Edited by Bridgette Blight and Robin Koerner
Only God Can Fix America; Obama is Not God
The 2008 American presidential elections have come to a close. Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, hoping to win, spent the most money in U.S. history and had the longest presidential campaign in history. Will Obama, who carries the expectations of American voters, be able to lead America out of its current predicament? The director of the Research Center of American Affairs at Renmin University of China, Professor Shi Yin Hong said, "Only God can fix 'the American predicament,' but Obama is not God."
Amidst a once-in-a-century financial crisis, the American people have great expectations for the new president. Shi Yin Hong comments on this.
�They can�t fantasize that a person who takes office can simply solve America�s problems," Hong said. "I think most people still have a half-believing, half-doubting attitude. But this is how people choose. Both people cannot solve the problems, but, of the two people, one could be better, or, not as bad. Obama probably won because of the support of a lot of moderate voters.�
Shi states, �A year ago, for hard-line Democratic voters, including influential groups in the Democratic Party, the premise was that America�s situation was really bad, the diplomatic situation was really bad, and the domestic situation was also not too good. America needed change, and change needed a �second Kennedy��a person with a lot of drive and a lot of resolution�and then the problems could be solved. In reality, Obama has already been considered a �second Kennedy� by influential groups in the Democratic Party for more than a year, so there is a lot of myth involved. I am not saying that Obama will not have effective methods, and will not produce the change that is needed to benefit the American nation and the American people, but I think America is now facing a structural predicament. I am afraid that only God has the solution, and Obama is not God.�
During the campaign, Obama played the �change� card to attract voters. To this, Shi Yin Hong says that the mood of American voters was controlled by feelings of fear. Bush had been in office for eight years and the Republican Party has always sided more with the wealthy. There was no strict financial oversight of Wall Street, and at the same time, no one knew how much money had been thrown into the Iraq war, and then there was Bush�s personal style, and so on. All of these reasons caused more and more voters to feel that Obama was right�they needed change. So in raising the �change� slogan, Obama could really attract voters.
However, Shi Yin Hong commented that Obama�s change is only superficial change. He stated, �Obama only raises the banner of change because of the American people�s serious dissatisfaction with the present state of affairs and the urgent need for change, but he has never discussed systematic, concrete measures. I cannot say he�s speaking empty words, but there are some empty words in what he says. There are some very experienced people in the Obama camp, but this thing requires all of America�s experience. Everyone really wants to change the current state of affairs and everyone wants to avoid an even worse fate, and so everyone has very high hopes. When hopes are high, all people consider is who wants change, will he be different from the incumbent Republican Party, is he young, and is he a good speaker? So there are a lot of empty ingredients here. For several months�almost a year�Obama has continuously appealed for change. But from our perspective, his change is still superficial.�
Amidst a once-in-a-century financial crisis, the American people have great expectations for the new president. Shi Yin Hong comments on this.
�They can�t fantasize that a person who takes office can simply solve America�s problems," Hong said. "I think most people still have a half-believing, half-doubting attitude. But this is how people choose. Both people cannot solve the problems, but, of the two people, one could be better, or, not as bad. Obama probably won because of the support of a lot of moderate voters.�
Shi states, �A year ago, for hard-line Democratic voters, including influential groups in the Democratic Party, the premise was that America�s situation was really bad, the diplomatic situation was really bad, and the domestic situation was also not too good. America needed change, and change needed a �second Kennedy��a person with a lot of drive and a lot of resolution�and then the problems could be solved. In reality, Obama has already been considered a �second Kennedy� by influential groups in the Democratic Party for more than a year, so there is a lot of myth involved. I am not saying that Obama will not have effective methods, and will not produce the change that is needed to benefit the American nation and the American people, but I think America is now facing a structural predicament. I am afraid that only God has the solution, and Obama is not God.�
During the campaign, Obama played the �change� card to attract voters. To this, Shi Yin Hong says that the mood of American voters was controlled by feelings of fear. Bush had been in office for eight years and the Republican Party has always sided more with the wealthy. There was no strict financial oversight of Wall Street, and at the same time, no one knew how much money had been thrown into the Iraq war, and then there was Bush�s personal style, and so on. All of these reasons caused more and more voters to feel that Obama was right�they needed change. So in raising the �change� slogan, Obama could really attract voters.
However, Shi Yin Hong commented that Obama�s change is only superficial change. He stated, �Obama only raises the banner of change because of the American people�s serious dissatisfaction with the present state of affairs and the urgent need for change, but he has never discussed systematic, concrete measures. I cannot say he�s speaking empty words, but there are some empty words in what he says. There are some very experienced people in the Obama camp, but this thing requires all of America�s experience. Everyone really wants to change the current state of affairs and everyone wants to avoid an even worse fate, and so everyone has very high hopes. When hopes are high, all people consider is who wants change, will he be different from the incumbent Republican Party, is he young, and is he a good speaker? So there are a lot of empty ingredients here. For several months�almost a year�Obama has continuously appealed for change. But from our perspective, his change is still superficial.�