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From Der Tagesspiegel: Barack Obama Must ‘Take a Stand’
Is Barack Obama’s honeymoon with Europe over already?
After months of the most effusive and unrestrained praise for America’s first serious Black presidential candidate, some of Obama’s most energetic European backers – the Germans – are growing skeptical.
Malte Lehming writes for Germany’s Der Tagesspiegel:
“In the end, a disappointment is a deceit. So it’s for the best that we cast a serous German glance in the direction of the American Democratic presidential candidate, Barack Obama. He has called for the death penalty for child rapists, defends the right to possess firearms and is the first candidate since the Watergate scandal to reject public financing of his election campaign in favor of private, unlimited contributions. ‘Hey,’ some on this side of the Atlantic now ask, ‘we thought he was one of us?’ Far from it.”
And the result of all this? Lehming goes on:
“The facade of the wise, eloquent and charming golden boy has begun to crumble. There is a second – other Obama. And he’s about to be discovered: unscrupulous, selfish, and overambitious.’
Lehming concludes with a little advice for Barack Obama:
“Who is the real Obama? Nobody knows for sure. For now because of his vagueness, it’s still possible to project various expectations onto him, in USA as well as in Europe. But here and there the impatience is growing: Obama, perhaps the first Black President, must not only be flexible, he has to take a stand.”
By Malte Lehming
Translated By Ulf Behncke
June 28, 2008
Germany – Der Tagesspiegel – Original Article (German)
In the end, a disappointment is a deceit. So it’s for the best that we cast a serous German glance in the direction of the American Democratic presidential candidate, Barack Obama. He has called for the death penalty for child rapists, defends the right to possess firearms and is the first candidate since the Watergate scandal to reject public financing of his election campaign in favor of private, unlimited contributions. “Hey,” some on this side of the Atlantic now ask, “we thought he was one of us?” Far from it. Obama isn’t running to be president in Europe, but in the United States.
Since it’s clear that he – and not Hillary Clinton – is the one in the running, a new phase in the U.S. election campaign has begun. Obama is the candidate of the left, but the people are in the center. So he must move as swiftly and as unnoticeably as possible, to avoid being stung by the accusation of being short on principles. This is a process that began long ago. Where once he said that he would completely renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement, he now calls his toughest remarks on the subject “overheated.” Where he once said that he would meet with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad without preconditions, his team now stresses that arranging such a meeting would of course require some preparation. Where once he said that he would debate his Republican opponent McCain “anytime and anywhere,” his spokesperson has now strictly limited the number meetings to two. The facade of the wise, eloquent and charming golden boy has begun to crumble. There is a second – other Obama. And he’s about to be discovered: unscrupulous, selfish, and overambitious.
READ ON AT WORLDMEET.US, along with continuing translated foreign press coverage of the U.S. election.
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5 Responses to “From Der Tagesspiegel: Barack Obama Must ‘Take a Stand’”
Germans sound like French. I am half french and the minute they like something they look for a reason not to.
But, most in europe don't understand that Obama must pull more to the center. Not just because it's something done in the general but, even more so with Obama who has been haunted by the rumors of him being some scary fringie. He has to go more mainstream just to keep some people from freaking out.
Germans do not understand the practical politics – as most of Europe doesn't.
But, in a few weeks he will be in Europe on a visit and they will be in love again.
So it goes.
My cousin Doris is here visiting from France and I'll have to ask her on Friday in Chicago, where she is staying with my sister, what the thoughts are about our elections this year.
Maybe the Germans have the same fickle dynamic that our own media does when it gets bored. Or more likely they don't fully grasp the sometimes convoluted nature of our political system in the US, which in this case refers to Obama's need to appeal to non-liberals in order to be elected. John McCain will have the same challenge when it comes to appealing to non-conservatives. In any case, the Europeans have my sympathy; even folks who have lived here all their lives sometimes have trouble figuring it out.
PS, I just read VWcat's comment, and see we have some overlap. Great minds think alike.
Well on the one hand, European criticism of Obama will bode well for his middle ground support. On the other hand, liberals usually identify with the European opinions…so….
It just goes to show that he is moving away from his “liberal” political birth and rapidly sprinting towards any-way-the-wind blows.
I'm sure we can count on him in a pinch to take a firm stand.
Not.
Meanwhile McCain is like the robotic clone of the Bush/Cheney sellout of America to the BigOil monopoly and anti-American economic sabotage.
Who to choose? Slick or Oil Slick?
Gosh, I wish there was another democratic candidate who got more votes than Obama. A candidate who has experience in the Whitehouse, who was say, one of the top confidants to a past president who carved our economy back into the strongest its ever been in US history. A candidate who has a history of being respected by foreign dignitaries and has experience consulting and repairing domestic troubles, creating oh, say 22 million new jobs… And a candidate that could unite the democratic party instead of splintering it into a million pieces.
If only. If only…
Germans should pay more attention to eheir own affairs.
I hope Obama sticks to his guns and does things his way. Obama must do this, Obama must be that, at home and abroad.
I'm really sick of it, particualrly because most of the advice is so bad.
They don't listen to him when he speaks and insist he speak about things he can't predict.
What nonsense.
Runasim
Its going to be a loooooonnnnngggggg 4 years for you. In post after post you reveal how sick you are of what people are saying about Obama and hes not even been elected yet.
If Obama slips to the right he is going to be getting the same treatment that they just gave Clinton and our former ex president Bill Clinton. That made the treatment they gave Bush look Mild and CLINTON was ONE OF THEIR OWN.