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Does Obama deserve his high approval rating?
Brandon Gates (Yes)
It is no surprise that President Barack Obama started his first week in office with one of the highest starting approval ratings of any president in nearly 60 years—68 percent approval according to the Gallup Poll's tracking of his first days in office. Only John F. Kennedy started out stronger, in 1961, with a rating of 72 percent.
The first analysis on Obama’s performance followed his inauguration as the 44th president of the United States and a number of executive orders that he signed to assure the openness of government, ethical standards for his administration, and the closing of the Guantanamo Bay prison within a year. Obama has followed up with placing a high priority in the economic situation, which possibly contributes to his continued high ratings. While most would argue that the “honeymoon” period is over, we continue to see a high ranking because Americans are desperate for change. Change is not simply a word Obama sought to lay claim to during his presidency; it is the direction toward which we must head to reclaim American prosperity. The 44th president of the United States is beyond deserving of his ratings, because he is arguably the most scrutinized president in history. He was ridiculed of his assumed religion, style of rhetoric, and most recently his economic stimulus plan—that South Carolina’s very own Governor Mark Sanford has contemplated to reject. While it is not uncommon for a president to start out with a measure of good will, even with odds against him, Obama continues to have the approval of Americans.
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Matt Kneece (No)
As Obama approaches his 100th day in office, recent polls have shown that his approval rating remains near its all-time high of 65%. But is his performance deserving of this high approval rating? A quick glance at his campaign promises raises serious doubts. Obama promised to end the Iraq war and bring the troops home from Iraq. However, as his timeline continued to be pushed further back, his “withdrawal” plan says nothing about troops coming home, but rather going next door to fight in Afghanistan while 50,000 or more stay in Iraq for “as long as deemed necessary.” Simultaneously, Obama has continued the Bush program of airborne strikes within Pakistan’s borders. The only tangible difference between Bush’s foreign policy and Obama’s foreign policy has been a change in rhetoric, while total troop levels in the Middle East have and will continue to remain the same. Obama ran on the campaign promise of fixing the economy and restoring faith in the U.S. market. Instead, the U.S. economy has continued in a fatal tailspin with no sign of recovery. I understand that there is no silver bullet to fix the markets, but confidence would increase if a solid, detailed recovery plan were unveiled to the American people. This has not been done, and on the contrary, his record-shattering $3.5 trillion budget has poured gasoline on the fire. Meanwhile, his tax-delinquent Treasury Secretary is nowhere to be found. After his election, the American people have given the new President a chance to prove himself to us, but so far campaign promises are fruitless. Obama needs to put his personal agenda aside and focus on what’s best for the United States. The two have proven themselves to be mutually exclusive.
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