Your School. Your Paper. Since 1936.

The Suffolk Journal

Your School. Your Paper. Since 1936.

The Suffolk Journal

Your School. Your Paper. Since 1936.

The Suffolk Journal

Obama Administration questioned in new book

Obama Administration questioned in new book

By Victoria Greenleaf

A new and questionable book that was released on September 20 has been met with controversy and outrage in Washington D.C. Confidence in Men: Wall Street, Washington and the Education of a President, written by Pulitzer-Prize winning journalist Ron Suskind covers President Obama’s run in office through February of 2011 and offers an inside look of the White House’s response to the financial crisis.
The book has been controversial among members of the Obama Administration and other political figures. Suskind is also under fire after suggesting in the book that the White House was a hostile work environment for women. He also has been accused of tampering with interviews. Many of the more than 700 interviewees have been denying their words as they are presented within the book.
One of the many topics presented by Suskind was the possibility of Hilary Clinton as being a better President than Obama. The 2008 presidential election with both Clinton and Obama running for office was heated and often conflicting. For many voters, President Obama presented views and opportunities that they agreed with, while others remained steadfast in their choice of Clinton as president. This is a touchy subject for most, and with recent events swirling around the White House, such as the killing of Osama Bin Laden, President Obama has encountered a rise in popularity. This book could be very damaging to his reputation; which is most likely why the Obama Administration has been scattering to deny the claims set forth by Suskind. With the 2012 election drawing closer with each day, this information could lower the public opinion of the President and make many people experience a change of heart when it comes to the new candidates.
Democrats are also expressing frustration with what the book presented in the form of West Wing Strategy, which they believe allowed House Republicans to manipulate the President during last summer’s debt-ceiling meetings. With all of the head-to-head battling between these two parties, Obama’s advisors have opted to head down the offensive route and try to boost the President’s slowly declining approval ratings (Yet another problem founded by the release of Ron Suskind’s unflattering book). This move has drawn some obvious criticism concerning Obama’s role in the White House and has led many people to question how much power the President actually has within Washington. Some say that he is cowardly in many situations that call for an immediate response, while others, particularly those of the younger generation, feel that Obama is trying his hardest to do what is best for the country in these hard times.
This brings us down to yet another important point in the matter of the presidency—did we choose the best candidate to lead our country? The question can send sparks soaring when asked, and for good reason. With the turmoil that has been set forth upon the country in the form of the economic crisis, many people are losing hope and thereby pinning the blame on anyone they can. In this instance, the president is subjected to scrutiny. It is a known fact that approval rating for politicians and presidents go up in times of crisis. If this is so, then why are Obama’s ratings slowly plummeting from the higher numbers back in May? It is most likely due to the fact that since the killing of Bin Laden, not much has occurred in the form of positive change in the United States. The political future has been muddled and twisted when it comes to the rapidly changing opinions of the American people, and many are now looking to the 2012 election as a way of fixing what has been broken within the structure of the U.S.
The question remains as to whether or not this book will indeed change voter’s opinions of the President and the White House Administration. With even the author under fire for allegedly tampering with interviews and including falsified information, it is unclear as to how the outcome will be. With all of the problems going on with the economy right now, the approval rating of President Obama has slowly declined resulting in the lowest numbers to-date. The book sends unwanted flares in the direction of Washington and demands the reader, almost frigidly, to make their decisions and judgments in time for the next Presidential Election in 2012.

Leave a Comment
More to Discover

Comments (0)

All The Suffolk Journal Picks Reader Picks Sort: Newest

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Activate Search
Obama Administration questioned in new book