Obama's 100 days

Yesterday marked US President Barack Obama's first 100 days in office. The transcript for his press conference can be found on Scribd [Click Here]. I originally missed the first half of it because I was making dinner, but managed to catch the tail end of his speech before question period.


Beginning by addressing the swine flu pandemic, Obama moves on to mention the passing of the budget resolution through the House and Senate. Clearly outlining again, his intents for his term in office, Obama brings up Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay. He talks about the economic recession and the job losses in America as well as the "clean energy revolution".

Barack and his wife Michelle are an exemplary models for the "change that we seek". In all my recollection I have never seen such a down to earth President to hold office in America, nor a Primer Minister in Canada. His casual tones and non-domineering appearance are in direct contrast to that of former President Bush. The movie "Love Actually" paints a good picture of the differences between the two. The American President portrayed in the movie (by Billy Bob Thorton) is representative of the past American Presidents of our time, whereas the British Prime Minister (played by Hugh Grant) displays the mentality of the current President Obama. The stark contrasts symbolize the transformations we need in order to pick ourselves up again and trudge through the difficult times. The past eight years are more than enough proof that traditional political strategies are no longer working. The fresh attitude that Obama brings to the table are slowly but surely bringing in results. The transition will take time. There will undoubtedly be skyrocketing rates of unemployment, deflating housing prices and high levels of consumer uncertainty, but the times will change, and the light at the end of the tunnel is in view.

I think it's important to take a look into how President Obama portrays himself. His eternal optimism is something we should all strive towards, and is something that is very readily attainable for all of us. To ensure the world is peaceful and pleasant for all is what Barack is aiming for, and we can all take this into consideration when we live our lives. How can we make the world better for those around us?


So I think we're off to a good start, but it's just a start. I'm proud of what we've achieved, but I'm not content. I'm pleased with our progress, but I'm not satisfied.
- Barack Obama, Press Conference April 29, 2009