Nearly four years after Barack Obama was elected to the most powerful
office in the most powerful country in the world, the question remains:
Who is he? He seemed to come out of nowhere. He had served seven years in the
Illinois Senate, and less than four years in the U.S. Senate — a meager
political resume, augmented by a stirring speech at the 2004 Democratic
National Convention.
John Ehret recently made history in Germany. The 40-year-old has become
the country's first Black mayor. Ehret's father was an African-American
soldier stationed in Germany and his mother, a native of Germany. Now,
Ehret is the mayor of Mauer Village.
The big fight between the Republicans and the Obama administration
enters a critical point this week, with a number of Supreme Court
decisions that could have an impact all the way to the November
elections. It started on Monday with the Court ruling that gutted
Arizona's intrusive immigration law that has prompted especially Latino
immigrants to flee the state.
Twenty-two African American pilots have sued the world's largest
airline--United Continental—for racial discrimination. According to the
pilots, the airline promoted minority employees to upper management
positions fewer times than they did white employees. The lawsuit requests back pay, punitive
damages, and that United end “discriminatory practices.”
In spite of somber economic indicators, Americans are feeling more
optimistic about the future and Obama's presidency. A Bloomberg Poll
conducted June 15-18 revealed that 45 percent of those surveyed felt
they were better off now than when Obama was inaugurated in 2009.
36 percent felt they were worse off.
