Obama for a Second Term

Comparing the Democratic and Republican conventions it is possible to conclude that the U.S. will choose not only between two candidates, Barack Obama and Mitt Romney, but specifically between two projects that confront the economic crisis and boost economic growth.

One that looks to the future and whose foundations were laid out in the Obama presidency and one that clings to traditional Republican formulas that have led the United States to various economic crises, who believes the market fixes itself automatically and promotes deregulation in all fields, removes the government, demonizes any policy that protects the economy and leaves voracious financial advisors, speculators, banks, rating agencies and Wall Street to run rampant, protecting the privileges of the rich to those who benefit from tax cuts.

The Republicans have as a campaign slogan a question repeated a million times to the population: “Are you better now?” betting that most Americans will say NO and vote for the Romney-Ryan duo. Regarding that question, Bill Clinton was in charge of a speech that put everything in perspective and context, with future projections. In the first place, he recalled that in 2008 Obama inherited a country sinking into an unprecedented financial and economic crisis, losing jobs by the millions.

It was Obama who stopped the fall, or put a floor to the crisis, who took a few necessary measures, which, incidentally, Republicans opposed, such as the bailout for the auto industry — which has regained its strength — and placed minimum financial regulations on banks and Wall Street with the aim to not repeat the crisis experienced and to prevent future bank rescues that put the economy at risk.

So if the Democrats manage to locate the deceitful question of the Republicans in its context, a second presidency for Obama will be a reality in less than two months.

The Democratic and Republican conventions also showed the face of two different U.S. conglomerates. Obama and Romney understand and live the American demographic reality differently. At the Democratic convention there was a mix of races, genders and social classes representative of a United States that is real and transforming, while the Republican convention was dominated by white men.

Julian Castro, a Mexican, was the first Latino to deliver the keynote address at the convention for an American political party, the Democrats. Obama leads Romney among Hispanics, African-Americans, Asians, women and the multicultural population. States like Nevada, Colorado, Virginia and New Mexico, not to mention California, will be won by Obama as they were in 2008 thanks to the presence of Latino voters.

Because of the economy, demographics and its vicinity, it would be in Mexico’s best interest for Obama to have a second term.