O.Chat > Nobel Peace Prize
He's completely right, Britt. The world is sending a big signal to the U.S. -- a request, perhaps something stronger, for a new way of American involvement in the world. They're saying they want more of Obama's approach and less of what we've had before.
I hope it sends a message to all those that hate us, too.
Chicagoan
He's done SO much already in the international arena, and he is encouraging countries with terrible human rights records and environmental records to take courage and make different, courageous choices - without losing face. He is encouraging all this dialogue without making anyone wrong for what has gone before. He gives all regimes the chance to start afresh from today.
Of course he deserves it. This is only the beginning. What he could achieve in four or eight years is totally mind boggling. We could actually achieve world peace. It is an inCREDible idea.
Incidentally, I don't recall previous winners getting criticism for not having deserved it! So that's just bosh and blather and bullsh*t. I don't see ALOT of that either. I see some. i think most people are well aware of what he's been achieving and they want him to continue. I saw one soon to be ex friend on Facebook saying they don't know why he's won it. I'll be asking her if she's been under a rock since January.
The other great thing about the Nobel is that it gives his cause for getting everyone talking greater weight. It would be harder to ignore his phone call or betray a promise to the man who'd won the Nobel. So that's great too.
Posh Tater
I just now read the news. I must say that I am shocked. I have very mixed feelings about this award at this time. I know that President Obama works hard to reverse the Bush posture toward the rest of the world and to engage all nations in dialogue. His initial steps toward ridding the world of nuclear weapons are admirable, though some would call them too idealistic. I can see the point of those, even his most avid supporters, who feel this award is early in his tenure on the international stage, and almost an embarrassment. President Obama has been in office less than a year. I have always thought he would be a good candidate to win this high honor as his presidency comes to an end -- having accomplished much to move the world toward peace. Or I envisioned him winning it after he'd gone on to be Secretary General of the UN, or played other significant roles in the world following his presidency.
In some ways, this award so early in his presidency can be used to hurt him more than to help him. The Republicans are livid, and even Democrats can see that this is something of an embarrassment so early in his tenure.
Is this award intended to sway his decisions regarding Iran and Israel? Is it intended to influence his decisions on Iraq and Afghanistan? I'm a bit apprehensive to see how the politics of this award will play out.
Does it, as some claim, prove that Obama is more symbol than substance? Does he stand as an equal with Martin Luther King and other Nobel Laureates? Or does he look less deserving, for his short tenure, than the other winners of this award?
I'm nervous about how this will play out. It's very unsettling for me.
Willow
Willow,
May I ask why does this award-- given to him-- reflect negatively upon him. I mean why is he being discredited, why not the people who nominated him and subsequently voted for him? I think the President was just as shocked as you, me, democrats, and republicans. He stated that even he feels that he probably has not accomplished (YET) what past recipients have.
Now if these people awarded him this honor to sway his decisions, I feel sorry for them. I think Mr. Obama has proven himself to be a man of integrity and to do what he genuinely feels is right. So I am hoping he continues to govern this way and not fall into their traps.
I am hoping your feeling is wrong and his vision is continuously spread and respected and the Nobel Peace Prize is just a validation of his efforts.
Nyon
Nyon,
My questioning and criticism is not of President Obama. He had nothing to do with getting this award for himself. I question those who nominated and gave it to him at this particular point. He has a good vision for the world, in my view. But, I think most people who support him feel that he would look more like he earned and deserved this high honor after he'd served at least a few years.
This timing would appear shocking no matter who the recipient might be. It just seems premature.
The way it could reflect negatively on him is that people can use it to make the case that, since he hasn't had time to accomplish anything really significant yet, he is seen more as a symbol than as a person of substance. I fear that the fact that this seems so premature can be twisted into all sorts of things by his enemies. It's prematurity provides fodder and noise that he doesn't need right now. That noise can stand in the way of the very things he's working for which are Nobel worthy.
I'm in a hurry. Was I clear? I hope so.
Willow
Maybe just the opposite will be true. Maybe this increases his stature on the world stage and gives him more power to get the cooperation of other nations to accomplish his goals. That would be great. Will it increase his stature on the domestic front, or hurt him here?
I think this is an unanswered question right now. I remain apprehensive. I hope it works to help him toward his goals.
Willow
I was as surprised as everyone else was that a president would receive such a high honor so early in his tenure on the world stage. But I see this award as a validation coming from a group who are trained to recognize merit in leaders from many fields. So to all the naysayers and the SNL cynics who've been talking about what he has not achieved and the congressman-turned-heckler who was so rude and the birthers and all the other crazies: take a look at this! Congratulations, Mr. President! I'm looking forward to 7 more years (plus 3 months)!
BarbG
I agree with both what Nyon and BarbG wrote. I believe this is validation that he is a leader, and other leaders should be striving to emulate and aid him in his efforts for peace. I also believe that though the president has only been in office for 8 1/2 months, his adult life is one of giving back to the community to create social and economic justice, and he is continuing it in his presidency. He is the first black president of a country that used black people as slaves!
His life embodies inspiration, endurance, and hope. He deserved the Nobel Peace Prize, and when all is said and done, Barack Obama will be one of our most special presidents ever.
I wish the other Jenna were alive to have seen him get this award. She would've been proud of him.
IVA
Amen to that IVA and MsG.
Thanks Willow for answering my question. All I can say is we truly live in a sad country. When people --whether their Obama supporters or not-- can take something that is positve and make it negative. I definitely can be a cynical person sometimes, but I just don't see how thinking the worse about this award is going to help anyone.
Nyon
The award is not about only what he has done as president it has to do with everything he has done in his life.
Besides bring the world together over the past couple of years....
Nonproliferation: President Obama was active on the issue of nonproliferation when he was a Senator. He and Senator Lugar crafted a rather unique nonproliferation bill in 2005 and it was signed into law in 2007. What they did was recognize that not only nuclear weapons need to be reigned in, conventional weapons also need to be controlled. Conventional weapons kill many more people than nuclear weapons.
p.s. President Obama is donating the $1.4 Milliion Nobel prize money to several American charities.
Leah D
Everyone in the world hated us prior to November 2008. Everyone. The mere election of Obama gave the US a Get Out of Jail card from most of the global village. And POTUS followed through with very clear messages about Middle East politics while maintaining a zero tolerance attitude about terrorism. He also extended himself and reached out to the world community without a moment to spare. He knows about building relationships, and after 8 years of a US drought in that respect, he is given big points for reparation and repair - in what - 9 months?
My guess is either Merkel or a fellow world leader nominated Obama. Do you remember when Angela Merkel said the POTUS was "fun" to work with? That was a great moment.
I agree that this is a call to action. POTUS has to deliver. Clearly the message from the Nobel Committee is for not only Obama, but for all the world leaders to consider. It's a unique twist to the awards, I agree, but while surprised I am neither disappointed nor feeling that it is undeserved.
Bevi
Bevi--Everyone hated us except Israel. Now the Israelis are very unhappy with us because our president thinks everybody should get a fair shake and that Israel needs to live up to her responsibilities.
I don't think it was a world leader who nominated him. At that point he had had only nominal contact with them during his world tour in the summer of 2008 as a candidate. It was in April during his first G-20 and the NATO conference that he made his mark with them. Whoever it was, gave him the same vote of confidence that the Nobel committee did.
What he has done falls within the general criteria for the award: whoever has done the most to advance peace between nations. He has influenced that in a mighty way and this award should reinforce for him that he is on the right path.
Also his activities on nonproliferation influenced them. He worked on these even back in the Senate with Sen. Lugar. His power comes from his integrity, his determination, his unwillingness to be deterred and his willingness to engage in dialogue and respect.
When he accepted it, he stated that this is a shared award and included a number of known candidates by a description of their activities rather than by name. He is a gracious winner who displays little ego.
I am very, very proud of my president and because of him, I am very proud to be an American again.
Sharon Nelson
There is a season for everything and I believe this is a season for change.
@Leah D-nodding YES at your first sentence! It's as if President Obama didn't have a purpose before becomng president. From his start as a community organizer, he has worked for others.
@Sharon-LOVE your last sentence and how bold of you to state that given the current climate here in the U.S.
Mrs. HJS
Bevi,
It looks like we will never know who nominated Obama.
I heard on the news that the names of the people that submit the nominations are sealed for 50 years.
Leah D
I've took a look on the the Nobel website.
There's a big chance that SEVERAL people may have nominated Obama.
-----
Nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize
Every year, the Norwegian Nobel Committee sends out thousands of letters inviting qualified people to submit their nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize. The names of the nominees and other information about the nominations cannot be revealed until 50 years later.
Qualified Nominators
The right to submit proposals for the Nobel Peace Prize shall, by statute, be enjoyed by:
1. Members of national assemblies and governments of states;
2. Members of international courts;
3. University rectors; professors of social sciences, history, philosophy, law and theology; directors of peace research institutes and foreign policy institutes;
4. Persons who have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize;
5. Board members of organizations who have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize;
6. Active and former members of the Norwegian Nobel Committee; (proposals by members of the Committee to be submitted no later than at the first meeting of the Committee after February 1) and
7. Former advisers appointed by the Norwegian Nobel Institute.
Leah D
An interesting side note.
I have heard many people say 'Well Gandhi never won the Nobel Peace Prize'.
This might be why:
1) Mahatma Gandhi, one of the strongest symbols of non-violence in the 20th century, was nominated in 1937, 1938, 1939, 1947 and, finally, shortly before he was assassinated in January 1948. Although Gandhi was not awarded the Prize (a posthumous award is NOT allowed by the statutes), the Norwegian Nobel Committee decided to make no award that year on the grounds that "there was no suitable LIVING candidate".
2) What many thought should have been Mahatma Gandhi's place on the list of Laureates was silently but respectfully left open.
* So it looks like 1948 might have been the year he would have gotten it if he had still been alive.
Also more here:
http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/articles/gandhi/index.html
Leah D
Please don't interpret my mixed feelings about the award of this Nobel Prize so early as an attempt by me to turn it into a negative. If you've been listening to or reading any news source, you recognize that this can really be a hindrance and a burden for a President who can be seen by too many as a popular celebrity. Nightline on ABC mocked it last night by closing their segment with, "Well, let's see, what other awards can we give him? An Emmy? Oh, no, he's already got two of those. An oscar? etc. etc."
Even the very level-headed, wise, mature David Gergen sees it as a burden for Obama, and something that makes his decisions and moves on the international stage more difficult.
I think the President was not only shocked, but embarrassed and disappointed that he was put in this position. If he had felt he had really earned it after laboring for years on the international stage, I don't think that the first sentence of his acceptance speech would have included a reference to sharing the day with Bo's birthday. I think he was trying to deflect the shock and the criticism he felt was justified. And I think he is very aware of the burden it places on him, which he could have more easily lived without for a few more years.
However, having said that, I believe that he showed his incredible dignity, intelligence, integrity, nobility, and character in the way he decided to handle the difficult spot he was put in. I think his acceptance speech was an absolute masterpiece. He hit every note he needed to hit, and on perfect pitch.
He deflected an honor he felt he had not yet earned and shared it with all Americans. Perfect!
--Let me be clear, I do not view it as a recognition of my own accomplishments, but rather as an affirmation of American leadership on behalf of aspirations held by people in all nations.
He admitted the truth of what so many others were saying: Perfect!
--To be honest, I do not feel that I deserve to be in the company of so many of the transformative figures who've been honored by this prize, men and women who've inspired me and inspired the entire world through their courageous pursuit of peace.
He recognized that the Nobel Prize has been used not only reward, but to add momentum: Perfect!
--And I know that throughout history the Nobel Peace Prize has not just been used to honor specific achievement; it's also been used as a means to give momentum to a set of causes.
He accepted it, not as an award, but as a call to action. Perfect!
--And that is why I will accept this award as a call to action, a call for all nations to confront the common challenges of the 21st century.
He deflected the burden it places on him by sharing the responsibility for achieving the hopes of the world with all leaders: Perfect!
--Now, these challenges can't be met by any one leader or any one nation. And that's why my administration's worked to establish a new era of engagement in which all nations must take responsibility for the world we seek.
--And that's why all nations must now accept their share of responsibility for transforming the way that we use energy.
He acknowledged the awkwardness of being given a Nobel Prize for peace while waging war in two areas of the globe, contemplating an escalation in Afghanistan, and stating that the military option is not off the table regarding Iran. A very awkward position to be put in, indeed, but handled perfectly:
--I am the commander in chief of a country that's responsible for ending a war and working in another theater to confront a ruthless adversary that directly threatens the American people and our allies. I'm also aware that we are dealing with the impact of a global economic crisis that has left millions of Americans looking for work.
His closing paragraph shared the award with others who I'm sure he feels (and he suspects many others may feel) are making more personal sacrifices for peace in various parts of the globe than he is: Perfect!
--And that's why this award must be shared with everyone who strives for justice and dignity; for the young woman who marches silently in the streets on behalf of her right to be heard, even in the face of beatings and bullets; for the leader imprisoned in her own home because she refuses to abandon her commitment to democracy; for the soldier who sacrificed through tour after tour of duty on behalf of someone half a world away; and for all those men and women across the world who sacrifice their safety and their freedom and sometime their lives for the cause of peace.
He announced immediately that the $1.4 million award would be given to charity. Perfect!
I sincerely hope that this award can help the momentum of the movements he has championed among nations since his arrival on the scene. I'm happy to see him with this award (despite the difficult position it puts him in), but I think it would have felt so very much better if it had come 4, 8, 10, 15 years from now, when the entire, grateful world could have rejoiced in an award no one could deny was justly deserved.
If you haven't had a chance to read his full acceptance speech, it's printed here
Willow
Dr. Cornell West recognizes the difficult spot President Obama has been put in by this award:
Willow
Geez, Willow...we get it. The President received the award too soon, he doesn't deserve it, and now it's going to be next to impossible for him to live up to it given the realities of his presidency.
I guess I'm just naive in thinking of this in a positive light, and looking at it from the Committee's point of view. I believe the award bolsters him in his pursuit of peace. I believe that this award is an acknowledgment from important people of the President's sincerity to create peace in the world. I see this as an award that gives him credibility when he is trying to peacefully resolve some of our most contentious problems in the world. I see this as a nice gesture of appreciation given to the president at a time when few people, particularly in his country, show him their appreciation for his efforts to try and bring peace to the world.
The Rachel Maddow Show had a nice discussion about this on Friday. Her intro gave a good visual explanation for why he may have been awarded the Peace Prize. I noticed that the media and blogs went out of their way to NOT assess what he has done to possibly deserve the award. They discussed the implications of him winning it, or whether it was too soon or whatever, but there was no analysis of his moves on the international scene which could have led to the Committee thinking that he, in fact, worked quite hard this past year to achieve peace.
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/10/10/791808/-Thank-you,-Rachel-Maddow.-You-almost-brought-me-to-tears
IVA
IVA,
There is room for a diversity of opinion, isn't there? Although the President has been a courageous, brilliant voice in moving the world to a new and better place, there are complexities involved. I think it is the diversity of opinion in a complex world that makes us strong. Everyone who does not embrace this award without reservation is not a hater, or a negative person.
The President's acceptance speech acknowledged the many ways in which this award is perhaps premature. Why is it problematic for others to do the same?
Willow
Willow--
I suspect you are allowing yourself to be cowed by the TV pundits and the crazies who hate a straw man they call Obama--well, they call him a bunch of other names, too. But their version and the real Barack Obama who is our president bear no resemblance to each other. .
I agree with his statement at his speech last night: Hope is stronger than hate. Those who are haters likely will never agree because they will never hear the truth. Those who have opinions that differ from him for other reasons are not being asked to forsake them. He asks them to come together with him and work out a solution.
On whether or not he deserves it (I fully agree with Iva that he does and for the reasons she gives), I came across some data from someone else on a discussion board:
Martin Luther King was awarded the Peace Prize in 1963 before he had really accomplished anything except some speeches, before the Civil Rights Act was passed. Question: Did the awarding of this prize to him at this particular time give more impetus and help to change some minds to vote for that act?
The Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Desmond Tutu while apartheid was still in place in South Africa. Question: Did the awarding of this prize to him give impetus to the final dissolution of apartheid?
The Nobel Peace Prize is different from the other Nobel prizes whose recipients are chosen based on achievement. Take a closer look at the reasons that the judges (3 left-leaning and 2 right-leaning, but unanimous) gave for choosing him and the criteria that the founder set forth to be used. One was that it should go to the person who has done the most to advance peace between countries. Look at today's world. Who stands out as the leader most advocating and pushing the ball in the direction of peace. President Obama stands out and the committee coulld not get around that.
Also nuclear nonproliferation. That is not new just while being president. He was working on that in the Senate with Sen. Lugar--even authored a co-sponsorship of a bill. That is part of the criteria: reduction of arms. As president he chaired the UN Security Council and got a resolution from them to push for nonproliferation in their countries. That's pretty concrete.
Right now we are recovering as a nation because it was so unexpected. But we are proud and honored that our President is seen by the world as one worthy of this prestigious honor. The haters try to diminish the prize itself just as they have tried to diminish every great thing he has done like his magnificent world tour last summer. He looked very presidential and was accepted in that manner by foreign leaders and even the press.
That's when they hit on their celebrity idea. Yes, he is a celebrity, but one with great character and substance.
By the time he accepts this prize in December, the vast majority of Americans will be very proud of his being awarded it. Forget the haters and pundits. Americans, by and large, are tired of both and want to move on to better things.
Sharon Nelson
Sharon,
I very much appreciate your post. I share your hope that this award will add much momentum to the courageous agenda President Obama has set before the world.
I would like to respectfully request, however, that you and others not characterize as "haters" those who see the problems and complexities this award brings. I love this president as much as anyone. You can read the beginning of the thread I started called, "President Obama, let's talk about him."
However, I believe that the subdued way in which the President responded to the announcement spoke volumes about how he felt about this surprise. I sincerely believe he felt put on the spot and embarrassed by it. The family didn't come out all smiles to receive it. There were no staff members around to enjoy it. There was no popping of champaign corks. He seemed to come out to deal with a pesky new problem in the best way he could, and then moved quickly on to the agenda for the day.
I just found this interesting tidbit at The NY Times
"One questioner in the audience asked Mr. Axelrod to share the president’s initial, unvarnished reaction when he learned about winning the Nobel Prize. Mr. Axelrod said that the White House press secretary, Robert Gibbs, woke Mr. Obama with the news.
“What are you talking about?” Mr. Obama said, according to Mr. Axelrod. “Is this a joke?”
Willow
Willow--
I actually talked about several groups of people: haters, pundits, legitimate opposition, ordinary nonpolitical Americans, and strong supporters. By haters I mean the people who were on display at the town halls. I have relatives in that category and it is impossible to hold a logical conversation with them. Their ears are closed to anything outside their views. Not all opposition are haters.
Pundits are in a class all their own. They do this for a living, are encouraged to say something controversial and spin or ignore facts to fit their story or the story that has been set for the day by news organization. That he has done nothing to deserve it has been the story of the day. Never take any of them at face value. We have no Walter Cronkites today.
I do not see this award as causing problems for him. Those who in the end, after we all have assimilated the idea, put him down for it will be the haters. He has had to deal with them long before he became president. During the campaign, we saw them lose credibility and not be able to harm him except among those who already embraced them. We.re seeing the beginnings of that now on health care reform.
Axelrod said a lot more than that tiny sentence. Of course he would first think they were trying to pull a joke on him--that bunch do a lot of that. Axelrod also said that we (the administration including the president) are not in this to try to win awards. We're here to get something done. That does not sound like embarrassment to me--just bringing the award down to earth. Surprise, yes, which is what the president said in his speech. He accepted it not in embarrassment, but in humility and with a seriousness of purpose to continue on his chosen path.
Axelrod did not mean joke in the way Limbaugh would. Axelrod's take would be playing a joke and by saying so and that it was not awarded. Rush would demean the whole award and would say that it has been a joke ever since it was awarded to Jimmy Carter and then to Al Gore. They are sore losers. It's a joke to them because it goes to people who do not support their positions on anything.
This was not a moment for a gala celebration and probably never will be. But not because of embarrassment, but because it represents the serious problems that afflict our world and this is a signal that the president must continue to vigorously engage to try to set things right.
I see no embarrassment whatsoever. Another time when Axelrod spoke out was when he was asked why they didn't play "Hail to the Chief" in the East Room when President Obama came in. Axelrod said that Obama is just not a pomp and circumstance type of a guy.
The one time I saw him embarrassed and even a bit flustered was in an interview with Michelle during which she was trying to tell how proud she was of him. He interrupted and she said she knew he didn't like her to praise him to which he replied, "It's kind of embarrassing." She had pulled her arm away and he grabbed it and pulled it back to him. He didn't want praise, but he also didn't want to put her down. It was cute, but I digress.
The president accepted in a subdued manner because he knows more thoroughly than any of us do (he gets daily briefings) what bad shape our world is really in. The Nobel Peace Prize is not an Emmy or Oscar. It's a great honor for him and for our country, but it entails a great deal of responsibility.
Think back to election night. His family was there and people were jubiliant, but the newly elected president was somewhat subdued like he realized the enormity of what was before him. same holds true here.
Sharon Nelson
Willow - I do not think you are a hater, nor do I think you should not give your differing viewpoints. I appreciate varying opinions. I also appreciate people who respect my varying opinion as well.
Sharon Nelson has summed up in both of her comments how I feel in general, especially regarding the bizarre idea that the President is "embarrassed" by winning this award. I'm not sure how many awards you've won in your life, but embarrassment is seldom the emotion one gets when an honor is given. Maybe embarrassment at the attention, but usually people who receive gifts - and this was a gift that the president did not seek out nor campaign for - they accept them with humility and gratitude. That is how the president accepted the Prize, humbly and graciously.
Further, in terms of the part of his speech that he didn't deserve the award, notice his exact word choice...he does not believe he deserves "to be in the company of so many of the transformative figures who've been honored by this prize, men and women who've inspired me and inspired the entire world through their courageous pursuit of peace". He never said that he does not feel like he deserves the award. He feels as though he does not deserve to be in the company of the many transformative figures who've received the award, like MLK, Desmond Tutu, Mother Teresa, and other big name icons. That is a reasonable statement...not too many people can compare to the lives of struggle those figures led. But that doesn't mean others who get the award, who don't rank up to their level of noteriety, fail to deserve a Nobel Peace Prize.
In the end, I can sense your sincere support and affection for the president. I feel as though you watch more tv and read more blogs than you should, as your views of the president and what he does or says seems to be formed with an eye on what the pundits are thinking or will think. That is fine, we should all be aware of what is being said out there. But we should not allow our own views of the president to be determined by the blogs and mainstream media.
You will see what the president does with this award. He will use it to continue his quest for peace and fairness. He needs as much in his arsenal as he can get. The Nobel Committee knows that, and this is their gift to him, to use when he needs a little more momentum.
IVA
When I heard the news that President Obama won The Nobel Peace Prize all I could say was WOWWWWWWW. I was happy, surprised, and proud..Congrats to Obama..I know this is only the beginning..the best is yet to come!
However, ALOT of people feel he doesn't deserve, saying he hasn't done anything yet, it's too early..that's true but like he said this NPP represents A Call to Action.
What do you guys think about it?