The second paragraph

Shklovsky said that the writer must be judged by the second sentence. The first one must understand, carries an official function. It enters the book into tradition, points to the genre, encourages the reader or lulls his vigilance. But the author is truly visible from the second paragraph, when he already opens his own, and not other people's cards. Therefore, the words "all happy families are similar to each other ..." - universal, although, frankly, the dubious maxim, but the next line - "everything was mixed in the Oblon house" - only Tolstoy could write.

Political style is similar to literary. In any case, the second hundred days of Obama, marked on Thursday by the entire American press, are noticeably different from the first. The honeymoon ended, and, having reached the next line, the president must be responsible for himself, and not for his predecessor. This means that the first hundred days, Obama saved the country from the disaster, and the latter paid for it.

The fact that he came out can and should be argued. What America does. Having received the second tablet, Obama found quite decent marks there, although they, as expected, are not as good as they were a hundred days ago. More than half of the respondents - 51 percent - believe that the president skillfully copes with the economy. But this is 10 percent less than three months ago.

The farther America moves away from the abyss, the more doubts whether it goes to that side. At the same time, objective indicators are on the side of Obama. The economy gradually comes to their senses or, as his critics say, rolls down at a lower speed. “Could be worse,” the White House is justified, and many hear it. Exchange indices are growing, buyers are returning to shops and even American cars find new owners, seduced, however, generous state subsidies. More than others encourages the real estate market, with the collapse of which it all started. Passed by the fall in prices, the Americans rushed to buy houses that they could not afford before. As a result, the sale increased by almost 17 percent. But for the Americans, the house is a materialized family capital, laying which children teach, buy a cottage, and spend old age. It is not surprising that the well -being of the Americans depends on the price of real estate. But only if they were not left without work.

Relative rather than absolute numbers are more about unemployment: it grows with less acceleration than before, but still stomping at a fatal line of 10 percent. The level of unemployment, expressed by two numbers is a symbol of the crisis that can shake the moderate optimism with which America is waiting for the end of the Great Recession. Will the country be able, given the record deficiency of 1.75 trillion dollars, pay for it? - The second painful question.

In the shadow of this mindset amount, Americans with nervous stress monitor Obama's plans. It is frightened by many that he is trying to do everything at once - to get the country out of the financial crisis, economic, energy, climatic - and immediately (politically the most risky) to radically reform the medical system. Some are afraid that this is too much, Obama believes that just right. A good poker player, he raises bets, believing in the final success. To achieve it, two hundred days - the term is too short, but already enough to understand who America is dealing with.