Posts Tagged ‘Barack Obama’

President Barack Obama

Monday, June 24th, 2013

President Barack Obama spoke in Berlin this week. The event took place on June 19, the hottest day of the year so far. After weeks of heavy rains, the sun shone brightly. Not a cloud in the sky. Who could have guessed? He had to deliver his 30-minute open-air address, standing in the blazing sun, sans shade of any kind. Likewise, 4,500 guests sat on their folding chairs in the Pariser Platz, on the east side of the Brandenburg Gate. Temperatures had hit 92° and felt more like 97° in Berlin’s humid continental climate. No shade was to be had for speaker or guests.

Obama Spoke in Berlin

Obama Spoke at Berlin’s Brandenburger Tor

Despite the intense heat and uncomfortable circumstances, Obama delivered a spirited talk. He covered the history of Berlin and Germany, referenced the milestone speeches of President John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan, and touched upon climate change, renewable energy, International responsibility, and disarmament of nuclear weapons.

Later, some commentators suggested that Berliners must have “cooled” to President Obama because of the paltry attendance of a mere 4,500 guests. People, people come on. Be fair. It is true that Kennedy drew a crowd of 450,000 in Berlin in 1963, and Democratic candidate Obama attracted over 200,000 in 2008. But both spoke to the public at large, not to a limited number of invited guests. Times have changed. While Kennedy still drove through Berlin in an open limousine, today’s presidents are protected behind bulletproof glass. Besides, President Obama was to deliver his address to 6,000 guests, many of them up in years. Do you blame the 1,500 who chose not expose themselves to the relentless heat? The small number of attendees at President Obama’s June 19 speech is hardly proof that his popularity in Berlin is waning. Maybe it is, but please people, use real, not manufactured, facts to argue the point.

 

For a sneak peek at the first 20+ pages of my memoir, Walled-In: A West Berlin Girl’s Journey to Freedom, click “Download a free excerpt” on my home page and feel free to follow my blog about anything German: historic and current events, people, places and food.

Walled-In is my story of growing up in Berlin during the Cold War. Juxtaposing the events that engulfed Berlin during the Berlin Blockade, the Berlin Airlift, the Berlin Wall and Kennedy’s Berlin visit with the struggle against my equally insurmountable parental walls, Walled-In is about freedom vs. conformity, conflict vs. harmony, domination vs. submission, loyalty vs. betrayal.

 

 

Obama spoke in Berlin

Wednesday, June 19th, 2013

Today, President Barack Obama spoke in Berlin, 50 years after President John F. Kennedy’s famous address in the then-divided city. The last time Obama visited Berlin was during his 2008 run for president.

Fifty years ago, a euphoric crowd of 450,000 cheered Kennedy in front of Schöneberger Rathaus (city hall) when he declared, “Ich bin ein Berliner.” I stood in that crowd 50 years ago and was also swept away by those words, which were spoken at the height of the Cold War. Five years ago, Obama addressed a gathering of over 200,000 at the Siegessaeule (victory column) when he ran for president. Today, Obama spoke at Berlin’s historic 18th century Brandenburger Tor.

Obama Spoke at Berlin's Brandenburger Tor today

Obama Spoke at Berlin’s Brandenburger Tor today

President Obama arrived in Berlin as part of a three-day International Summit tour to discuss a variety of issues. At the top of German Chancellor Angela Merkel agenda were questions relative to global electronic and phone surveillance programs. Public outcry over the intrusion into the lives of private citizens is strong in Germany, far stronger than in the United States. The reason is that Germans have a deep-rooted distrust in governments that spy on their citizens. Germans have lived under the Gestapo (Geheime Staatspolizei) during the Nazi regime. More recently, East Germans citizens have lived under the Stasi–(Staatssicherheitsdienst). Both were secret police spying organizations. They have made Germans distrust any government that claims that broad surveillance activity is necessary for its citizens, safety. Merkel hopes to see a more equitable balance struck between providing security and protecting personal freedoms.

Obama spoke in Berlin today in the midst of a crushing heat wave that followed weeks of heavy rains and severe flooding throughout the country. The extreme temperatures, ranging in the 90s, reduced the number of guests in attendance. Instead of the invited 6,000, closer to 4,000 guests came. However, the poor attendance does not reflect a significant drop in Obama’s popularity in Germany. A recent poll indicates that Obama still holds close to a 90% approval rating in Germany.

 

For a sneak peek at the first 20+ pages of my memoir, Walled-In: A West Berlin Girl’s Journey to Freedom, click “Download a free excerpt” on my home page and feel free to follow my blog about anything German: historic or current events, people, places or food.

Walled-In is my story of growing up in Berlin during the Cold War. Juxtaposing the events that engulfed Berlin during the Berlin Blockade, the Berlin Airlift, the Berlin Wall and Kennedy’s Berlin visit with the struggle against my equally insurmountable parental walls, Walled-In is about freedom vs. conformity, conflict vs. harmony, domination vs. submission, loyalty vs. betrayal.