Article by Mike Soibatian of Green Party U.S.
Obama’s Irish ancestry goes back to the village of Moneygall, and their respect for him is possibly embodied in the form of a fake-bronze bust that Ollie Hayes has set up in his saloon. But that’s not all; the pub also displays memorabilia most notably in the form of a picture which shows Obama holding a pint Guinness.
Of course, all this interest was generated when Obama visited this village last month to celebrate a reunion of sorts with his Celtic (eighth) cousins. However, it’s not just in Ireland that Obama enjoys popularity but almost all throughout Europe. The tourists who visit Moneygall (to honor Obama’s heritage) are largely Irish, and not Americans and is a sharp contrast to how he is received back home, thanks to approval rating figures back home that are below than 50 percent.
When Obama paid a visit to the House of Commons, it was no different as his speech made was compared to politicians such as John F. Kennedy, Abraham Lincoln and Winston Churchill. If that’s not enough to tell how Europeans hold him in esteem, a recent poll almost 78 percent of Europeans believe that Obama is the right choice as America’s President.
There are reasons for this, though – because Obama’s approach in discussing foreign policy with Europe’s leaders is with a sense of cooperation instead of just loyalty as America has always been used to leading from the front, with the Libyan War, for example.
Another reason for his overwhelming popularity is the fact that Europe is in a state of economic crisis and the leaders of each country aren’t doing much to garner the support of their people, as clearly shown in the polls.
Yet with the 2012 Presidential elections up for grabs next year, the American people aren’t so concerned with charisma as they are with results, and perhaps, this is why Obama is facing a daunting task at home.
Popular abroad or not, Obama has to show the American people an economic recovery, because that’s where his leadership really counts for a lot.
