What do you think about Barack Obama being 2010's most admired man?
Here is the story.
I think it is a well-deserved honor. I was a little disappointed in his accomplishments at first, but he has come through strong with health care, the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, the success of his economic recovery plan.
What do you think?
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35 Answers
Who would be the competition?
Well, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Nelson Mandela took the two, three, and four spots. Obama was four times as popular as Bush.
Works for me – although, I have to say I was surprised to read it. Maybe the Obama naysayers are more vocal than his admirers.
“It’s all about power,” Richard Slotkin, professor emeritus of American studies at Wesleyan University in Connecticut, told USA Today. “When we think of importance, we think politically, that’s really clear—with religion a close second, though Bill Gates beats out Pope Benedict. It’s almost like a register of power.” I have to agree it is about power. Obama orchestrated the biggest grab of power, liberites and freedoms from the American people in history. Twenty two percent of Americans admire him the most of any man that they have heard or read about, living today in any part of the world. Wow.
He has many admirable qualities.
I was surprised because his popularity rating supposedly is at an all time low.
However, I have been impressed with him this year.
So who should it be? A-rod? Tiger?
Haha wow. So typical. He’s cool, but if I was him I could do without all that kinda shit. Surprised we still don’t know what he got for Christmas. He’s done some cool shit, but do we really need a poll to tell us that, or how much people like/dislike him?
Treant Reznor will always be the sexiest man alive to me, no matter what that little Bieber bitch has to say haha, or anybody else for that matter.
Seriously though, I think polls are kinda inconclusive on this type of thing, especially when it comes to politics. Maybe that wasn’t the point, but by having Bush so high up there I can’t help but to think otherwise haha.
Why was Bush being considered at all? As for Obama, well I don’t think so…and I voted for him.
All the shit that the Republicans have said about him and for him to handle it in a gentleman fashion, I say kudos to President.
I was robbed I tell thee Robbed! ;¬}
He’s trying. And there ain’t much competition.
America is insane! One minute he’s an American Impostor Really Iranian Terrorist who’s wife isn’t really a woman and he wants to kill off the old people, and the next minute he’s the most admired man!
Bravo! We got that one right, though!
It doesn’t surprise me that Obama is the most respected man. The presidency still commands a lot of respect. I am surprised, however, that Jon Stewart is nowhere on the list. He’s been getting a lot of positive attention this year.
@Dutchess_III I know what you mean. And now Obama is speaking out in favor of the Eagles giving Micheal Vick a second chance. Tell that to the animal rights activist, right? Crazy world we live in isn’t it.
@bkcunningham, you said: “Obama orchestrated the biggest grab of power, liberites and freedoms from the American people in history.”
Boy it would be nice to know what on earth you’re talking about.
@bkcunningham Re “Obama is speaking out in favor of the Eagles giving Micheal Vick a second chance” Do you have a link?
@bkcunningham~ Well, I don’t know Micheal Vick. I have no idea if he’s really changed or not. However, I have a feeling that Mr. Obama has met Vick personally, so he is in a better position to voice an opinion on the matter than either you or I. It’s really not a big deal, IMO.
Most Europeans still admire Barack Obama having to deal with the financial crisis created by greedy laissez-faire conservatives.
The first serious blow was when his administration administration declared that the US would abandon its efforts to halt Israeli settlement expansion. This came as a shock.
@mattbrowne what example of laissez-faire conservatism can you give for the financial crisis?
Unregulated credit default swap markets? Please tell me you are aware of this.
@Qingu the Credit Default Swaps in and of themselves didn’t trigger the financial crisis. That isn’t true.
Let me guess. You think Fannie and Freddie telling poor people to buy houses triggered the financial crisis.
@Qingu instead of using conjecture as an answer, perhaps it might be better if you state how you believe the Credit Default Swaps triggered the financial crisis.
I don’t think any one thing “triggered” the crisis. It was a perfect storm; a lot of things interacted to create it.
But the crisis almost certainly would not have happened if it were not for these markets. Banks would not have been able to package and trade the incredibly risky loans in regulated markets. This was a market worth trillions of dollars, completely unregulated, your laissez-faire ideal, and it was a total scam and a sinkhole for the systemic risk that brought down the entire economy.
@Qingu they grew out of a regulated market. A very, very regulated market. You can’t blame laissez-faire, which by definition this example is most definitely not, when one so called unregulated segment is mixed with so many other regulated agents.
Okay, so by your definition, the only laissez faire market in the world is in Somalia.
If that, since Somalia’s economy can be said to have grown out of the world’s (regulated) economy.
@Qingu I wasn’t attempting to describe or define a laissez-faire economy, promote one or express where one is operating in the world. Almost anyone can look up the definition and attempt to understand its meaning. I was attempting to make you understand that it wasn’t a laissez-faire economy that helped to trigger the financial crisis.
@bkcunningham, but you’re playing the No True Scotsman game with the concept of a laissez-faire market. I pointed out such a market that directly led to the financial crisis, and then it turns out this wasn’t a “true” laissez-faire market because… it was connected to non-laissez-faire markets. Nevermind the fact that under this rarified definition there can be no such thing as a true laissez-faire market in reality.
Besides CDS, the so-called collateral debt obligations (CDO) also played an important role as well as lack of down payment requirements and home loan teaser rates. The idea that people with no job and no money can afford houses goes against common sense, but the whole system created by investment banks was absurdly labeled financial innovation. Some people believe in magic.
It’s truly ironic that conservatives blame the Democrats for this mess which isn’t over yet. Many people seem to rely on short-term memory only. Two years of Obama and no miracle, oh, let’s vote Republicans and vote for their miracle. Now the two forces keep blocking each other.
Deadlock.
And no miracles.
@mattbrowne The sub-prime market meltdown was just the trigger, the puff of breeze that blew down the incredibly leveraged house of cards that grew out of exotic debt packing such as CDOs and derivatives. Building the financial house of cards to start with was the real cause. When you build a house of cards, a breeze will always come from somewhere and tear it down.
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac held 3 trillion in mortgages in total. The entire US mortgage portfolio was $5 trillion. The derivatives market in the US alone was $62 trillion a year, and it was $300 trillion annually worldwide. The claim that it was all Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac or all Congressman Barney Frank’s fault is an absurd right-wing revisionist defense of their obsession with laissez-faire capitalism. When it explodes in their face, they are so committed to it as an ideology that they must go to work finding somewhere else to put blame.
@ETpro who do you suppose built this financial house of cards to start with? What was the beginning of Freddie and Fannie?
@bkcunningham Wall Street Banks, Investment Banks, and Insurers set up the house of cards. That was made possible by deregulation begun in the 1980s and hitting its crowing glory with the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Financial Modernization Act of 1999, which was a Republican initiative only 1 Democratic Vote in the House) but was signed into law by Bill Clinton.
As to Fannie and Freddie, here is a good capsular view. I am sure more could be found on the Web.
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