Barack Obama

==Cultural and political image==
{{Main|Public image of Barack Obama}}
{{See also|International media reaction to the 2008 United States presidential election}}

Obama's family history, upbringing, and [[Ivy League]] education differ markedly from those of African-American politicians who launched their careers in the 1960s through participation in the civil rights movement.<ref>{{cite news|last=Wallace-Wells |first=Benjamin |title=The Great Black Hope: What's Riding on Barack Obama? |date=November 2004 |work=Washington Monthly |url=http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/2004/0411.wallace-wells.html |access-date=April 7, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080513153556/http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/2004/0411.wallace-wells.html |archive-date=May 13, 2008 |url-status=dead }} See also: {{cite news|first=Janny |last=Scott |title=A Member of a New Generation, Obama Walks a Fine Line |date=December 28, 2007 |url=http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/12/28/america/obama.php |work=International Herald Tribune |access-date=April 7, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080117005009/http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/12/28/america/obama.php |archive-date=January 17, 2008 }}</ref> Expressing puzzlement over questions about whether he is "black enough", Obama told an August 2007 meeting of the [[National Association of Black Journalists]] that "we're still locked in this notion that if you appeal to white folks then there must be something wrong."<ref>{{cite news |first = Les |last = Payne |title = In One Country, a Dual Audience |format = paid archive |date = August 19, 2007 |url = https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/newsday/access/1322008241.html?dids=1322008241:1322008241&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT |work = Newsday |place = New York |access-date = April 7, 2008 |archive-date = September 15, 2008 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080915033412/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/newsday/access/1322008241.html?dids=1322008241:1322008241&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT |url-status = dead }}</ref> Obama acknowledged his youthful image in an October 2007 campaign speech, saying: "I wouldn't be here if, time and again, the torch had not been passed to a new generation."<ref>{{cite news |first = Mike |last = Dorning |title = Obama Reaches Across Decades to JFK |format = paid archive |date = October 4, 2007 |url = https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/chicagotribune/access/1353513781.html?dids=1353513781:1353513781&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Oct+4%2C+2007&author=Mike+Dorning |work = Chicago Tribune |access-date = April 7, 2008 |archive-date = June 17, 2008 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080617150439/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/chicagotribune/access/1353513781.html?dids=1353513781:1353513781&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Oct+4%2C+2007&author=Mike+Dorning |url-status = dead }} See also: {{cite news |first = Toby |last = Harnden |title = Barack Obama is JFK Heir, Says Kennedy Aide |date = October 15, 2007 |url = https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/1565992/Barack-Obama-is-JFK-heir-says-Kennedy-aide.html |url-access = subscription |work = The Daily Telegraph |place = London |access-date = April 7, 2008 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080515071852/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/1565992/Barack-Obama-is-JFK-heir%2C-says-Kennedy-aide.html |archive-date = May 15, 2008 |url-status = live }}</ref> Additionally, Obama has frequently been referred to as an exceptional orator.<ref name="exceptional orator" /> During his pre-inauguration transition period and continuing into his presidency, Obama delivered a series of weekly Internet video addresses.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/user/ChangeDotGov |title = ChangeDotGov's Channel |via = YouTube |access-date = April 18, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100220004338/http://www.youtube.com/user/ChangeDotGov|archive-date=February 20, 2010 }}</ref>

=== Job approval ===
[[File:Gallup Poll-Approval Rating-Barack Obama.svg|thumb|275px|Graph of Obama's approval ratings per Gallup|alt=refer to adjacent text]]
According to the [[Gallup Organization]], Obama began his presidency with a 68 percent [[approval rating]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gallup.com/poll/113962/obama-starts-job-approval.aspx |title = Obama Starts With 68% Job Approval |publisher = Gallup |first1= Lydia |last1=Saad |date = January 24, 2009 |access-date = June 19, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110616021142/http://www.gallup.com/poll/113962/Obama-Starts-Job-Approval.aspx |archive-date = June 16, 2011 }}</ref> before gradually declining for the rest of the year, and eventually bottoming out at 41 percent in August 2010,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://content.usatoday.com/communities/theoval/post/2011/04/obama-hits-low-point-in-gallup-poll/1 |first1=David |last1=Jackson |title = Obama hits low point in Gallup Poll—41% |work = USA Today |date = April 15, 2011 |access-date = June 19, 2011 }}</ref> a trend similar to Ronald Reagan's and Bill Clinton's first years in office.<ref>{{cite web |first = Jon |last = Terbush |url=http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/12/approval-by-numbers-how-obama-compares-to-past-presidents.php |title = Approval By Numbers: How Obama Compares To Past Presidents |publisher = TPMDC |date = December 9, 2010 |access-date = June 19, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110704203654/http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/12/approval-by-numbers-how-obama-compares-to-past-presidents.php |archive-date= Jul 4, 2011 }}</ref> He experienced a small poll bounce shortly after the [[death of Osama bin Laden]] on May 2, 2011, and maintained 50–53 percent approval for about a month, until his approval numbers dropped back to the low 40s.<ref name="Obamapolling">{{cite web |url=http://www.gallup.com/poll/113980/Gallup-Daily-Obama-Job-Approval.aspx |title = Gallup Daily: Obama Job Approval |date = January 22, 2015 |access-date = March 23, 2015 |website = Gallup Polling }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last = Oliphant |first = James |date = May 11, 2011 |url=https://articles.latimes.com/2011/may/11/news/la-pn-obama-bounce-20110511 |title = Bin Laden bounce? New poll shows jump in Obama approval |work = [[Los Angeles Times]] |access-date = June 7, 2011 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1 = Balz |first1 = Dan |last2 = Cohen |first2 = John |date = June 6, 2011 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/obama-loses-bin-laden-bounce-romney-on-the-move-among-gop-contenders/2011/06/06/AGT5wiKH_story.html |url-access=subscription |title = Obama loses bin Laden bounce; Romney on the move among GOP contenders |newspaper = The Washington Post |publisher = Nash Holdings LLC |access-date = June 7, 2011 }}</ref> By August 2011, Obama's approval rating stood at only 38 percent; similar results were found in three other polls in October.<ref>{{cite news |last1 = Jones |first1 = Jeffrey M. |date = October 21, 2011 |url=https://news.gallup.com/poll/150230/obama-job-approval-average-slides-new-low-11th-quarter.aspx |title = Obama Job Approval Average Slides to New Low in 11th Quarter |work = Gallup Inc. |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240115131117/https://news.gallup.com/poll/150230/Obama-Job-Approval-Average-Slides-New-Low-11th-Quarter.aspx |archive-date= Jan 15, 2024 }}</ref> His approval ratings rebounded around the same time as his reelection in 2012, with polls showing an average job approval of 52 percent shortly after his second inauguration.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.gallup.com/poll/124922/Presidential-Job-Approval-Center.aspx |title = Presidential Job Approval Center |publisher = Gallup |access-date = June 23, 2015 |archive-date = July 2, 2015 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150702081744/http://www.gallup.com/poll/124922/presidential-job-approval-center.aspx |url-status = dead }}</ref>

Obama saw his approval rating drop to 39 percent in December 2013.<ref name="Obamapolling"/> In polling conducted before the [[2014 United States elections|2014 midterm elections]], Obama's disapproval rating reached its highest ever at 55 percent.<ref name="Obamapolling"/><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.politico.com/story/2014/06/poll-obama-lowest-approval-rating-nbc-wsj-107978 |title = NBC/WSJ poll: Obama low point |date = June 18, 2014 |access-date = July 25, 2023 |last1=Topaz |first1=Jonathan |website = Politico }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cnn.com/2014/10/27/politics/cnn-poll-angry-voters/index.html |title = Voters are angry |date = October 28, 2014 |access-date = July 25, 2023 |last1=Preston |first1=Mark |website = CNN }}</ref> His approval rating continued to lag throughout most of 2015 but began to reach the high 40s by the end of the year.<ref name="Obamapolling"/><ref>{{cite web |url=https://news.gallup.com/poll/181490/obama-approval-ratings-historically-polarized.aspx |title = Obama Approval Ratings Still Historically Polarized |date = February 6, 2015 |access-date = July 31, 2023 |last1=Jones |first1=Jeffrey M. |website = Gallup Inc. }}</ref> According to Gallup, Obama's approval rating reached 50 percent in March 2016, a level unseen since May 2013.<ref name="Obamapolling"/><ref>{{cite web |url=https://news.gallup.com/poll/189872/obama-job-approval-highest-level-may-2013.aspx?g_source=Obama%20Job%20Approval&g_medium=search&g_campaign=tiles |title = Obama's Job Approval at Highest Level Since May 2013 |date = March 10, 2016 |access-date = July 25, 2023 |last1=Dugan |first1=Andrew |last2=Newport |first2=Frank |website = Gallup Polling }}</ref> In polling conducted January 16–19, 2017, Obama's final approval rating was 59 percent, which placed him on par with [[George H. W. Bush]] and [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]], whose final Gallup ratings also measured in the high 50s.<ref>{{cite news |date = October 28, 2022 |url=https://www.pilotonline.com/2022/10/28/barack-obama-gets-a-midterm-do-over-to-help-boost-democrats/ |title = Barack Obama gets a midterm do-over to help boost Democrats |agency = Associated Press |publisher = [[The Virginia Pilot]] |access-date = July 24, 2023 }}</ref>

Obama has maintained relatively positive public perceptions after his presidency.<ref>{{cite news |date =June 19, 2017 |url=https://news.gallup.com/poll/212633/george-bush-barack-obama-popular-retirement.aspx |title = George W. Bush and Barack Obama Both Popular in Retirement |work = [[Gallup Inc.]] |last = Saad |first = Lydia |access-date = July 31, 2023 }}</ref> In Gallup's retrospective approval polls of former presidents, Obama garnered a 63 percent approval rating in 2018 and again in 2023, ranking him the fourth most popular president since World War II.<ref>{{cite news |date =February 15, 2018 |url=https://news.gallup.com/poll/226994/obama-first-retrospective-job-approval-rating.aspx |title = Obama's First Retrospective Job Approval Rating Is 63% |work = [[Gallup Inc.]] |last = Jones |first = Jeffrey M.| access-date = July 31, 2023 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date =July 17, 2023 |url=https://news.gallup.com/poll/508625/retrospective-approval-jfk-rises-trump.aspx |title = Retrospective Approval of JFK Rises to 90%; Trump at 46% |work = [[Gallup Inc.]] |last = Jones |first = Jeffrey M.| access-date = July 31, 2023 }}</ref>

===Foreign perceptions===
Polls showed strong support for Obama in other countries both before and during his presidency.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/09/09/2360240.htm |title = World wants Obama as president: poll |agency = Reuters |date = September 9, 2008 |work = [[ABC News (Australia)|ABC News]] }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Wike|first1=Richard|last2=Poushter|first2=Jacob|last3=Zainulbhai|first3=Hani|title=As Obama Years Draw to Close, President and U.S. Seen Favorably in Europe and Asia|url=http://www.pewglobal.org/2016/06/29/as-obama-years-draw-to-close-president-and-u-s-seen-favorably-in-europe-and-asia/|website=Global Attitudes & Trends|publisher=Pew Research Center|access-date=February 23, 2017|date=June 29, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Wan|first1=William|last2=Clement|first2=Scott|date=November 18, 2016|title=Most of the world doesn't actually see America the way Trump said it did|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/national/obama-legacy/global-approval-rating.html|access-date=February 8, 2021}}</ref> In a February 2009 poll conducted in Western Europe and the U.S. by [[Harris Insights & Analytics|Harris Interactive]] for [[France 24]] and the ''[[International Herald Tribune]]'', Obama was rated as the most respected world leader, as well as the most powerful.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/06/world/americas/06iht-poll.4.19983290.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090927104642/http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/06/world/americas/06iht-poll.4.19983290.html |archive-date=September 27, 2009 |url-access=limited |url-status=live |title = Poll shows Obama atop list of most respected |last = Freed |first = John C. |date = February 6, 2009 |work = The New York Times |access-date = January 22, 2012 }}</ref> In a similar poll conducted by Harris in May 2009, Obama was rated as the most popular world leader, as well as the one figure most people would pin their hopes on for pulling the world out of the economic downturn.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/29/world/europe/29iht-poll.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090601104537/http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/29/world/europe/29iht-poll.html |archive-date=June 1, 2009 |url-access=limited |url-status=live |title = Obama Most Popular Leader, Poll Finds |date = May 29, 2009 |work = The New York Times |access-date = January 22, 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title = Obama remains a popular symbol of hope |url=http://www.france24.com/en/20090529-obama-remains-popular-symbol-hope-harris-interactive-poll-world-leaders |date = June 2, 2009 |publisher = [[France 24]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110513050036/http://www.france24.com/en/20090529-obama-remains-popular-symbol-hope-harris-interactive-poll-world-leaders |archive-date = May 13, 2011 |access-date = January 22, 2012 }}</ref>

On October 9, 2009—only nine months into his first term—the [[Norwegian Nobel Committee]] announced that Obama had won the [[2009 Nobel Peace Prize]] "for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples",<ref name="nobel peace prize2">{{cite web |title=The Nobel Peace Prize 2009 |url=http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/2009/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091010170600/http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/2009/ |archive-date=October 10, 2009 |access-date=October 9, 2009 |publisher=Nobel Foundation}}</ref> which drew a mixture of praise and criticism from world leaders and media figures.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Philp |first=Catherine |date=October 10, 2009 |title=Barack Obama's peace prize starts a fight |language=en |work=[[The Times]] |url=https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/barack-obamas-peace-prize-starts-a-fight-nltk0qdq65d |access-date=December 15, 2021 |issn=0140-0460}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Otterman |first=Sharon |date=October 9, 2009 |title=World Reaction to a Nobel Surprise |newspaper=The New York Times |url=http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10/09/world-reaction-to-a-nobel-surprise/?hp#bozoanchor |access-date=October 9, 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=October 9, 2009 |title=Obama Peace Prize win has Americans asking why? |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/GCA-BarackObama/idUKTRE5983AM20091009?virtualBrandChannel=11621&sp=true |access-date=October 9, 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=October 9, 2009 |title=Obama: Nobel Peace Prize 'a call to action'—Politics—White House |work=NBC News |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/33237202 |access-date=September 13, 2014}}</ref> He became the fourth U.S. president to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, and the third to become a Nobel laureate while in office.<ref>{{cite news |date=October 9, 2009 |title=Obama's win unique among presidents |publisher=CNN |url=http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/10/09/us.nobel.presidents/}}</ref> He himself called it a "call to action" and remarked: "I do not view it as a recognition of my own accomplishments but rather an affirmation of American leadership on behalf of aspirations held by people in all nations".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN0950532/|title=Obama says Nobel Peace Prize is 'call to action'|publisher=Reuters|date=October 10, 2009|author1=Matt Spetalnick|author2=Wojciech Moskwa
}}</ref>

=== Thanks, Obama ===
{{Main|Thanks, Obama}}
In 2009 the saying "thanks, Obama" first appeared in a [[Twitter|Twitter hashtag]] "#thanksobama" and was later used in a demotivational poster. It was later adopted satirically to blame Obama for any socio-economic ills. Obama himself used the phrase in video in 2015 and 2016. In 2017 the phrase was used by [[Stephen Colbert]] to express gratitude to Obama on his last day in office.