. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2010, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-that-barack-obama-has-the-countrys-best-interest-at-heart/527627/50 "2010-02-04T17:17:04Z")
[STRONG MODERATOR NOTE]If you cannot control yourselves and take the debating elsewhere, I will close this thread, but not before issuing infractions for all those who can’t seem to act like adults and follow simple instructions. [/STRONG MODERATOR NOTE] ---
**Author:** ![Blalron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/35a633/32.png) [@Blalron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blalron)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2010, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-that-barack-obama-has-the-countrys-best-interest-at-heart/527627/51 "2010-02-04T17:24:41Z")
I’ve come to the conclusion that virtually nobody actually thinks that what they are doing is evil. You’ll see precious few people who are twirling their moustache like a comic book villain, plotting how to make the world a worse place to live in. Everybody thinks they are doing the right thing, but people have very different definitions of what the “right thing” is. Contrary to some of the photoshopped pictures I’ve seen, Obama is not the Joker from the Dark Knight. ---
**Author:** ![Slypork](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc29f/32.png) [@Slypork](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slypork)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2010, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-that-barack-obama-has-the-countrys-best-interest-at-heart/527627/52 "2010-02-04T22:41:32Z")
I didn’t vote for Obama, don’t like his policies, believe that his party is going to cause more harm than good in the long run and generally don’t trust his decisions. However, I wholeheartedly believe that, in his mind, he is doing what is best for the country and that he has America’s best interests at heart. ---
**Author:** ![E.Thorp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@E.Thorp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E.Thorp)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2010, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-that-barack-obama-has-the-countrys-best-interest-at-heart/527627/53 "2010-02-04T23:43:12Z")
> [@L. G. Butts](#): > > Is he motivated by strictly personal gain? Is he motivated by his religion (i.e. Islam), meaning what he does is to further his religion? OK if I correct that misstatement in parentheses? Obama is not a Muslim. ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2010, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-that-barack-obama-has-the-countrys-best-interest-at-heart/527627/54 "2010-02-05T00:41:17Z")
I voted for the first option. If not for traitorous Republicans, he would have already simultaneously lifted up America’s image, regained our superior moral stance, passed health care, and ended gay discrimination. That is some seriously impressive shit. Instead, we have evil traitors in Congress calling him a liar to his face, supporting extremists, questioning his fucking birth place, cheering him to fail, and opposing everything he proposes even though they themselves supported it a few years ago. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2010, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-that-barack-obama-has-the-countrys-best-interest-at-heart/527627/55 "2010-02-05T01:09:39Z")
> [@L. G. Butts](#): > > nspired by [this post](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=12073622&postcount=5) and [this article](http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2010/02/02/politics/politicalhotsheet/entry6167520.shtml) and [Do you believe that George Bush had the country's best interest at heart? - In My Humble Opinion - Straight Dope Message Board](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=550679). > > So how about it? Do you think President Barack Obama is doing what he thinks is best for his country, or is he motivated by something else? Is he motivated by strictly personal gain? Is he motivated by his religion (i.e. Islam), meaning what he does is to further his religion? Is he motivated by a desire to further the power of the Communist party? Maybe he wants to promote Acorn, the ACLU, or Al Qaeda? Is he working for the Muslim Brotherhood? Kenyan Separatists? What do you think? Yes it is all to further Catholicism. That is his religion after all. So he is bent on world conquest for the pope. ---
**Author:** ![sparky\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/77aa72/32.png) [@sparky\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sparky_1)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2010, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-that-barack-obama-has-the-countrys-best-interest-at-heart/527627/56 "2010-02-05T01:26:37Z")
I voted number 1, and feel no hope inside. My reasoning: I voted Bush in 2000, only to dislike his administration so much that I voted democrat for the first time in 2004 (for a candidate I loathed). Through it all, I felt the administration had the mindset of go our way or be an enemy and go screw. I now see a President I believe in, in that I trust him and his motives, but see our federal government locked in a stuborn stalemate where neither party will buge for the other. I wish, wish, wish that both parties would just realize how bad it is for the average American and work together. It frustrates me to no end that a stubborn power struggle and false ideology result in no action at all. I really believe Obama is guided by what is right for the country but is shackled by the current state of the two political parties. I crave for a repeat of the last election, but that both parties are exchanged for people striving to fix our problems. ---
**Author:** ![sparky\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/77aa72/32.png) [@sparky\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sparky_1)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2010, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-that-barack-obama-has-the-countrys-best-interest-at-heart/527627/57 "2010-02-05T01:30:47Z")
And please everyone, before expressing politics, please disable your religious chip and relate your thoughts/ideas in a manner that will come across to all people. And one more thing: if you are so hell bent in advancing your agenda, be wise that influencing a friend is much more successful than trying to influence an enemy. In other words, quit the hate, both sides! ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2010, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-that-barack-obama-has-the-countrys-best-interest-at-heart/527627/58 "2010-02-05T02:57:25Z")
> [@sparky\_1](#): > > And one more thing: if you are so hell bent in advancing your agenda, be wise that influencing a friend is much more successful than trying to influence an enemy. In other words, quit the hate, both sides! Suuure. You say that. What are you _really_ up to? Whose side are you on? Are you one of _them_? :mad: ---
**Author:** ![Rand\_Rover](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/db5fbb/32.png) [@Rand\_Rover](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rand_Rover)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2010, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-that-barack-obama-has-the-countrys-best-interest-at-heart/527627/59 "2010-02-05T03:22:28Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Your opinion on his policies is immaterial. The point of the thread is your opinion on his intent, so #1 alone is appropriate. Yeah, I agree fundamentally, but the wording of #4 doesn’t say anything about intent IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2010, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-that-barack-obama-has-the-countrys-best-interest-at-heart/527627/60 "2010-02-05T03:36:05Z")
> [@YogSosoth](#): > > I voted for the first option. > > If not for traitorous Republicans, he would have already simultaneously lifted up America’s image, regained our superior moral stance, passed health care, and ended gay discrimination. That is some seriously impressive shit. > > Instead, we have evil traitors in Congress calling him a liar to his face, supporting extremists, questioning his fucking birth place, cheering him to fail, and opposing everything he proposes even though they themselves supported it a few years ago. [Moderator Note]_No_ amount of political fervor excuses you from posting like this outside of The BBQ Pit. Keep it civil, or take it elsewhere.[/Moderator Note] [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-that-barack-obama-has-the-countrys-best-interest-at-heart/527627.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-that-barack-obama-has-the-countrys-best-interest-at-heart/527627.md?page=4)