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Wednesday, February 10, 2010

We were right--the world DID want us to get rid of "W"

From Gallup , the polling organization, just now:

"Perceptions of U.S. leadership worldwide improved significantly from 2008 to 2009. The U.S.-Global Leadership Project, a partnership between the Meridian International Center and Gallup, finds that a median of 51% of the world approves of the job performance of the current leadership of the U.S., up from a median of 34% in 2008."

"Gallup has asked residents worldwide to rate the leadership of the U.S. since 2005, which enables a comparison of how perceptions of U.S. leadership have changed from the Bush administration to the Obama administration. The global median approval of U.S. leadership remained relatively steady from 2005 to 2008. In 2009, a bare median majority approves of the job performance of U.S. leadership (51%) -- a first since Gallup began asking the question worldwide in 2005."

"Significant improvements in sentiment toward U.S. leadership are evident in all four major global regions, with the largest year-over-year increase in approval measured in Europe. Median approval of U.S. leadership increased by 28 percentage points between 2008 and 2009 in this region. A median of 47% approves and a median of 20% disapproves -- the first time disapproval has dropped below 50% in Europe since Gallup first asked the question."

"Among the Group of Twenty (G-20) members, approval of U.S. leadership changed significantly in 16 of 17 countries where Gallup collected data before and after the Obama administration took office early last year. In 15 of these countries, approval ratings increased substantially, with increases of 39 points or more in Canada, France, and the United Kingdom. Although sentiment improved significantly in Turkey and Saudi Arabia from 2008 to 2009, majorities in these two countries still disapprove of the job performance of U.S. leadership."

So besides the fact that he's much more intelligent than "W" and the fact that he's not as completely, totally and utterly "in the pocket" of corporations and the wealthy, it seems the world, along with us, approves far more of the job President Obama is doing than we were used to for the previous 8 tortuous (no pun intended) years.

Now if this current President would only throw the health insurance companies and bankers out of the White House, we might achieve something for the average American, instead of the average American corporation.

2 comments:

JOCOeveryman said...

51%. Wow compelling. I guess all that apologizing, bowing to other kings and what not really worked. How is that working for us in Iran? North Korea? China? We are hot like David Hasselhoff in Germany and Malaysia.

I guess now the rest of world will take our money and support and long arm of protection with a smile now instead of a sneer. I feel better about that now.


I like you man.....

Mo Rage said...

Yes, 51%. It beats--by far--what that last chucklehead got us, yes.

Just because we're working with the other world leaders and their countries--again, in sharp contrast to W who wanted to hand out unwarranted, unprofessional, childish back rubs to people like Angela Merkel like some 15 yr old--it doesn't necessarily mean that countries like Iran, North Korea (which is run by another childish megalomaniac) or China are going to automatically cooperate with us. This is the real world. We don't expect that right off the bat.

And since when was handing out money in large quantities to nearly anyone a good idea? I never got that.

have a great week,

MR