The Obama Presidency

Achievements, Problems, and Current Issues

Speaker   Dr. Markus Hünemörder

Amerika-Institut

Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München

In the third year of the Obama presidency, where does the   United States stand? While the Obama administration was remarkably successful in passing progressive reform legislation, the popularity of the president and the Democratic party fell sharply throughout 2010, leading to partial defeat in the Congressional elections of 2010. With the Republicans in control of the House of Representatives, is “change we can believe in” still possible?

This talk will examine current main issues in domestic and foreign policy, as well as political culture and American society, including the role of the so-called Tea Party. We will look at the approaching presidential election of 2012, especially possible Republican candidates.

As usual, political satire and humor will help provide perspective on the serious business of politics.