Opposing Viewpoints: Failure to deliver will be President’s ruin
3 min read
Politics can come off as a lot of whining that bugs college students; we can tell when they’re dancing around an issue with fancy words because we use them to fill our papers. Papers full of flowery vocabulary do poorly, and so do such politicians.
This explains what will occur during this November election, and if President Obama doesn’t adjust his strategy, then he may be next. As of right now, his political grade is a ‘C’, for he has said much, yet done too little of his own accord.
If you can remember all the way back to 2008, things were not all that different. Angry voters went to the polls to put in a different brand of politicians who would clean things up and set Washington back on track. Obama rode this wave masterfully rising from relative obscurity into the White House, where he seemed to be on the verge of a new era of political accomplishments.
Now, in November 2010, many of the same voters who elected Obama are now deserting his party because they see too much talk, and want more results.
To be fair, some of this is not Obama’s fault. He does not have a “fix the economy” button in the oval office, and the policies he supports require help from his party, and the private sector. Even when he does push his agenda, conservative democrats and Republicans will resist every single proposal.
That being said, Obama is the president and if anyone has the ability to set his ideas into motion, it is he. In his early months of office, Obama relied heavily on the Senate to form both the stimulus and health care bills. Due to the political backup, that will be the only legacy Obama has from his first two years, and now it gets harder for the beleaguered president, as the balance of power after midterm elections will not tip his way.
With more Republican opposition, especially if they can grab control of the House, Obama’s influence is likely to wane even more, making him even less relevant to his party. As the tide turns, his polarizing effect will become an even larger hindrance and unless Obama makes huge strides in reaching across the aisles, he will be even less productive in these next two years.
Despite all these apocalyptic predictions, it is still possible that this halfway point could be an excellent chance for Obama to turn over a new leaf. In the last few months, Obama has already taken on more leadership and held himself with more poise campaigning for candidates. Looking back historically, Clinton was far more successful after compromising with the Republican House in ’94, so history shows Obama’s task is not impossible.
Better yet, the Republicans who are in power, assuming they get elected, will eventually have to bargain with the president as well to assure they can pass bills for their constituents. This offers a chance for Obama to wipe out his poor bipartisan record, and if he wants to get re-elected, he’d better do it. His grand visions are great, but bold actions will be better. It’s now crunch time for Obama; time to put up or shut up.
