Half the Americans discontented with Obama

The results of a Washington Post-ABC News poll show that more than fifty percent of the Americans feel that the nation’s first black president, who was expected to bring about significant improvements in U.S. race relations, has not been able to bring about any major advancement.

A small proportion of the surveyed Americans also expressed doubt in Obama’s ability to take the right decisions for the future of the country.

The poll results were released on the U.S. holiday honoring civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.

Obama helping race relations?
On the eve of his inauguration, 58 percent of the Americans had expressed their belief that Obama’s presidency would help race relations in the U.S. However, after just one year of his term, the proportion has dropped down to 41 percent.

African-Americans, who were supposedly the happiest on Obama’s election as the president of the United States, now form the most disappointed group. As many as 75 percent of them had expressed confidence in Obama to improve the race relations one year ago, but now only 51 percent believe that he has actually been successful in doing so.

However, most of the survey participants see Obama’s election as a step forward for all African Americans, but some 30 percent believe it does not indicate any momentous change.

Though almost 70 percent people are still holding onto the belief that a black president for the nation is a sign of the progress of all black citizens, 50 percent say no significant change has been observed in his one year of presidency.

A small proportion of people—about one in eight—also believe race relations were hurt by Obama’s election to the president’s seat.

Will we ever achieve racial equality?
Ever since Obama took over as the president of the Unites States, there has been a negative reaction of African-Americans on being able to achieve racial equality. 11 percent of them believe that racial equality has been reached, but 32 percent do not even hope to see racial equality through their entire lives.

However, the whites seem to be more optimistic on the matter of racial equality. About 40 percent believe that it already exists and some 31 percent feel it is likely to be achieved soon.

The poll was conducted from Jan. 12 to Jan. 15 via telephone. It randomly involved 1,083 adults and had plus or minus 3 percentage points’ margin error. For the 153 African Americans surveyed, the margin of error was 8 percentage points.

72 percent of Democrats, 59 percent of Republicans and 63 percent of independents believe that Obama’s election is itself a mark of progress.

Obama: Faith keeps me calm
However, speaking to a church congregation on Sunday, the president acknowledged that the assurances made during his election as the nation’s first black president were not completely realized as yet. He also talked of the role played by partisan politics.

“You know, on the heels of that victory over a year ago, there were some who suggested that somehow we had entered into a post-racial America,” Obama said.

“There were those who argued that because I had spoke of a need for unity in this country, that our nation was somehow entering into a period of post-partisanship. That didn’t work out so well.”

Addressing the concerns of slow progress, the president added, “There are times when progress seems too slow…when it feels like all these efforts are for naught, and the change is so painfully slow in coming, and I have to confront my own doubts.

“During those times, it’s faith that keeps me calm,” he said.