Off the subject today: a short report on Obama’s popularity in Germany, which likely won’t get much attention from the US mainstream media.
The NSA spying scandal and Edward Snowden have taken a massive toll on Barack Obama’s and the USA’s approval rating among Germans, new surveys reveal.
According to Germany’s online Die Zeit weekly, “Only 43 percent are satisfied with his political work, 52 percent are dissatisfied. That’s a profound popularity loss: In April 2010 Obama’s approval reached 88 percent.”
The spying affair not only has had a catastrophic impact on Obama’s popularity in Germany and the rest of Europe, but it has also badly tarnished the USA’s image overall. Only 35 percent of Germans rank the USA as a trustworthy partner and 61 percent say that the USA is not a partner that can be trusted.
The survey results were released by ARD-Deutschlandtrend. The numbers are shocking as Germany has long been considered as one of the USA’s most steadfast and trusted allies.
When it comes to whistleblower Edward Snowden, 60% of Germans view him as a hero and only 14% regard him as criminal.
These are devastating numbers and overall represent an almost unprecedented foreign policy debacle, to say the least.
72% think Obama is lying
Germany’s no. 1 daily by circulation, BILD here, also conducted a survey of Germans on whether or not they believed Obama was telling the truth about eavesdropping on Chancellor Merkel’s mobile phone calls. BILD writes:
According to a survey by BILD, 72% of the Germans DON’T believe the US president when he claims he was not aware the NSA was eavesdropping on the mobile phone of Angela Merkel (59, CDU).”
…and the NSA affair is the ONLY one of Obama’s multiple catastrophic undertakings the Germans have ever been told about by their “high quality” state media… Nobody of them knows about Benghazi, Fast&Furious, the IRS scandal, what Obama’s Al Qaeda in Syria does, or the ridiculous birth certificate forgery and and and… (I ask them from time to time, just to check up on their level of ignorance.)
In not too many years books and articles will be written by folks that know what happened with the issues Dirk mentions and others. Unless a miracle happens the disapproval ratings will continue to build. I think we have a candidate for the worst president ever. Sad.