President Obama - Essay Example

? President Obama s Introduction: Every now and again, there are times when events redefine history and set precedents that generations follow. The idea of a black man leading the charge of the most powerful country in the world would have been ridiculed and ignored not so long ago; however the emergence of Barack Obama has transformed realities and created an incomparable precedent for the world to follow. The reality of his performance, however, has been subject to serious scrutiny. Barack Obama is the 44th president of the United States. Having a Kenyan father and spending some time in Indonesia, Obama is considered as a representative of the American Story of success (White House, 2011). He is also the winner of the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize. He made history in 2008 when he won the U.S. presidential election. But who is Barack Obama, the individual? Answering that question is much more difficult than it seems. Belonging to a family headed by a Kenyan father and his childhood spent in Jakarta definitely separates him from the long line of presidents hailing, almost exclusively, from the native land. More fruitful for understanding who he is and what he is about is the portrait of a highly ambitious politician with the self-assurance that stems from a stellar Ivy League record, a wife to match and early electoral successes. These are the traits that do not, as an understatement, represent the average African American. Hence his ‘African Americanism’ is not part of his core identity. He is analogous to any previous or forthcoming American president in all relevant ways. We must, however, agree to acknowledge this accomplishment and consider it a benchmark for years to come. Despite his African American reality, Obama was able to attract scores of people to support him before being the president elect, and even before being the first choice candidate for the democrats. The enormity of his achievement is summarized by the fact that not only is he the first African American president, he is also one of the few presidents to live up to his word post election. Michelle Obama has also been a source of inspiration for many Americans. Not only is she the first African American lady, she is also a philanthropist, activist and ardent supporter of her husband’s policies. Her contribution is not limited to the advice she gives to her husband on the administrative front, rather he unwavering support and love for the president acts as a source of peace and serenity. The president often quotes her to be as the source of love and calm in her life. She is not only fulfilling her duties as a first lady, she is also fulfilling her responsibilities as a mother, wife and patron of the family at the fullest. This is what any working man needs, and given the fact that her man is the most important man in the world, she is definitely not disappointing anyone in making life easy for him. Analyzing his reign: The first two years of Barack Obama’s reign saw the compilation of a substantial amount of policy accomplishment. The major changes and policy initiatives undertaken by his government include the economic stimulus ( meant to correct the mess created by years of non-regulation and poor foresight by previous policy makers), bringing a substantial recovery to the financial system, aiding two of the major auto makers of the United States, the universal healthcare program, the increasing initiative and reform for financial regulation and significant changes in the foreign policy, especially with respect to Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan. The foreign policy of Barack Obama’s office is often compared with that of the President Bush’s reign. The Bush doctrine saw a turn in US foreign policy, marked by full scale militarization and the unilateralism in achieving the objective of defending the US security and its vital interest, irrespective of other countries, and by establishing US hegemony in the world. Obama’s foreign policy strategy aims at reaffirming US leadership in a changing world where the US faces new challenges from emerging countries including Brazil, China, India and Russia. Thus the focus has shifted from ‘centralization’ of power to ‘revitalization’ of US power, amidst greater competition. The second major distinction between the two offices’ policies is the change in perception of the role of the USA on the international front. The growing economic and political interdependence of countries sees America more as an ‘indispensable leader’ rather than an ‘indispensable nation’. The focus of the US foreign policy is slowly shifting towards dialogue and consensus rather than military might. This is the reason why Obama has shown keen interest in slowly, but surely reducing the number of US troops in Afghanistan and Iraq. The formal end of the Iraq war was a major step towards shifting from solely military might to a greater focus on dialogue and economic dominance (BBC, 2011).The shift in policy was much needed, considering that the economic cost of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are starting to become unbearable. Furthermore, with greater competition from other giants, including India, China, Brazil and Russia, the US cannot afford to lose allies or make foes out of friends. Sustainable partnerships and a long run perspective was needed and Barack Obama is working to deliver just that. Obama’s time has seen several significant policy changes that have no precedents. Their impact is wide ranging, and controversial, however they all work to consolidate the shift in the foreign policy underlined above. The success of his foreign policy is also indicated by the increasing popularity and likeliness of the US. The 2010 ratings showed that 46% of the respondents believed that the US influence was positive (BBC World, 2010). Obama’s piece efforts were also appreciated and followed by leaders of several nations. A major accomplishment was met when 47 nations agreed to rise to Obama’s challenge at the US nuclear summit and agreed to four years of non-proliferation efforts. This was a major landmark considering that he was the sitting president of the United States. His peace efforts were also marked by the pledge of $400 million in aid to civilians of Gaza (Reuters, 2010). His incessant opposition of the Iran Nuclear program is also indicative of the state’s policy of achieving sustainable peace in the middle east. Not only did he work hard to achieve piece, he also dedicated immense effort and time to revitalize the sinking ship of the global economy.. At the 2009 G – 20 summit, Obama facilitated a $1.1 trillion deal to fight the global economic crisis (Telegraph, 2009). His reign saw the passing of The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 which saw a $789 Billion economic stimulus plan. Such a plan was the need of the day considering the ever decreasing demand and the sinking US economy. He signified his commitment towards leading American corporations, which served as assets to the US economy, by establishing a US auto recovery plan. His facilitative policies and consistent recovery initiatives created an environment that facilitated the American entrepreneur in every way. Startup activity was higher, at a time, than the great dot com boom. This was testament to the American way of stimulating the economy by creating jobs, rather than seeking them. A part from the above mentioned initiatives, several of his policy actions have set the first few steps in ensuring a full recovery of the American economic system and revitalization of the economy. Barack Obama has also focused on the future of the country by paying special attention to education initiatives. His office enacted the largest reform in student aid for 40 years, which was seen by him as one of the most significant investments in higher education since the GI Bill (Samuelson, 2010). His policy actions were not limited to higher education. He saw the expansion of Pell grants for low income students and is undertaking several similar initiatives that make education, and the life with it, affordable. The focus has also been on health care reforms to make sure that revenues and expenses are in line with each other and the state does not bear extra, unsustainable burden by providing medical relief that is not equally compensated for via taxes. The first major legislation done under Obama’s presidency, with respect to health, was the patient protection and affordable care act 2010. The emphasis was also on greater contribution by large employers to contribute to a national health plan. Severe penalties were proposed for organizations that did not follow the legislation. Health care services in the USA were often criticized for being cryptic. The real information, both financial and social, was either hidden, or given at convenience. Obama’s office made sure that accurate and objective information is provided to patients and doctors alike by establishing an independent health institute. The government also acted to increase regulation of drug manufacturers. This was done to ascertain the quality of drugs taken by the American people. His efforts in health care were not limited to that, he also oversaw a decrease in prescription drug costs for Medicare recipients by 50% (Congress, 2010). Obama’s housing policies have also been in line with the needs of the American people. During the initial days of his presidency, Obama unveiled $275 billion plan for housing and also started the program ‘Opening Doors’ that was aimed to prevent and end homelessness. Obama’s social security strategy was aimed at curtailing spiraling costs and formulating a sustainable solution that would consider the costs and benefits of each of the steps taken. To ensure that he established an independent commission to make recommendations on the slowing costs of Medicare. His government also oversaw the enactment of the Social Security Disability Applicant Access to Professional Representation Act of 2010. One of the major challenges of this administration has been to clean up the mess created by its predecessors. Obama’s first year in charge saw an 8 % Y-o-Y decline in federal deficit. The Wall Street reform was initiated, aimed to end bailouts via taxpayers’ money. The first quarter of 2010 saw the creation of more than half a million jobs during Obama’s reign. This trend has continued to gain momentum over time and the US economy’s unemployment rate has been slowly but surely moving down ever since Obama took charge. Manufacturing of the US economy grew by the most during this time than since 2004. Popularity Trends: Obama started 2009 with an approval rating of 65%. This was a figure that would always be hard to sustain, especially considering the tough decisions his government had to take regarding health, military and the economy. The first few months of his reign were the honeymoon period, wherein people afforded him time to change things around. Slowly but surely, public opinion fluctuated, not considering the fact that policy application takes time. January 2010 saw Obama at an overall approval rating of 48%. This was a huge drop, however, given the tough decisions he took, was a good state to be in. His ratings have fluctuated ever since, but he has been able to maintain it close to 50% throughout the time of his presidency. The latest Gallup daily statistics show him having an approval rating of 46% (Gallup, 2011). The way things have changed can be summarized by Obama’s time at the office from 2011 to 2012. Starting with ratings of 47%, Obama’s popularity was starting to plummet, given the slow nature of the economic recovery and increasing threats of economic downturn stemming from the European debt crisis. The ratings fell to as low as 43% by mid April, however the most important military operation conducted by the US military, and the subsequent killing of Osama Bin Laden at Abbotabad, Pakistan, saw Obama’s approval rise to 50%. This was a monumental jump considering that it was one event. The subsequent months saw a steady fall in approval ratings, on the back of the US debt ceiling fight. This was mitigated by Obama’s enthusiastic, and well approved job speech; however, the occupy Wall Street movement served to create antagonism against the regime, stopping any rise in approval ratings. Subsequent actions of the government, including payroll tax cut fight and the primary caucuses of Republicans and Primaries were partially responsible for recovering his ratings to 45%. Looking forward: Challenges Going forward, the major challenge the Obama administration faces is the full recovery and sustainability of Afghanistan. The mission in Iraq is done with successfully, Afghanistan, however continues to be a major problem, given its rebellious nature of people and constant support from neighbors Pakistan. It will be challenging for Obama to oversee the withdrawal of US troops, while ensuring a stable Afghanistan and an equally peaceful Pakistan. Obama also faces the challenge of overseeing the full recovery of the US economy. This is becoming increasingly difficult considering the ever increasing pressure on European governments and the imminent disaster that is the European debt crisis. Gaining support on several of the social security plans will also be challenging, considering that these proposals require sacrifices that the American people will need to make. The increasing competition from the Republican front will be an immense threat to Obama’s candidacy come the next elections. And given the fact that the euphoria of ‘change’ is very much over, Obama will have to back up his candidacy by concrete figures of performance from his first tenure and concrete proposals for change in his upcoming tenure. Only then will he be able to win the hearts, minds and votes of the American People. Bibliography BBC World, 2010. World warming to US under Obama, BBC poll suggests. [Online] Available at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/8626041.stm [Accessed 2012]. BBC, 2011. US flag ceremony ends Iraq operation. [Online] Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-16192105. Congress, 2010. H.R. 4872: Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010. [Online] Available at: http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h111-4872&tab=summary. Gallup, 2011. Gallup Daily: Obama Job Approval. [Online] Available at: http://www.gallup.com/poll/113980/gallup-daily-obama-job-approval.aspx. Reuters, 2010. Obama offers Abbas $400m in extra aid for Gaza in flotilla aftermath. [Online] Available at: http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/obama-offers-abbas-400m-in-extra-aid-for-gaza-in-flotilla-aftermath-1.295093. Samuelson, T.D., 2010. Student loan reform: What will it mean for students? [Online] Available at: http://www.csmonitor.com/Business/2010/0330/Student-loan-reform-What-will-it-mean-for-students. Telegraph, 2009. G20 summit: Gordon Brown unveils $1.1 trillion global recession fight-back. [Online] Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/g20-summit/5094824/G20-summit-Gordon-Brown-unveils-1.1trn-global-recession-fight-back.html. White House, 2011. President Barack Obama. [Online] Available at: http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/president-obama. Read More