One year after an historic election, the spirit of popular goodwill that yielded the US’ first black president has retreated to tepid support for Barack Obama as he presses his change agenda.
Since the Nov. 4 poll, Obama’s visage has been everywhere, conspicuously on the streets of the nation’s capital, where millions of foreign and domestic tourists have visited over the past year, many of them snatching up poignant souvenirs.
A quick look around downtown Washington confirms that the Obama trinkets are still for sale, but more than one strategically placed street hawker have found little point in displaying the T-shirts, posters and “Yes We Can” buttons bearing the new president’s image.
“They stay in the truck,” grumbled a vendor who identified himself as “Dick,” as he pointed to a rusty vehicle behind him. “They don’t sell anymore.”
Indeed, Obama’s honeymoon with the public lasted less than six months.
In the aftermath of his inauguration in January, Obama’s approval rating soared to 70 percent. Early on, he tested Americans’ faith by diving headlong into controversial programs to rescue the economy, including bailing out sinking US auto manufacturers and unleashing a US$787 billion stimulus plan.
In late April, at the end of his first 100 days in office, Obama still enjoyed more positive reviews than his predecessors in the previous 20 years.
But the fall was soon to come as questions started simmering about his ability to pull the US economy out of a nosedive.
In July, Obama’s popularity dipped even below that of predecessor George W. Bush in the same period of his presidency.
Since mid-October, it has hovered just above 50 percent, a “significant drop” from his earlier numbers, according to Frank Newport, editor in chief of the Gallup Poll.
“In general, this puts Obama’s current ratings slightly below average for all US presidents since World War II,” Newport said, adding that the country’s ongoing economic travails are contributing to the curb in enthusiasm.
On Sunday, even as data released by the US Commerce Department last week showed the US had emerged from the worst recession in decades, a monthly approval index by Rasmussen Reports showed 29 percent of those polled strongly approve of Obama’s performance, compared to 39 percent who strongly disapprove.
That left him with an approval index of minus 10 — two points worse than in September — Rasmussen said.
“Overall, Americans are not highly satisfied with the way things are going in the US,” Newport said.
As a consequence, the popularity of Obama gear at the souvenir shops that abound in Washington appears to be taking a hit.
“Sellings have really slowed down since Obama took office,” vendor Vin Ngo said.
This is not for want of supply: From a lifesize cardboard cutout to gold jewelry and bottles of vintage champagne bearing the president’s name, the list of Obama tchotchkes and high-end souvenirs is long.
VAGUE: The criteria of the amnesty remain unclear, but it would cover political violence from 1999 to today, and those convicted of murder or drug trafficking would not qualify Venezuelan Acting President Delcy Rodriguez on Friday announced an amnesty bill that could lead to the release of hundreds of prisoners, including opposition leaders, journalists and human rights activists detained for political reasons. The measure had long been sought by the US-backed opposition. It is the latest concession Rodriguez has made since taking the reins of the country on Jan. 3 after the brazen seizure of then-Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro. Rodriguez told a gathering of justices, magistrates, ministers, military brass and other government leaders that the ruling party-controlled Venezuelan National Assembly would take up the bill with urgency. Rodriguez also announced the shutdown
Civil society leaders and members of a left-wing coalition yesterday filed impeachment complaints against Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte, restarting a process sidelined by the Supreme Court last year. Both cases accuse Duterte of misusing public funds during her term as education secretary, while one revives allegations that she threatened to assassinate former ally Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The filings come on the same day that a committee in the House of Representatives was to begin hearings into impeachment complaints against Marcos, accused of corruption tied to a spiraling scandal over bogus flood control projects. Under the constitution, an impeachment by the
Exiled Tibetans began a unique global election yesterday for a government representing a homeland many have never seen, as part of a democratic exercise voters say carries great weight. From red-robed Buddhist monks in the snowy Himalayas, to political exiles in megacities across South Asia, to refugees in Australia, Europe and North America, voting takes place in 27 countries — but not China. “Elections ... show that the struggle for Tibet’s freedom and independence continues from generation to generation,” said candidate Gyaltsen Chokye, 33, who is based in the Indian hill-town of Dharamsala, headquarters of the government-in-exile, the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA). It
A Virginia man having an affair with the family’s Brazilian au pair on Monday was found guilty of murdering his wife and another man that prosecutors say was lured to the house as a fall guy. Brendan Banfield, a former Internal Revenue Service law enforcement officer, told police he came across Joseph Ryan attacking his wife, Christine Banfield, with a knife on the morning of Feb. 24, 2023. He shot Ryan and then Juliana Magalhaes, the au pair, shot him, too, but officials argued in court that the story was too good to be true, telling jurors that Brendan Banfield set
RSS