In a way, the Berlin Wall was a symbol of the division of Europe during the Cold War, but November 1989 made it a symbol of delusion. While the East German government decided to open it because they could no longer keep their population from leaving, many people in Europe, including academics, politicians and journalists were still convinced that East Germany was the shop window of the Eastern bloc, the one country that was working more or less decently. More generally, before 1989, not only did no one think that something like that was going to happen, but almost no one dared wish it. To think that Eastern Europe should be free from the Soviet influence was considered both dangerous and unserious. That was the mainstream view in the West. The end of the Berlin Wall and the realization that East and West Germans were totally in favor of reunification was a huge surprise for Western elites.
Obama’s absence is not only clumsy, in the sense that it might unintentionally offend the Germans, it also seems to show that part of the left still does not understand the significance of this event, even 20 years later.
4 responses so far
1 DFL // Oct 19, 2009 at 1:00 pm
The Fall of the Berlin Wall happened long before the Age of Obama so it isn’t important to Barack Obama. I am sure President Obama agrees with his dear wife Michelle when she claimed that Barack’s rise was the first time she was proud of her country. American history pre-Obama is distant, irrelevant and pointless.
2 Oneon1isto // Oct 19, 2009 at 2:16 pm
Are we going to complain every time he misses an Important Date? I thought he was too European for ya’ll, spent too much time carin’ about their celebrations? Too worldy, I thought he was. He’s our President, not theirs, he shouldn’t be trotting out to Europe everytime they have an Important Date.
Not to mention, you have no idea what his schedule is–an important meeting could coincide with that time.
This is the stupidest thing to whine about.
3 MI-GOPer // Oct 20, 2009 at 10:24 am
Ummm, Oneon1isto, I checked your president’s schedule for the day… right now he’s got a lunch with Michele at 11:30. He’s shooting hoops at 3PM with some CBO staffers. He’s cutting a new hip-hop song with some 3rd graders from Detroit at 6:30PM.
Going to Germany to mark the occasion of the greatest moment in modern history is hardly “trotting out to Europe”. Besides, with his falling approval ratings, Obama needs to be somewhere else other than seeing to the indoctrination of little school children.
4 Churl // Oct 22, 2009 at 4:50 pm
Besides, He’s already done Germany. Remember the adoring throngs around the “Chick on the Stick” stature in Berlin?
Besides that, this time He would not be the center of attention. The visit would not be all about Him.
Also, it might remind people of how small a figure He is compared to “tear down this wall” Reagan.
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