Monday, October 12, 2009

Oh Boy Obama

(Video Clip from nbc.com) So the newest and hottest information is about Barack Obama winning the Nobel Peace Prize. A lot of controversy is flying over this topic because many people feel that he has accomplished too little (or almost nothing) to deserve this award. While he may donate the money to charity, I can't help but to wonder if he should have won it. To be completely honest, I never really kept myself up to speed on any politics until this election, partly because I had to, and partly because I was so close to being able to vote that I thought now would be a good time to pay attention.
However, with that said, I know that I myself am very impressionable by the media. Its not a bad thing, it happens to everyone, but when I came across the NY Times article Another Fine Mess: Comics Whack Obama by Mark Leibovich, I was immediately interested in how easily it is to be swayed by the media. The video above is of a recent SNL skit [Oct. 3rd 2009], which was mentioned in this article. Here, "Obama" defends himself against the allegations that he turned the US "into something that resembles the Soviet Union or Nazi Germany." However, he defends himself by saying that this isn't true as he has done nothing in office. The video goes on to show that he has done nothing that he promised while campaigning such as closing Guantánamo Bay prison, or bringing home troops from the Middle East.
The video goes on making anecdotes about the 2016 Olympics and so on, but I couldn't help but to think of how many people this could have angered. How many people probably voted for him and then saw this only to feel like he really has accomplished nothing? And it doesn't just stop there. Shows on television, The Daily Show With Jon Stewart, is also mentioned in this article. A point made by Stewart is when he addresses the president by saying, "All that stuff you've been putting on your plate? It's chow time, brother. That's how you get things off your plate." Implying that while the president has a lot to deal with at once, he can take care of it if he started to work on them.
The president will always be a popular target with the media. Whether he's calling Kanye a jackass (yes I had to bring that up) or winning the Nobel Peace Prize, he will always be in the limelight. Bob Lichter, of George Mason University's Center for Media and Public Affairs, put it best when he said, "The danger is that Mr. Obama is going to be defined by inaction and not living up to expectations."
I personally believe that it is whether or not people believe everything they hear on the news or in the media that can draw or repel people to follow the president. I believe that if he continues to do what's best for our country, than he will truly be a good leader. Results are more important then how he is portrayed to us.

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