Incumbent president Barack Obama. I am rooting for the guy even though this article doesn't avoid criticism. |
Does Obama follow a centrist line? Is he the Republicans' little bitch? Or a socialist crook, as Tea Party types claim? In spite of all 'election speech' I do believe in the good intentions of Obama. And when reflecting upon his realizations (or the lack thereof) we must always keep in mind that a president can only do so much. In making policy, Obama has been winged by a Republican-dominated Congress. As a result, the output of four years Obama is always the output of a four year game between all relevant actors.
THE PROGRESSIVE CANDIDATE
Whether the past legislature can be dubbed 'left' or 'right' depends on which policy branch is under consideration. One field in which Obama made a difference is the emancipation of the gay community. He repealed the DADT policy which barred homosexuals from the army. As a major influence on the public opinion he also openly approved of gay couples. I consider this a big step forward in what I consider to be a backward country regarding such issues. (If this judgement seems harsh, please consider that I live in Belgium. Same-sex marriage is totally legal here and even our PM is homosexual!). Sure, Republicans aren't all united on this issue. But I do believe that a Republican president would have made a difference, if only in his silence.
On a side note: Obama is black. Perhaps it is lame to see this as a positive quality, but I can't help thinking it makes a difference. It is something like a first female head of state: not necessarily an indication of real emancipation but a strong token of progress nonetheless.
Obama might well be the 'greenest' president the States ever have seen. A tendency his party can capitalize on, as a lot of moderate voters have environmental concerns too. |
The following might be striking, but with that I have covered Obama's biggest achievements. What about the social policy, you may ask? What about saving the economy? There is no denying that the president did a decent job governing in difficult circumstances. I am however not convinced that a Republican candidate would have made a significant difference. Of course this is counterfactual, and thus not solid. But allow me to make a case.
SOCIO-ECONOMIC CENTRIST
The economy got stimulated with a 800 billion plan in 2009. One third of this amount was however implemented as tax cuts. Cuts are less stimulating than outright public investment since people will have the incentive to save up for the hardship to come. Especially the left was not too happy with this design, but then again it were the Republicans in Congress that needed to be courted. Perhaps McCain (or another generic Republican candidate) would have added a bigger
portion of tax cuts. Perhaps the benefits would go to a higher income group than
the middle class Obama favoured. But these measures would only be less
effective in stimulating the real economy as a whole. And after all, there are
only so many ways to revive an economy in a limited scope of time.
With the
tax cuts mentioned, I would like to take the time to tackle one of the biggest myths created by
the American right. The tax burden didn’t massively increase under the Obama
administration. True, the president set out to revoke Bush’s tax cuts for the
rich. But this never came about. Too bad I say. And his more leftist supporters would surely agree, a failure. On the
other hand taxes were reduced for the middle classes, mainly with the stimulus
program. Neutral
economic institutes set the current U.S. tax rate at the lowest in decades!
The health care reform, often dubbed 'Obamacare', is subject to much debate. A look at recent history puts much of the consternation in perspective, though. |
If Obama is
a communist he knows damn well how to hide it. Sure, he nationalized the car
industry. But only for a while. And while Romney suggested to drop GM and
Chrysler, I heavily doubt any president would have the guts. It sure wouldn’t
do him any good in the polls. As for Wall Street, saving behemoth financial institutions with tax payer money can hardly be called called socialist either. For one there weren't any real options here. And second, the government asked nothing in return. No accountability, no caps on bonuses or management wages. The families who lost their homes due to malpractices outside their control could count on far less support...
A MIXED RECORD
A MIXED RECORD
Other hot
topics Obama-supporters bring up are migration and foreign policy. The DREAM act was a nice gesture. Most Republicans wouldn't dream of coming up with such a proposal. And indeed they complain it
will only encourage illegal immigration. This may be, but the Obama
administration is also responsible for doubling border patrols. Obama seeks to reduce the influx while dealing with the illegal community already present. Not too shabby, I must concur. The war in Iraq
ended. For Afghanistan the end is in sight. No real victory is achieved in my eyes, yet there is nothing
any president could do to help. Obama is however not the softy hawkish Republicans think him to be: under his administration more drone strikes were ordered. Also, Guantanamo remains in use and the Patriot Act still stands.
I conclude by pointing out that there is a growing
number of disillusioned voters since Clinton. People who care deeply for strong environmental
and social policies. They supported Obama before, and he needs them again now. I am not sure if he
deserves them though, since on crucial matters - economic and social - there has been no significant difference.