Obama’s Change of Phrase Shows He Is Alone

With three years left in the White House, the oft-repeated rallying cry “yes we can” of yesteryear has become “yes I can” in what could be called an attempt at self-fulfillment.

Happening only once a year with a television audience numbering in the tens of millions, there is no better opportunity for speaking to the public than the State of the Union address, and U.S. President Barack Obama has given it his all. After five years at his post, Obama appears to be as well-liked as ever. His speech to Congress on the evening of Jan. 28 lasted 65 minutes, garnering applause approximately 80 times in that space.

The longest round of applause was not for the president, however, but for a wounded veteran of the war in Afghanistan present at the speech, who, in Obama’s words, showed that he “never gives up.”

But compared to the omnipresence of “yes we can” during the 2008 presidential campaign and that same slogan being repeated seven times in his 2009 inaugural speech, the topics and content, choice of words and tone in Obama’s speeches now betray no small amount of “giving up.”

The State of the Union Address is akin to a [Chinese Communist Party congress] “work report” in that it both reflects upon the past and looks forward to the future, a task that requires creativity, but often lacks in new ideas. Within the past year of legislation, the Democratic president has frequently run up against roadblocks presented by Republicans in Congress that have stymied his efforts. Administratively, a series of technical problems was identified within the website used to sign up for insurance under the Affordable Care Act, bogging the initiative down. And economically, while hoping to kick-start employment and accelerate growth, the authority and options available to the White House and the federal government have been limited, rendering the administration largely impotent.

Obama claims the coming year is a “year of action,” because “America does not stand still and neither will I.” However, the key examples listed were to raise the minimum wage and create conditions that will allow lower-income groups to enter the “middle class,” as well as improve early education.

The agenda is less than realistic, and largely lacked details and a timetable. The most concrete issue is that of the minimum wage. Obama has promised that he will soon sign an executive order mandating that the wages paid by federal contractors to their employees must exceed $10.10 per hour. This executive order from the president is limited in applicability, as it extends no restraints over other types of business owners. The reason that Obama is using executive orders to implement these measures instead of asking Congress to pass legislation is the “hostility” he faces from Republicans, especially those in the House of Representatives.

The speech in front of Congress was somewhat different than those of previous occasions, with no reproof coming from Obama regarding partisan bickering. The only warning he gave to his opponents was not to entertain false hopes of scrapping the Affordable Care Act. Health care reform has been Obama’s greatest achievement to date and perhaps will remain so for the entire eight years of his two presidential terms.

But the fact is that the troubles facing Obama are not all generated in the opposing camp. In 2014 there will be a midterm election for members of Congress, during which there will be Democrats who must go on the campaign trail once more in their bids for re-election. One might call it “wise” to maintain distance from the president.

While Obama appears strong, he has let slip some of his frustration, declaring that “wherever and whenever I can take steps without legislation to expand opportunity for more American families, that’s what I’m going to do.” With three years left in the White House, he is less impassioned and impetuous than five years ago, has suffered more setbacks, is becoming increasingly estranged from his party and the oft-repeated rallying cry “yes we can” of yesteryear has now become “yes I can” in what could be called an attempt at self-fulfillment.