Poll: What do you think about Obama?

[Timotei]

To their credit, they started cracking down on low-content posting a while back.

...But I've noticed a tonal shift just in the last month or so that's rather disturbing. It seems things around here have become more lax than ever, I'm guessing because people are only reporting the most obvious of the trolling.

I feel like an old person talking about "the ol' days".

Yes I do remember there being a time where you could get in trouble for even the smallest thing. Nowadays it seems that people are getting away with even some light flaming.

 

[The_Healer]

Well from the way we are shown him (by the press) over here in Australia, I have to say I like him. His skills as an orator are somewhat unparalleled and he is actually making some changes, about time in my opinion.

 

[UltraParanoia]

Unparalleled orator? The man relies heavily on a teleprompter.
When he isn't saying uh or stopping in the middle of a speech you can almost see his eyes reading the next bit.
Not to mention his speechwriters like to replace words with the big 25 cent words out of the thesaurus, in an attempt to make him sound smart I would assume.

 

[Crapster]

He inherited an enormous mess thanks to our previous President, and he's had less than a year to undo eight years of damage so we can't expect a complete recovery so soon. However, I wish that he had more concrete results for his initiatives. I'm glad that he won instead of McCain (mostly because that joke of a VP candidate Palin) and I'm glad that he's addressing topics (like health care since the U.S system kind of bites compared to many countries in the world)but he needs to start getting RESULTS!

His Nobel Prize seems a bit premature really... But I have a Political Science professor who theorizes that the prize is less of an award and more of an embodiment of the expectations of the International Community, as in they expect him to act in a manner that would befit a Noble Laureate and to be worthy of their esteem. Basically, they're giving him the prize in order to influence him to be worthy of it. I think that makes sense...

 

[azukar]

He doesn't get a lot of media coverage in Aus, but from what I gather he seems likeable enough. And he's probably doing the best that can be done in the terrible situation he's in. Whatever your feelings about the previous administration, Obama did not inherit a great position.

 

[UltraParanoia]

He inherited an enormous mess thanks to our previous President, and he's had less than a year to undo eight years of damage so we can't expect a complete recovery so soon.

Um, this annoys the hell out of me wherever I read it, so I'm not taking it all out on you(just so you know). Quit blaming it all on bush. The majority of the idiots in office now....were in office when bush was in the oval office, including obama. Blaming it all on bush is astoundingly stupid. All of the politicans in washington are responsible, not just the one who makes an easy target.

(like health care since the U.S system kind of bites compared to many countries in the world)but he needs to start getting RESULTS!

The health insurance system is what sucks in the US, not health care.We have the best hospitals and doctors in the world, it's just the government has the insurance system set up to castrate competition in each state so you end up with one huge company and a few small ones in each area.

His Nobel Prize seems a bit premature really... But I have a Political Science professor who theorizes that the prize is less of an award and more of an embodiment of the expectations of the International Community, as in they expect him to act in a manner that would befit a Noble Laureate and to be worthy of their esteem. Basically, they're giving him the prize in order to influence him to be worthy of it. I think that makes sense

I dunno about that one.I reckon some idiot(an american to be sure) nominated him right after he won.As far as the actual winning goes, I like that the prize now goes to people who don't actually do anything, but just talk about doing it. But then again, they did award it to Arafat, Gore and Jimmy friggen carter, so I guess anything is possible.

 

[Anarchy In Detroit]

I don't give care about someone's personality. Has he stopped domestic surveillance? NO. Has he ended the wars? NO. Has he strengthened our economy? NO. Has he created employment? NO. Has he ended torture and rendition? NO. Healthcare? NO. I am not seeing his difference to Bush, only that he isn't a stupid fuck massaging rednecks' egos.

The only thing that gives me a glimmer of hope is that the right wingers are getting so crazy. The sooner they do something stupid, the sooner we can mop the floor with em and be done with their stupid shit.

The health insurance system is what sucks in the US, not health care.We have the best hospitals and doctors in the world, it's just the government has the insurance system set up to castrate competition in each state so you end up with one huge company and a few small ones in each area.

Education creates great doctors, great equipment, and great hospitals. Maybe you should first address lobbying, funding, and corruption before blaming the government. They're only as honest as we keep them, and we have loooooooooooooow standards. Paying for insurance that will in FAR TOO MANY cases be denied is fucking brain dead. Anyone concerned with actual care for people knows what to do (provide for your fellow man). People like you think about money. Keeping someone alive should never come to down to a question of costs. Our insurance system is a leaky boat, and every drop is a death. (I don't meant to sound like I'm picking on you or something, sorry if I do).

I'd rather pay one set cost in taxes with guaranteed help than get spotty coverage privately.

 

[UltraParanoia]

^ That last part makes me laugh.

 

[Smokeydubbs]

Can't really tell this early in his presidency. He's doing far better than our last president though... *Shudder*

Oh that's why he has already put us in more debt in his first year then Bush did in his entire presidency.

Obama might be a good talking head, but as a real president he is horrible. He seems like he's stuck in campaign mode. He wont shut up, he's always on T.V., and he's taking a ton of vacations. What he needs to do is shut up, listen to the people, and demonstrate what he said he would do.

 

[coyotepack]

OK, I live in New Zealand, which is about as far away from all the important and significant nations as you can get before you have to start dressing warm for polar climates; reckon I'll still throw my 2 cents in, though.

Yeah, he hasn't achieved much, and I think that it was ridiculous giving him the Nobel Prize, considering how he hasn't done squat to earn it. To be fair though, it's not like he even KNEW he was in the running until they rang him up to let him know that he'd won the damn thing. As for how he's running the country, sure he hasn't achieved much (or anything) or note, but C'MON, give the guy a break! He hasn't even finished his first damn year of office, give it a little freakin' time! Don't know enough about the current health-care system you guys have to be able to accurately weigh in on the issue, but from what I've heard, the proposed changes sound good.

He inherited an enormous mess thanks to our previous President, and he's had less than a year to undo eight years of damage so we can't expect a complete recovery so soon.

Um, this annoys the hell out of me wherever I read it, so I'm not taking it all out on you(just so you know). Quit blaming it all on bush. The majority of the idiots in office now....were in office when bush was in the oval office, including obama. Blaming it all on bush is astoundingly stupid. All of the politicans in washington are responsible, not just the one who makes an easy target.

I have to agree with UltraParanoia there. Everyone with even a slight liberal bent seems to view Bush as the biggest idiot ever to hold office, or a terrible monster comparible to Hitler; the fact is, sure he's not particularly bright, and he made some bad decisions, but the blame cannot simply be placed purely on his shoulders. Frankly, I think he was more of a puppet than an actual decision-maker.

Anyway, that's just me. I've got to go get back to sheep-humping.

 

[Smokeydubbs]

YES lol. Love him from here in Canada. To bad the "Under educated" Americans think hes the next Hitler lol. Gotta love that Evil Health Care with its Death Panels....If that does happen how can i sign up to be on this panel lol.

Your out of you're element, socialism is closer to Nazism than capitalism. Government regulated healthcare is what "death panels" means. The government decides who gets what treatment, and that treatment could result in life or death.

 

[Smokeydubbs]

...

This is very true about the first two points. About the Nobel Peace Prize; in the context of the actual award, talking and negotiating between two warring cultures is pretty good, but I'm sure there has to be something more deserving. Essentially I'm not saying he's not completely undeserving, but come on. Obama is not a god.

 

[coyotepack]

Wish I'd got that damn quote thing right

 

[Trucken]

Unparalleled orator? The man relies heavily on a teleprompter.
When he isn't saying uh or stopping in the middle of a speech you can almost see his eyes reading the next bit.

You know why Obama uses a teleprompter? Because he has something of value to say, unlike Bush who just said "trust me" and "God bless America".

Not wanting to start a flame-war though, I think Obama could be good for the States. I think he's moving in the right direction.

 

[maddawg IAJI]

Well he hasen't even completed his first year in office so it's diffcult to tell where he stands. So far however he has done a few things (Apparently enough to win him a Nobel prize) that have made people happy. Of course there are the crazies out there who belive he is the next Hitler, so they kinda scare me away from hating him in an extreme sense.

 

[Arkhangelsk]

I don't really care. I'll wait another year or so and then see if he has done anything.

 

[jonnosferatu]

My impression - and I haven't researched this - is that he thus far hasn't done enough to warrant much of a position either way. He's still flying entirely on the promise of future improvement, but the fact that things don't appear to have happened despite his party dominating both the House and the Senate is somewhat...well, perturbing.

I'd LIKE to see some streamlining and trimming to address things like gratuitous sections of the government, introduce some sanity to the overwhelmingly massive tax code, etc.

That said, he does appear to be at least showing some sense in his handling of the middle east. I'm not specifically pro-war, but we're in this situation now and we can't feasibly just pull out - which means that (assuming good strategy), the more troops we have over there, the better. The "Clear Hold Build" line that Cheney specifically shot down for Iraq (...despite the fact that it was the one tested model that actually WORKED) might give us some concrete results in Afghanistan while avoiding the whole "international ass" thing. I'm pretty pissed at Cheney over (among other things) knocking that down, but I doubt he cares.

So yeah, I'm even more ambivalent now than I was during the election. I saw Obama as the lesser of two evils (largely on the basis of Palin), and now I see him as just...well, "there."

 

[Silva]

I'm Australian, and yes, I know about Obama's policies. I follow them and US politics very closely.

I support him. I do so to the point that I literally won three votes for him during the US elections, through internet debates with friends in the States who were going to vote for McCain. I intend to do so again during the next election, only this time the total will be six votes or more.

For my small part, I refuse to allow a US Republican to lead the world ever again. I have seen enough. The great party that once produced the like of Abraham Lincoln is officially no longer itself.