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Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2009

Teens reflect on Obama’s first year as president

The Obama-mania that took place about this time last year is not as frenzied now as it was then, yet some say this is to be expected.

“I think people losing interest in (President) Obama is inevitable,” said Will Greene, a senior at Central High School.

A year ago this month, Obama was elected president, due in part to an increased youth vote, according to the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement. Since then, the views of teens who supported him have both changed and stayed the same. Many teens expected change from President Obama, but some say they haven’t seen much.

“Obama made a lot of promises before he entered office that he has not followed through on yet. This doesn’t mean he won’t, but so far things have not really been accomplished as quickly as I had hoped,” said Central High School senior Burgess Brown.

A recent Gallup poll shows Obama’s approval rating dropped nine percentage points during his third quarter in office to 53 percent. Political studies show Obama’s progress has been moderate, according to PolitiFact.com, a St. Petersburg Times project that fact-checks political statements.

Teens have observed this as well.

“Before he went into office, I thought he would be too liberal, but so far he has been more moderate than I expected,” Greene said.

The feeling toward Obama’s progress in office has been positive, too.

“My viewpoint of (Obama) remains positive and will remain positive for as long as he continues to back up his words with action,” said Wayne Chen, a senior at Central.

Joshua Eferighe is a senior at Central High School.