Four More Years?

Note: This particular study compares American opinions of President Obama to President Bush. 

President Obama's approval rating has been constantly below 50% for the past 8 months. While the president has managed to hold on to some support, the majority of Americans are unsatisfied with the administration's leadership for the past four years. 

Considering these ratings, the question is: will President Obama be able to pull out a re-election in November? 

This study also breaks the ratings down by political parties. 

If it were up to Democrats, Obama would probably have no problem keeping his place in the White House. 70% of Democrats approve of the president's performance; however, this study shows that Republicans are completely dissatisfied, with ratings dropping below 10%. Independent voters are slightly more satisfied...but not much. Less than 40% of independents approve of President Obama.  

To further speculate about Obama's re-election chances, I also looked back on his ratings throughout his presidency. In 2010, Obama's ratings dropped...and haven't recovered. 

And again in September 2011...

As the Newsy report points out, Obama is still very much a "likable" president. However, when it comes to how he manages the country, the numbers aren't looking in his favor. Being well-liked as an individual won't be enough to win the White House in November. The coming months will be crucial as the president attempts to regain the confidence of the American people. He has a lot of work to do. He must prove that, if elected, the next four years will be different. He must prove that, if elected, he will tackle the big issues facing our country. 

The Right to Die in Peace

I think it's safe to assume most people want to die in peace. Not only that, but they want their families to be able to grieve in peace. 

When my phone blew up with the latest breaking news, it made me wonder: wouldn't celebrities and their families appreciate the same courtesy? 

Celebrities receive less protection under privacy laws then citizens who do not chose to be in the public eye. So, journalists have the right (in some cases, an obligation) to be more critical of their actions and, in some ways, invade their privacy. But, is dying different? I mean, the guy died TODAY. The family is probably in shock. They’re dealing with the reality the their father, their husband, uncle, or cousin is not longer with them. Now, each time they log onto Facebook, Twitter, or any news site their pain is front-page.

I’m not suggesting for journalists to stop doing their job of reporting newsworthy events. However, as I analyze the coverage of the death of Dick Clark, it makes me think about the fact that somewhere, this man’s family is grieving the loss of their loved one. Perhaps we, as the media, should be a little more sensitive. This man was more than a hot news story. Maybe we should give it some time, give the family room to breathe.

This certainly isn’t the only celebrity death story that has been breaking news before the family had time to blink.

The list goes on. Yes, journalists have an obligation to publish relevant news stories. But journalists do not have the obligation to hype-up celebrity deaths in order to gain readers and viewers. My suggestion is that the media becomes a little more humane about the way we cover celebrity deaths.