http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129698830
This article really jumped out at me, almost saddened me, and really made me think. Everyone knows that presidential approval ratings drop during a presidency. It just happens. Why? Why do we always love to hate the president. Is it the face that we think there should be an easy button on their desk, or that we change our opinion when one thing he does is against our beliefs. Now as far as Obama goes, i am on the fence, as i was when he was elected. I love his ideas, i hate his budget. Now we can argue all day about politics and who is better, but at the end of the day is it true; do we always hate the president. The same people who hated Bush, hate Obama. That's not necessarily stating all people, but the majority of the people in the United States love to hate. It really is an awful thing to be in a high position because you can try your hardest but you will never be good enough. I personally wish we could find a way to make everything work, but i know it will never happen, so for the rest of the USA's existence, we will hate our leader.
What's the old saying: you can't please everyone all the time? To be in a position of power in a representative democracy is a difficult task. The country is full of people who don't agree, and also full of people who would prefer to blame the president than to work for what they wish to see.
ReplyDeleteAn interesting line from this piece was that the explosion of media, offering everyone the chance to watch only pundits who agree with their views, and easy access to internet communication, allowing everyone to voice their opinions, "adds coarseness to the discourse" (Weeks). I wonder if that's true, or if it is just that everyone has a voice now. We don't have to work as hard to be heard, so a lot more opinions are heard. Interesting choice of vocabulary.