Natascha Drews

A comparison of John F. Kennedy and Barack Obama Natascha Drews

Seminar paper from the year 2013 in the subject English - Applied Geography, grade: noch nicht bekannt, , language: English, abstract: In 2008 a promise of hope and change, especially for Americans, but also for all others went around the world. "Yes, We Can" was a synonym for the "American Dream". It was first said by a candidate of the Democratic Party, who wanted to become the first African American president. But Obama was not the first politician, who wanted to follow the citizen's wish for improvement of an old system and more humanity. Fourty six years before, another man told all Americans, that "We Can Do Better". The meaning and choice of words is quite similar. Both talked about solidarity, a wind of change and equality of all people, because "We" means everybody without exceptions. But is it only the slogan, which shows similarities of both or do they have more in common than this? And why is research and knowledge about it necessary? In my opinion we should have a constant awareness and knowledge about failures and procedures in the past, also in foreign affairs, in view of their influence on our current and future situation. As the biggest economic and military power, the United States of America have had huge influence on Europe and the rest of the world. To understand and analyse America's policy, it is best to focus on its head of state, the president. So, I concentrated on the current democratic president Barack Obama by comparing him to the former democratic president John F. Kennedy. Often Barack Obama is called the black Kennedy, as a person on whom hopes are focused like on Kennedy in the past. To analyse more deeply, biographies made by their companions and contemporary journalists are needed. Internet platforms and blogs give also interesting insights and points of criticism, which are partly sabotaged by public authorities or by the Kennedy Clan. By enquiry on the current president a very low amount of information about his private life a