This past Friday, Twitter, Facebook, Google and the blogosphere were all abuzz with one item on everyone's (*erm*) keyboard. Everybody had an opinion on the 44th President of the United States getting this year's coveted Nobel Peace Prize.
Just to think a year ago, President Obama was Senator Obama; one term State Senator from Illinois criss-crossing America on the campaign trail with his infectious "Yes we can!" message. A year later, not only is Barack Obama a president, he is also a Nobel Peace Prize recipient. Indeed, Yes HE can!
Even ardent fans of Obama like myself were taken aback by the noble Nobel Committee's announcement. Later it became apparent to me that the prize is for work to be done to promote peace rather than work done. This puts immense pressure on President Obama. The critics are everywhere. Already Obama has come face-to-face with fiery opposition to his Health Care reform bill from opposition Republicans who have accused him of everything from being a liar to (shock-horror) a communist. Even the same people on the left who helped propel him to his current position are expressing dissatisfaction. Have you heard of the Obameter at PolitiFact.com? Basically, the good people at PolitiFact.com have compiled more than 500 promises that President Obama made during his campaign and are tracking their progress on their Obameter.
Just to think a year ago, President Obama was Senator Obama; one term State Senator from Illinois criss-crossing America on the campaign trail with his infectious "Yes we can!" message. A year later, not only is Barack Obama a president, he is also a Nobel Peace Prize recipient. Indeed, Yes HE can!
Even ardent fans of Obama like myself were taken aback by the noble Nobel Committee's announcement. Later it became apparent to me that the prize is for work to be done to promote peace rather than work done. This puts immense pressure on President Obama. The critics are everywhere. Already Obama has come face-to-face with fiery opposition to his Health Care reform bill from opposition Republicans who have accused him of everything from being a liar to (shock-horror) a communist. Even the same people on the left who helped propel him to his current position are expressing dissatisfaction. Have you heard of the Obameter at PolitiFact.com? Basically, the good people at PolitiFact.com have compiled more than 500 promises that President Obama made during his campaign and are tracking their progress on their Obameter.
They rate each promise's status as: No Action, In the Works or Stalled. Once they find action is completed, they rate them as Promise Kept, Compromise or Promise Broken.
So far things are not looking too good on President Obama's scorecard. Imagine we had something similar in Ghana. I would hate to see President's Mill's report card right about now!
Poor President Obama. He may have wanted to take a backseat when it came to world politics and focus more on internal domestic issues. Now this seems impossible especially with the Nobel Prize looming over his head. For me it has now became clear as day, Obama is basically the superhero that we have all being waiting for to save the world! Move over Superman, here comes Obama-man:
- Got problems in the Middle East? Here Obama-man comes to save the day!
- Conflict in Darfur? Obama-man to the rescue
- Nagging issues with juntas in Burma? Obama-man is on the job..
- North Korea still testing those pesky missiles? It's a bird; it's a plane; No, Its Obama-man.
12 comments:
Too many of us, his followers, have unwittingly set him up to fail.
I agree - Obama has the weight of the whole world on his shoulders!! Poor guy. But if anyone can handle it, he should be able to.
Great blog - just found you and became your follower.
Please visit me over at Holli's Ramblings as well. If you like - please follow me too :)
Cheers, fellow Accra blogger, Holli :)
@NY: There is some uncomfortably irony in that!!
@Holly: Poor Obama has a mountain in front of him but eventually (hopefully) he will get to the valley. Everything is possible and everything can be!
I just visited your blog...love it!! Thank you for providing me with yet another wonderful avenue to procrastinate :)
I feel so so sorry for this man. An award that should have brought nothing but joy looks to be another poisoned chalice. What I don't understand is that the nominations for the peace prize are received in early February so he must have been nominated only days after he took office. What has he yet done towards peace in the world at this point? The conspiracy theorist in me is tempted to think this is yet another ploy by the republicans to add further pressure to Pres. Obama.... (joking- kind of)
@Sankofa; Ooohh I like the sound of the right wing conspiracy! I can just imagine it being a joint venture between Rush Limbaugh and Fox TV. I shudder to imagine the fuel they are getting off the Nobel Peace Prize right this minute. Mmmm I had no idea nominations are received in Feb! Not comforting at all.
I've never seen a man who seems to bent on doing good be maligned so...well, Jesus I guess. But this is in my day and age with my two eyes! Poor, poor man. Even if he only get through a fraction of what he wants the world will be improved by so much but the Republicans will still call him a Communist (sigh) failure. Sometimes you gotta think people want uninspired, lazy leaders , they don't get shot at as much as this dude! Prayers 4 him n his family
One person I don't want to be right now is Obama. Nope! If you force me I would say thank you and run. What? What a job? May be he talked and overpromised....don't know....
i'm no fun of awards generally. some of the recipients obviously insult the true meaning of them. and it all depends on who is deciding anyway! human beings right? not God.
so my focus is not on the award. in any case i believe the award committee have come out clear on 'what' they are awarding. They are not awarding Obama for his 'achievement as president' (@Sankofa). and it's clear therefore that it's the total contribution of Obama to the current reduction in tension in the world that is being awarded (the February nominations deadline can't be for his presidency work).
for me, i don't need nobel to access Obama to have done enormously well to bring about some balance in this very volatile world where Osama, Iran, etc are threatening. The preaching is significant for a person like me who believes in the power of words.
cheers!
@Nsoromma:I read somewhere about a Jesus/Obama parallel...very interesting..I totally agree with you about the lazy leaders.It may actually be human nature to feel comfortable with leaders who do not think out of the box or go beyond the limits for their people. Quite sad.
@Nana F-A: You and I both! Also, would not want to be President Mills either!
@Novisi: Interesting! So in essence it is all about the power of oratory?
Yes Abena,
call it so.
and still for me i don't need 'Nobel' to know that Obama has preached and worked towards a more peaceful world.
Nobel or no Nobel, Obama has dared to change the world. whether he achieves peace in Iraq, the middle East and Afghan practically is another story! and i don't like the fact that he's not being straight; very straight with the Israelis who are murdering innocent Palestinians.
but the message has been sent out loud and clear long before the prize. This could even be traced back to his opposition to the iraq war way back when bush embarked on his "you're either with us or against us" fantasy.
Hi Procrastinator.
I am late, very late.
Yes HE is a liar and to"(shock-horror)" a communist.
Like Bob Mugabe, Like Nelson Mandela, Like Thabo Mbeki, Like The current Aids/shower we have as the President of SA.
We need people that does not lie.
That speak the truth.
I have trained people in SA, Botswana, Swaziland, Mocambique, Tanzania, The Gambia, Ghana (at Ohafo Mine), Zambia, Chad, Seychelles, Nigeria, Benin and a few more that is lost in my brain.
All off them hated the socialist/communist agenda.
most of them are doing very well in other countries, even if they have left my company.
So here is my say on BHO.
BHO vs Sarah Palin
One is a well turned-out, good-looking, and let's be honest, pretty sexy piece of eye-candy.
The other kills her own food.
Cheers
Ouch KeesKeenis!
So I think I hear you saying that most politicians are liars? I think there is a distinction made between making promises that you thought you would be able to keep and blatant flat-out lies. I don't see President Obama as a flat out liar.
BTW:I'm sure Rush Limbaugh as well as the entire team over at Fox TV would be quite impressed by your witty comparison between Sarah Palin and Prez Obama!
PS: Ahafo Mine? I'm quite impressed!!!
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