President Obama on Track

Every president has to learn the hard way that the Founding Fathers devised the Constitution not to make governing easy, but rather difficult. Compared to the obstacles (“checks and balances”), which in Washington limit the power of the president, the predictable majorities in a parliamentary system actually permit the prime minister to push through legislation much more easily.

Ernst Fraenkel, who after returning from exile in the United States was one of the founders of political science in Germany, was one of the first to point out that the most powerful parliament in the world does not reside on the Thames but rather on the Potomac in Washington.

For nearly 15 months Obama had to use every trick in the book to fight for his first great reform project, the overhaul of the health care system. A watered-down version was eventually passed. Now he has been able to fulfill a second campaign promise and push through reform of the financial system, this time without any significant concessions. Both laws expand the role of government.

In contrast to continental Europe, this always encounters resistance in America and not just among Republicans or more right-wing movements such as the tea party, which have always opposed “big government” but also among those who, for example, benefit from health care reform but still uphold the American dream of freedom from state interference. How this plays out in the voting booth will become apparent in the November election at the midpoint of Obama’s term in office.

On domestic policy, Obama seems to be on track. But there is still much gloom due to the high level of unemployment thanks to the weak economy as well as the huge budget deficits. In foreign policy, the president would be hard-pressed to point to any successes. In Afghanistan there has been a massive reinforcement of American troops, but no progress has been made in the pacification and stabilization of the country. In the Palestinian conflict, Washington vacillates ineffectually between two increasingly recalcitrant sides. With respect to the Iranian nuclear program, time is running out for America — and for the West. Now that Obama has a freer hand on the domestic front, he needs to invest more time and energy in foreign affairs.