Editorial
Endorsing an Obama Second Term
If Obama had not turned in such a lackadaisical performance at the first Presidential Debate against Mitt Romney this early October, the incumbent president would not be fighting for his political survival like he is today. The election is less than 10 days from today, and like the polls show, the Obama vs. Romney juxtaposition worked in the latter’s favor.
It does not matter that Romney changed many of his erstwhile positions. Also, although Obama did much better in the second and third matchups [following Vice President Joe Biden’s brutal takedown of Paul Ryan, Romney’s vice presidential pick], the meme had already been set ablaze. It seemed as though Mitt Romney was not that bad after all.
On the other hand, one can attest to Romney’s current fortunes as based on how efficient the Obama campaign had been in defining him worse than the nebulous moderate Republican he really was underneath all the pandering that had taken place during the Republican Primary Season. Romney did, indeed, take some extreme measures in a bid to win against more popular figures like Tim Pawlenty, Michelle Bachmann, Ron Paul, Newt Gingrich, Rick Perry, Jon Huntsman, Rick Santorum, and even businessman Herman Cain. He promised to obliterate the Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA. He also gave ‘self deportation’ as a plausible solution for America’s huge immigration problem. And then most of all, he, like he continues to do to this day, pledged to repeal Obamacare, the country’s most progressive healthcare reform since the founding of the Republic.
While America has been able to survive the bumbling presidencies of both Republicans like George W. Bush and Democrats like Jimmy Carter, there’s no doubt that a Romney presidency would turn back much of the progress that the U.S. has made in the past 4 years of Obama.
Countless reforms have been implemented and the economy is, undoubtedly on a mend. Although the number of unemployed Americans remains high, there are green shoots of progress everywhere. The housing sector – which led to the financial collapse four years ago – is doing so much better now.
Manufacturing and construction have started to see a return to normalcy. The U.S. car industry, that the Obama Administration provided seminal federal dollars, is roaring back with General Motors taking the mantle as the world’s largest car manufacturer back from Toyota.
But there have been other things Obama has achieved in spite of the recalcitrant Republicans in Congress and in other parts of the American Fabric. America’s first African American was able to bring America’s popularity back up from the depths that his predecessor had taken the world’s largest economy. It does not matter that there have been various flare ups in the Middle East and elsewhere. One just needs to look at the collective sigh of relief the world had on January 20, 2009. The Nobel Peace Prize is just one exhibit of the world’s disdain for Bush.
On the other hand, while the President has had many negative elements during his term of office – including failure to effectively negotiate with the Republicans, failing to close the infamous Guantanamo Bay and especially not dealing with environmental issues – one also needs to look at what his opponent has to offer. Most economists do not doubt that a Romney presidency will be a redo of the Bush presidency as his economic policy is based on Reagan’s ‘supply side economics’ and encased in Republican folklore that tax cuts for the rich will lead to employment and economic progress. Besides, there’s a chance that the one who wins the election on November 6, 2012 will benefit from the long term policies that have been put in place by Obama.
While they follow Adam Smith’s elements of capitalism, one cannot run a modern economy without adopting their inner Keynesian. There’s a role for government in the lives of all Americans, despite what the Republicans say. Even when they accuse the Democrats of breeding dependents on the government teat, the Republicans themselves benefit the most from the federal government.
Although federal spending is less than 25 percent of the economy, that small percentage has been able to make billionaires out of a smaller section of the American population. Obama’s most unpopular policy proposal speaks about rebalancing the equation by ‘redistributing’ the wealth from the wealthier – through progressive taxation – to the middle class and the poorer. For this, Obama is called a socialist and a ‘tax and spend’ liberal; one who is ruining the financial lives of America’s future even when over US$ 300 billion of his US$ 878 billion stimulus funds of 2009 went to offset tax cuts. Republicans aren’t ashamed to say that government does not create jobs and yet they blame the president for not creating enough jobs. They also say that the stimulus package did not create jobs yet many of their representatives in Congress asked for stimulus funds to try and create jobs in their districts and states. This is not just a quandary or oxymoron. It is either plain hypocrisy or the biggest canard.
Recent studies have showed that Obama’s liberal policies have worked just like they did in the past for Bill Clinton and the fiery 1990s. The U.S. Government has not only done what it is supposed to do by regulating and propping up those who need help. There is now plausible evidence that the stimulus package worked: The U.S. economy is growing while many of its competitors – China, Japan, the United Kingdom and the European Union are struggling for various reasons. And also, projections show that whoever wins the election on November 6, 2012 will benefit from the long term policies that have been put in place by Obama.
From Obama’s standpoint, why should Romney’s converse views and policies take advantage of the foundation he, Obama, put in place? And here, we could not agree more!
Many Americans have already made up their minds about who they will vote for next Tuesday. Again, in spite of what the polls say, this election will come down to a photo finish. Yes – Obama is favored to win but John McCain won the largest number of votes on Election Day 2008, and Obama was only able to become president because his supporters had voted earlier.
Thus far, about 20 million Americans have already cast their vote and Obama is in the lead. However, this is not why we endorse the President for a second term. It just seems as though we still have hope that somewhere, deep inside the Obama we see today, is that man we saw a few years ago. We saw his potential, we saw his endeavors, his trials and tribulations and still expect him to stop the oceans from rising and even give the people what they want. We cannot say the same for his opponent. Much as we may have tried to make the case for Mitt Romney, he is simply not to be trusted.
Dennis Matanda
Editor – editor@thehabarinetwork.com