To add, I’m British, mid-40s, centre-left politically, lived in the UK all my life.
I hear you but I don’t want to discuss or debate that here in this thread. It is neither the time nor the place, and clearly the focus should be as the OP posited, how non-US Dopers view Obama. Good info thus far in the thread.
I didn’t mean to spark debate; far from it, really. It was moreso an attempt to clarify why I think you’re going to find Obama is generally far more well-liked in particularly Western Europe than he perhaps is domestically, and an attempt to clarify that this is very much on the back of his stance on social issues.
Canuck here (57 yrs) and fully agree. To add to that I think that he is a good, decent person in one of the shittier jobs in the world. From my POV I just don’t understand the disdain.
Canadian here.
I see Obama as working with good will towards improving US domestic policy, hampered by an obstructionist US Congress.
His foreign policy was mixed. He shines only by virtue of contrast with his predecessor in office.
I think history will judge him, perhaps unfairly, as forced by domestic politics into more of a “caretaker” role than his supporters envisioned. He’ll be remembered more for being the first Black President, than for any particular accomplishment.
Friendly, boring, a great conciliator and compromiser, not many strong beliefs, always willing to ‘evolve’ his views for ratings; as hawkish as his military people would want but not an initiator of wars; he’s a good successor to Eisenhower and Gerald Ford.
Britain.
I’m American and just want to say that I find these responses to be encouraging, validating, and even-handed. The noise level in this country’s politics often drowns out the moderate voices.
This is so true.
British, lived here all my life. Nearly 40.
Obama, like Clinton, gives a sense that he’s aware there’s a world outside the US borders, and that he knows and cares about it. I don’t think that he buys into the UK-US “special relationship” in the way that previous POTUSes have done, but that’s OK.
He’s impressive to listen to and he comes across as impressively normal. There was a TV show recently where he climbed a mountain with survival expert Bear Grylls and while I’m sure every moment was scripted and vetted by the press office, he did seem to be a normal guy with an extraordinary job.
If he wants to run for office in the uk, hed get my vote.
Ditto
I agree as well. The current election campaign is somewhat frightening.
Australian, lived mostly here but also UK. I think Obama has lived up to as much of the hype as I ever thought he could ie not much. The hype never did interest me.
I think history will regard him very well.
Despite **Penultima’s **IMHO overly harsh rating of Obama on economics, an article I read recently suggested that after coming off a very low base (due to a GFC not of his making) his economic stats are actually extremely impressive, not that the 'Pubbies would ever dream of admitting to the possibility.
I think in the face of politics in the US becoming quite alarmingly shrill, culturally divided and partisan, Obama has managed to remain very cool and statesmanlike in his refusal to be drawn. Which is ironic in the sense that I have no doubt that it is his colour and name and father’s background that has (not through any intent of his) resulted in at least a substantial part of the cultural divide.
Without wishing to be overly critical, I am staggered by your surprise. The way politics is played these days (particularly in the US from what I can see) is on the principle that one only opens one’s mouth about the opposition to be critical of everything they do and everything they say. The best you can say about the US right’s reaction to Obama taking out Bin Laden is that at least they had the nous to realise that for the most part even they couldn’t spin the event as a failure, so they just said nothing at all.
As to foreign policy, at least he hasn’t started any major wars for political purposes, and as others have said he seems to have a far more worldly view than is common for US presidents to feel they can afford domestically to display.
I think history will remember Obama as at least in the top third of US presidents if not higher. However, much may depend on Obamacare which will either be his greatest longstanding change to the US social compact, or a fizzer. It will be a fizzer if the remaining forces set against it manage to get it repealed in the next few years. If that doesn’t happen then it will become entrenched and the US will quickly get used to having a far better healthcare system than it has traditionally had, such that in a few years no one will admit to ever having been against the reform in the first place.
Pretty much what Claverhouse said. What we call over here “a safe pair of hands”.
Seems like a decent chap as well.
England
Safe-hander. Yes. That would be my term either. He is Peace-keeper cop with chiwawas trying to chew out his legs doing best to ignore them…
Way better than current successor candidates.
Slovenian, apolitical.
Seems to have been a good President.
Another Canadian chiming in.
I think Obama did amazing considering the bag of excrement that was left by Bush Jr. I don’t understand the whole republican stance of “Make America Good Again”? Bush was in power for 8 years. The economy was in pretty good shape when he took office, when he left the US was in 2 wars (one somewhat just, the second a total sham), unemployment was close (if not over double digets) and the Dow Jones was like at 8,000 points.
8 years later the US is almost out of the 2 wars, unemployment is the lowest its been in a few decades and the Dow Jones is hovering around the 18,000 point mark. Oh yeah and the masses have health care. Is it as cheap as other countries? No, but everyone can get it no matter WHAT pre-existing conditions they may have.
I wonder what could have been if Obama had a more cooperative congress. I hate to say this, but I’m sure there is some truth to it: if Obama was White I think he would have got even more things done. I personally believe one of the major reasons the Republican Party is so anti-Obama is because he’s a person of colour.
As a Canadian it boggles my mind how the United States can make such a big deal out of stuff like race, religion and sexuality. Who cares if so and so is a Catholic running for office? Is he the best candidate? If so vote them in! Who cares if the person coming into your store is Transgendered, is their money green? Yes, then take it! In Canada our minister of defense is a Sikh, I doubt that would fly south of the border.
Anyway I’m off on a rant.
Yes I think Obama was a great president, I think he could have been an awesome President if Congress wasn’t so hostile. I think he will look very favorable going forward n history. Especially if that maniac Trump gets elected!!
MtM
Indian, lived in India all my life.
Friendly and caring person. But much of the Syrian war casualties (300 thousand people dead) would have been prevented if America didn’t work against Assad but worked alongside Assad, Russia and Iran. So that policy of his was catastrophic (for the poor Syrian people).
Find him to be a smooth, empty, technocrat. He does, however, project a degree of integrity that someone like David Cameron (also a smooth, empty politician), is completely unable to do. Fills the office extremely well - brings some presidential character that was sorely needed after the last two comedians.
As far as getting things done, politics as the art of the possible, he seems to have done pretty well given the circumstances - really lightweight experience of the Washington legislature suggested he would never be an epic deal-making president. But given the country was on its back when he took over, the time wasn’t right for a transformative person to start hanging their balls out there with big political ideas. Firefighting and steadying of the ship was the order of the day.
The right wouldn’t give a plaudit to Obama if he walked on water, turned water into wine, cured lepers with a touch, and raised the dead to life. As someone else on this boards put it, Obama is guilty of presidenting while black. There’s nothing he can do to change that. BTW, when Clinton gets elected, she’s going to face pretty much the same problem, although probably not quite so extreme.