Posted on 07/01/2009 8:21:18 AM PDT by AJKauf
On the campaign trail, Barack Obama promised that he would “reboot America’s image” around the world. Indeed, many Americans who voted for Obama believed that his global popularity would somehow reverse the tide of anti-Americanism that so vexed his predecessor. Echoing this sentiment of Obama as savior of America’s image abroad, presidential advisor David Axelrod recently asserted that “anti-Americanism isn’t cool anymore.”
In Europe, where anti-Americanism was elevated to the status of a religion during the presidency of George W. Bush, the “chattering classes” have, by and large, toned down their criticism of the United States since Obama was elected. In general, European media coverage of Obama has been quite favorable and the vehemence of the anti-American rhetoric has been notably more muted than in recent years. But now, five months into the age of Obama, the highly vaunted transatlantic honeymoon may be coming to an end. During the past several weeks, European media have started publishing stories that criticize Obama and once again cast the United States in a negative light. Could this be a harbinger of things to come?
What follows is a brief selection of European news stories that typify what seems to be a general trend toward a return to more negative reporting about America, its people, and its president.
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(Excerpt) Read more at pajamasmedia.com ...
Unlike the left here...I could care less what Europe thinks about America...or other things.
Obama hates Europe and Europeans. It’s no shock that they would “wake up” eventually.
Adults are always unpopular with lazy children but they will come to dislike one of their own even more.
“...reverse the tide of anti-Americanism that so vexed his predecessor”
Anti-Americanism had little to do with George Bush personally, except for the hatred fanned by the talentless fairies in the International Socialist Media.
It had and has MUCH more to do with simple, petty, cheap jealousy.
The masses may never fall out of love of our Marxist but the world’s leaders have the full measure of the man.
Most have found him lacking in intellect, integrity, and a full understanding of the dangers to the free world.
Zero isn’t liked here either.
I think that they (the intellectuals and geniuses) are coming aware that if America is weak, then they are too. Economically, militarily, philosophically, societally... peace and stability are the basis for progress.
Without a strong US of A then the world falters.
Its easy to criticize, but now they too see cracks and are understanding the interrelationships.
Eff Em
Liberals care because they think they're "citizens of the world" meaning they identify with people who don't like the United States but are still educated and "cultured". Sadly, Europe isn't much of either any more. And either are the liberals...
And conservatives? Why would we care what Europe thought? They imported third world types to prop up unworkable socialism - and now they're being replaced. Soon Europe will be a third world Muslim country. Third world - because without the oil - those ideas create poverty.
Europe's yesterday.
I’ll offer my analysis...after living in Germany for fifteen years.
First, Germans have this “love-Bill” relationship leftover from the Bill Clinton years. Bill Clinton, for practical purposes....was the replacement for JFK and acted his role as the “lil Berliner”. Last August...Germans felt that Obama was the “big-boy Berliner”. Along the way, came the banking collapse...which got Obama negative recognition. Obama isn’t delivering what they expected.
Second, Germans have rediscovered that a number of liberal policies that they felt were great before 2009....are not that great. The SPD party has fallen drastically and the general public perception is that right-leaning politics makes sense right now. That spoils Obama’s dream.
Third, Gitmo. Amusingly enough...everything he promised...he failed to deliver. German news analysts can’t explain why he just dissolved away.
Fourth, Islamic perception in Germany isn’t really positive. When the US makes any overtures to the Islamic world...it loses a point or two in German opinion polls.
Fifth, it’s the elite crowd in Germany (10 percent of the whole population) that really still gets pumped up on Obama. They still believe in Obama “change”. The general public isn’t buying off quiet as much....and I suspect by the end of 2009...they won’t care if he shows up in Berlin or not.
For those wondering....to help alter the German election in September/October...there is a feeling that Obama will do a sudden trip to pump up left and liberal votes. It hasn’t been announced yet...which is curious because we are up to 1 July presently.
That infamous press event in France where Obama sat next to Sarkozy and babbled three minutes of nonsense in response to a question about North Korea probably opened a few eyes.
Basically most of the euro-rags are criticizing The Great Spreader because he hasn’t as yet declared himself to be a total Marxist. That will take a little more time. I blank on all of them and the horses they rode in on.
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