Difficult Moment for Obama

Published in La Tercera
(Chile) on 18 October 2014
by (link to originallink to original)
Translated from by Stephen Routledge. Edited by Nicholas Eckart.
In less than a month, the United States will be faced with the mid-term elections, which will take place on Nov. 4. It is then that it will elect the 435 members of the House of Representatives and one-third of the Senate, as well as some state governors. The elections are considered to be more of an evaluation of the serving president’s management than a true examination of the situation of Congress itself. Various forecasts anticipate a defeat for the Democratic Party, which would require President Obama to make major adjustments if it materializes.

The president is undergoing a difficult time in America. Not only is he facing his worst approval rating since arriving in the White House —40 percent — but what is more, almost 60 percent reject his handling of the economy. Added to this is criticism in recent days from former colleagues, especially over his handling of foreign policy, and the refusal of several of his party candidates to campaign alongside him. Therefore, the objective of the Democratic Party is limited today to not losing the majority in the Senate, as they have already discarded any possibility of regaining control of the House of Representatives, which is currently in the hands of Republicans.

Should these forecasts materialize, the president will have to take into account the discontent of citizens and advance a search for agreement with the opposition in order to not end up generating a paralysis between the two sides at a time when the U.S. is not only faced with a new conflict in the Middle East, but when some economic indicators have raised the alarm regarding the pace of recovery. Predictably, Obama will have to review his policy of strong government spending and higher taxes, things that have been opposed by Republicans.


ESTADOS UNIDOS se encuentra a menos de un mes de las llamadas elecciones de medio término, que se realizarán el próximo 4 de noviembre. Allí se elegirán los 435 miembros de la Cámara de Representantes y se renovará un tercio del Senado, además de parte de los gobernadores estatales. Los comicios son considerados más una evaluación a la gestión del mandatario de turno que un verdadero examen a la situación del propio Congreso. Diversos pronósticos anticipan una derrota para el Partido Demócrata, que, de concretarse, obligaría al Presidente Barack Obama a realizar ajustes profundos.

El mandatario atraviesa un complicado momento interno. No sólo está en su peor nivel de aprobación desde que llegó a la Casa Blanca -con un 40%-, sino que, además, casi el 60% rechaza su manejo de la economía. A ello se suman las críticas recibidas en los últimos días de parte de ex colaboradores, en especial sobre su manejo de la política exterior, y el rechazo de varios candidatos de su partido a hacer campaña con él. Por ello, el objetivo del Partido Demócrata se limita hoy a no perder la mayoría en el Senado, ya que descartan cualquier posibilidad de recuperar el control de la Cámara de Representantes, hoy en manos republicanas.

De concretarse los pronósticos, el mandatario deberá tomar en cuenta el descontento de la ciudadanía y avanzar en la búsqueda de acuerdos con la oposición, para no terminar generando una parálisis entre ambos poderes, en un momento en que EE.UU. no sólo enfrenta un nuevo conflicto en Medio Oriente, sino que, además, algunos indicadores económicos han encendido una luz de alerta sobre el ritmo de la recuperación. Previsiblemente, Obama deberá entrar a revisar su política de fuerte gasto fiscal y mayores impuestos, materias que han sido cuestionadas por los republicanos.
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