Obama’s Address: In Pursuit of Harmony and the Realization of an Ideology

“The challenges we face are bigger than party and bigger than politics.” After two years in office, American President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address was tinged with the strong sense of an impending crisis.

The ruling Democratic Party was brutally defeated in last fall’s midterm elections. They retained control of the Senate, but the Republican Party seized control of the House of Representatives. The new “divided congress” commenced at the beginning of the year.

In his speech, Obama acknowledged the gravity of the situation, saying, “New laws will only pass with support from Democrats and Republicans.” Political tension has reached depths previously unknown and, anticipating next year’s presidential election, the Republican Party will likely intensify its aggressive posture.

The unemployment rate is still near 10 percent and the record levels of government debt aren’t improving at all.

It is unacceptable for the American government to continue to spend all its time bickering. If America’s economy doesn’t improve, the international community will be unable to wrench itself from the aftermath of the Lehman Shock.

An opinion has been circulating that political tension and the resulting fissures in American society were an influence on the random shooting rampage in Arizona. Obama alluded to the incident in his speech, saying, “We are part of the American family.” He called for national unity and the cooperation of both political parties.

America must get past this political chaos and set up stable policies dealing with employment and public finance.

With the divided congress in mind, Obama has presented some new economic policies in an effort to move more toward the political center; these policies should be noted.

On top of the first cut to the corporate tax rate in 25 years, he presented the idea of a five-year spending freeze.

He emphasized that the rise of emerging powers like China and India illustrate that in order to increase employment, America needs to strengthen its own ability to compete internationally.

While Obama’s efforts to reverse the course of the Democratic Party’s agenda have caused his approval rating to rise, they have also produced dissent within his own party. Implementing his policies from now on will demand very delicate navigation.

The difficult political situation that America has fallen into will show just how strong the opposition is to Obama’s calls for “Change” in domestic diplomacy.

However, we don’t want Obama to forget his original ideology.

The majority of Obama’s address this year was devoted to internal politics, but also touched on the hope that North Korea will abandon its nuclear program, ideas on how to foster stability in Iraq and Afghanistan and an overall confirmation of his objectives thus far into his presidency.

In the area of nuclear disarmament, where Obama has been a central figure, issues are occurring over the ratification of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty and the reduction of tactical nuclear weapons.

The Republican Party has taken a conservative stance toward nuclear reduction, but we urge Obama to show strong leadership and work toward political harmony and the establishment of a “Nuclear-Free World.”