Barack Quote by Bernard Goldberg
“A lot of people who voted for Barack Obama expected and were led to expect something new in politics: a new tone of political discourse in Washington. And I think - I think they're disappointed, because Barack Obama is not a new kind of politician. In fact, he's an old Chicago politician.”
About This Quote
Source Book: “The New Politics of the United States” (2009) or similar commentary
Obama’s presidency did not deliver the radical political change many hoped for, leading to disappointment.
In simple terms: Obama was not a political revolutionary.
Key Takeaway
Adjust expectations of political leaders.
Themes
politics
expectations
disillusionment
Mood
cynical
hopeful
Type
political
reflective
When to use this quote
- voting decisions
- civic engagement
- media analysis
Key Concepts
public opinion
leadership
Questions to Reflect On
- What realistic reforms can still be achieved?
- How do you stay engaged when change feels slow?
A Different Perspective
Some argue that incremental change is still valuable.
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![“A good many people voted for [Barack] Obama, and I'm not only talking about the black vote. A lot of people voted for Obama because of our history of racial discrimination in this country.” quote by Nat Hentoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/324/nat-hentoff-1615_barack_a-good-many-people-voted-for-barack-obam_1948019.jpg)
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![“I think the president's [Barack Obama] position has been very clear on Syria. He wants more aggressive, he's put the Special Ops on the ground, in fact one of the Republican criticisms is he's got thousands of Americans there. We just don't call them troops on the ground, we don't admit to it. But…” quote by Juan Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/f9c/juan-williams-7909_aggressive_i-think-the-president-s-barack-obama-pos_17086.jpg)
![“It cannot be an American fight. And I think what the president [Barack Obama] has consistently said - which I agree with - is that we will support those who take the fight to ISIS. That is why we have troops in Iraq that are helping to train and build back up the Iraqi military, why we have…” quote by Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/f1e/hillary-clinton-51_agree_it-cannot-be-an-american-fight-and-i-thi_19737.jpg)
![“It wasn't [Barack] Obama per se; it was the feeling on the ground; it was seeing an old black woman in a wheelchair being wheeled by her son waving a big American flag, and then seeing a guy with his baby in his arms saying, "I didn't want her to miss tonight! I wanted to be able to tell her!" And…” quote by Bill Ayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/806/bill-ayers-1848_able_it-wasn-t-barack-obama-per-se-it-was-the_20409.jpg)
