On air: Is President Obama letting his supporters down?

The majority of Americans wanted him as President, and the majority of the world wanted him to win too. When I was in Washington for the Inauguration, people wore t-shirts reading ‘Our moment is now’. But is the President making the most of that moment? He always emphasised to his supporters that they had a part to play, but while the right in the States makes its opposition very well known, are his advocates backing him as effectively and passionately as they might? Put simply, reverse the question – are Pres Obama’s supporters letting him down?

I heard a fascinating contribution from John Simpson, the BBC’s World Affairs editor, on the Today programme on Saturday. See if you agree with his analysis…

On air: Should politicians always be civil to each other?

It’s not the policy points or the delivery that’s got you talking about President Obama’s healthcare speech. It’s those two words that Joe Wilson called out during the speech: ‘you lie’. Listen closely at 1’28 into this video.

John McCain says, “There is no place for it in that setting, or any other, and he should apologise for it immediately”. But plenty of right-wing bloggers are celebrating his actions – claiming the President’s assertions needed to be challenged regardless of protocol.

Did you think it was acceptable?