In Germany, Celebrating the U.S. Presidential Inauguration
Many Germans spent their dinner hour last night watching or listening to President Obama deliver his second inaugural address. We don't yet have the numbers, but precedent would suggest it was a very large crowd. When then-Senator Obama delivered a speech in 2008 against the dramatic backdrop of Berlin's golden Victory Column, he was himself the golden candidate -- more than 200,000 admiring fans turned out to see him, and, after election, his German approval ratings hovered around 93 percent. By the June 2012 Pew Research poll, that approval level had "plummeted"...to 87 percent.
The surveys have returned consistent data, and their findings are borne out in the German media. German editorial opinion can sometimes be sharp on specific policies -- with the underlying tone of a close friend who feels they have both the right and the obligation to point out to you the… more »
Posted under: Europe & Eurasia
View Comments (2)