Europeans Still Love President Obama

[pampango]

http://www.brookings.edu/opinions/2010/0916_obama_west.aspx

Europeans still support President Barack Obama, but are puzzled by his drop in domestic support. On a speaking tour this week of Germany and Netherlands, I found most people like Obama and think he represents a dramatic improvement over President George W. Bush. This impression is confirmed by a new Transatlantic Trends survey showing Obama with a 78 percent job approval among Europeans, down just five percentage points from last year.

From a European standpoint, President Obama by and large has been a stunning success. They understand he inherited an economic mess, but feel he has made good faith efforts to deal with problems and move the U.S. forward. They like the fact that he was able to enact health care reform and crack down on financial institutions, and that he has ended the combat mission in Iraq. It is confusing for them to hear that Americans give the chief executive little credit for passing health care reform. Europeans long have criticized the lack of universal coverage in the United States and feel that it is a landmark achievement to move close to that goal.

They find the Tea Party even more difficult to understand. Recognizing that the bad economy and high unemployment have fueled public discontent, they worry that this anti-government movement will push the United States toward nativism and isolationism.

Most find it hard to take Sarah Palin very seriously as a political leader. They see her as someone who does not understand policy issues and exemplifies the worst elements in American civic discourse. They realize that the U.S. often does not choose the most intellectual leaders, but believe Palin is far below the threshold of leadership and competence.

[elleng]

1. As well they should!