Re: BREAKING NEWS: Obama Wins Heisman Trophy
Firstly believing one person is more deserving doesn't mean the person who won was not deserved.
Next again is this imagined premise that Obama won through some act as POTUS or needed to accomplish some act as POTUS to be worthy. That's simply untrue.
I know we have short memories and the significance of the effect of Obama's message has somewhat been forgotten by the microwave times we live in. But Obama delivered as many speeches on healing divides, peace, race relations as did MLK or the Dalai Lama.....The difference being the effect of Obama's message actually caused "change". Can one seriously argue against the amount of good will generated by Obama's message toward the US BEFORE he was elected?? While every other American politician running for POTUS talked openly of bombing Iran, Obama was the only one to say he would especially talk to them.
That's not even including his anti-proliferation work.
Obama's emergence and message was undeniably one of the biggest stories of this young millennium. Although getting elected against the odds was an accomplishment in and of itself....How Obama got elected and the message he carried is why he was a worthy winner IMO.
Martin L. King Jr. moved hundreds and thousands of people toward change. Obama moved tens of millions of people to make change.
That's the best I can explain it to you.
You're right, but I believe this is a major oversight. Obama said a few things, and he promised change, but Tsvangirai actually brought change and he had to fight a lot harder than Obama to do it. I really do believe that Obama won this simply because he is Obama. What Tsvangirai has done for his country is simply more impressive than what Obama has done/promised to do.
What is this about MLK's message not bringing change? MLK did more in his lifetime for human rights then any man in history; it was because of him that Obama had the opportunity to rise up and become President. Obama may have made as many speeches as MLK or the Dalai Lama, but that doesn't mean they have brought the same amount of change that their words did. There is a reason that Martin Luther King is considered a martyr by many people in the world.
I do remember the "Obama-mania" - as many called it - during his run for presidency. Fortunately or unfortunately, I was one of the few to not be caught up in the hype; I planned on waiting to see what he did as president. It is one thing to say he is going to do something, but then it is another to actually do it. Remember, Bush once said "No new taxes".
I think that this nomination must have been during the inital stages of his presidency, because I do not think anyone would nominate him now; not a knock against him himself, but his presidency has been uneventful and, as president, he has not done anything to deserve the Nobel Prize. Since entering the office of president of the United States, Obama's approval ratings have dropped from 82% to 53%, and he has faced major opposition within his country over hi planned reform of the health-care system. And, from a Canadian's standpoint, his "Buy American" clause for steel and his plan to reduce America's reliance on foreign oil supplies has soured, at least, many Canadian's view of the man and his presidency (Though they recently reached an agreement; however, now we have to let American companies bid on construction contracts, which in the long run is going to hurt Canadian-American relations). Whatever "good will" that his rise and election have brought, I believe it is long gone. The "honeymoon is over", so to speak.
When you say "anti-proliferation", do you mean his talks with North Korea, Iran, or his talks with Russia? I don't think anyone can credit either to Obama simply - though I'm not saying you were. Many people worldwide, in positions of power and on the streets, have been working towards anti-proliferation for years. In all three cases, America has taken a leading role, but that is because of America's role as a superpower and less to do with Obama. While he has worked towards, say, reducing America and Russia's nuclear stockpiles, so have people in Russia.
That isn't to say Obama hasn't done some good things. Naturally, I believe his plan to reform health-care is a good thing, and the way he has handled the economy is very impressive. He has also made improvments in relations with Cuba, Iran, and Russia. What I am trying to say, however, is that a lot of the things he has done have caused serious opposition from his own people as well as people internationally. I must admit I do not know much when it comes to American-European relations, so I do not know what people from Europe still think of the man. I do not think that a man that is constantly called
Hitler and a socialist (Which I know isn't a bad thing, but when Americans use it they tend to mean it as an insult) by his own people should be considered for the Nobel Peace Prize.
One of the biggest problems I see with Obama winning the Nobel Peace Prize is that, well, his presidency is so young. The cult of personality he had during his run for presidency is over, and other than bringing that several-month span of hope, I don't think he has done anything to be worthy of such a noble honour. If this award was a few years down the road, after Obama has the chance to bring some true change to America, I would fully recommend Obama for this award. However, by awarding him the award now makes it seem like he is simply winning the award because he is Obama, and that tells me the people who awarded him this honour are/were caught up in his cult of personality. Given a few years, I have no doubt Obama would be worthy of his award, but right now? Too soon.
My argument for Morgan Tsvangirai is that he has brought change to a country that desperately needed it and was nowhere near it without his leadership. Mugabe had dicatoral control over the country, and Tsvangirai was the man who lead the fight to change that. Since entering the power-sharing agreement, the government under Tsvangirai has begun the process of rebuilding Zimbabwe's economy and reducing the widespread poverty. He has brought actual change to a country that desperately needed it. While it may not make the headlines like Obama does, the fact that America is so much larger than Zimbabwe shouldn't matter. Morgan Tsvangirai simply has brought impressive change and hope to Zimbabwe, and because of him the country is turning around; slowly, but it is turning around, and that is the important thing. And I've mentioned it before, but Tsvangirai has also led this country though the death of his wife and grandson.
Personally, one of the many things he has done that stick out to me is his decision to not to run in the second round of the 2008 elections to protect his supporters against violence. By doing so, he showed that his main alliegance was to the people of Zimbabwe, and not the position of presidency. While I can respect that Obama won the Nobel Prize, I simply believe that the men and women who select the recipient made a large oversight by not selecting Morgan Tsvangirai. But, hey, its like I said earlier. Obama could have recieved the award later in his presidency, and so could Tsvangirai. Hopefully in the next year or two the Nobel Prize commitee with recognize what Tsvangirai has done for his country and his people.
) never considered keeping the money.
