The Duck that Roared: Obama Proves He Is Anything but a ‘Lame Duck’
Published in Walla
(Israel) on 19 December 2014
by Uria Kanaf (link to original)
(Israel) on 19 December 2014
by Uria Kanaf (link to original)
Translated from
by Shani Morris.
Edited by Bora Mici.
After his loss in the congressional elections, Obama is more determined than ever to redeem his legacy. The renewed relations with Cuba could lead the way to further actions that could catch Republicans off guard.
Two days ago, at the same time that the White House was finalizing President Obama’s dramatic speech about Cuba, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was welcoming a special guest from America: politician Joni Ernst, also known as the “pig castrator.”
Ernst, the tea party woman from Iowa, led her election campaign using a video of herself boasting the slashing of pigs’ testicles on her farm. This strange campaign helped Ernst, who at the time was nationally anonymous, win the midterm election to the Senate.
The Republican “pig castrator,” who is yet to start her position as senator, received a great honor yesterday: standing next to the Israeli prime minister while he raged about the “hypocritical European countries that have learned nothing from the Holocaust.” On the other side of the world, the man who was nicknamed a “lame duck” made one of his biggest accomplishments in his six years as president, as he announced the renewal of relations between America and the Castro regime in Cuba.
In last month’s elections, the Democrats lost the majority in both houses of Congress. Many Republicans, as well as Israelis, were quick to celebrate the American president’s loss, claiming him to be a “false idol.” But rumors of his failure were premature: Not even a month has passed since the Democrats' loss in the elections – and it was a significant loss – and President Obama can already prove his critics wrong.
The biggest piece of evidence to the stirring Obama caused was found at the press conference, arranged urgently by the Republican Cuban-American senator, Marco Rubio. Rubio, already under stress, following former Gov. Jeb Bush’s announcement to run for president in the 2016 elections, launched straight at the cameras in response to Obama’s statement.
“The president acted absurdly when he surrendered to the regime,”* Rubio stated. He claims Obama is “not just naive, but willfully ignorant of the way the world truly works.” Rubio asserts, “I don’t care if the polls say that 99 percent of people believe we should normalize relations in Cuba.”
The development of this historic appeasement with Cuba, which is expected to cause a revolution in American relations, is just one of the significant achievements Obama can be proud of in the past few weeks. Only days after the congressional elections, he surprised everyone when he announced his support of a net neutrality policy, where access to free Internet is a right and telecommunications companies in America are not authorized to interfere with Internet traffic for financial reasons.
This is about war – nothing less – against the Republicans and capitalists, who claim that this is an act of Marxist nationalization. The Koch brothers, highly influential American billionaires, are currently running a campaign against the net neutrality policy.
Two days later, Obama surprised us again. Nine months of secret negotiations with China have led to a mutual agreement to fight the emission of poisonous gasses into the atmosphere. A week later, in spite of the absolute objection of the Republicans, Obama announced he will be granting citizenship to 5 million undocumented immigrants.
It appears that after the congressional elections and with no upcoming battles to contend in, Obama is more determined than ever to expand his legacy, even if it costs him the issuing of executive orders and harsh criticism from his Republican opponents. His decision to establish a diplomatic relationship with Cuba after 54 years is just one example to support this.
The next challenge, which is the most sought of Obama, is to finally close the Guantanamo Bay detention camp in Cuba, as he has promised to do time and time again. There is no better time to do this than the present — while the Senate’s torture report, which revealed the CIA’s actions toward the prisoners, is still fresh in our minds.
However, Obama’s most important task would be to reach a final nuclear agreement with Iran. His speech two days ago, which in an honest way described how the sanctions policy has failed, almost certainly echoed in Tehran. Of course, Washington’s relationship with Iran cannot be compared to the relationship with the Castro regime; and of course Republicans, who were caught off guard with the Cuban case, will do anything to thwart an agreement with Iran. But Obama’s proven courage and his success in areas where many before him have failed suggest that in foreign relations, the duck really does know how to roar.
*Editor's note: Correctly translated, this quote could not been verified.
Two days ago, at the same time that the White House was finalizing President Obama’s dramatic speech about Cuba, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was welcoming a special guest from America: politician Joni Ernst, also known as the “pig castrator.”
Ernst, the tea party woman from Iowa, led her election campaign using a video of herself boasting the slashing of pigs’ testicles on her farm. This strange campaign helped Ernst, who at the time was nationally anonymous, win the midterm election to the Senate.
The Republican “pig castrator,” who is yet to start her position as senator, received a great honor yesterday: standing next to the Israeli prime minister while he raged about the “hypocritical European countries that have learned nothing from the Holocaust.” On the other side of the world, the man who was nicknamed a “lame duck” made one of his biggest accomplishments in his six years as president, as he announced the renewal of relations between America and the Castro regime in Cuba.
In last month’s elections, the Democrats lost the majority in both houses of Congress. Many Republicans, as well as Israelis, were quick to celebrate the American president’s loss, claiming him to be a “false idol.” But rumors of his failure were premature: Not even a month has passed since the Democrats' loss in the elections – and it was a significant loss – and President Obama can already prove his critics wrong.
The biggest piece of evidence to the stirring Obama caused was found at the press conference, arranged urgently by the Republican Cuban-American senator, Marco Rubio. Rubio, already under stress, following former Gov. Jeb Bush’s announcement to run for president in the 2016 elections, launched straight at the cameras in response to Obama’s statement.
“The president acted absurdly when he surrendered to the regime,”* Rubio stated. He claims Obama is “not just naive, but willfully ignorant of the way the world truly works.” Rubio asserts, “I don’t care if the polls say that 99 percent of people believe we should normalize relations in Cuba.”
The development of this historic appeasement with Cuba, which is expected to cause a revolution in American relations, is just one of the significant achievements Obama can be proud of in the past few weeks. Only days after the congressional elections, he surprised everyone when he announced his support of a net neutrality policy, where access to free Internet is a right and telecommunications companies in America are not authorized to interfere with Internet traffic for financial reasons.
This is about war – nothing less – against the Republicans and capitalists, who claim that this is an act of Marxist nationalization. The Koch brothers, highly influential American billionaires, are currently running a campaign against the net neutrality policy.
Two days later, Obama surprised us again. Nine months of secret negotiations with China have led to a mutual agreement to fight the emission of poisonous gasses into the atmosphere. A week later, in spite of the absolute objection of the Republicans, Obama announced he will be granting citizenship to 5 million undocumented immigrants.
It appears that after the congressional elections and with no upcoming battles to contend in, Obama is more determined than ever to expand his legacy, even if it costs him the issuing of executive orders and harsh criticism from his Republican opponents. His decision to establish a diplomatic relationship with Cuba after 54 years is just one example to support this.
The next challenge, which is the most sought of Obama, is to finally close the Guantanamo Bay detention camp in Cuba, as he has promised to do time and time again. There is no better time to do this than the present — while the Senate’s torture report, which revealed the CIA’s actions toward the prisoners, is still fresh in our minds.
However, Obama’s most important task would be to reach a final nuclear agreement with Iran. His speech two days ago, which in an honest way described how the sanctions policy has failed, almost certainly echoed in Tehran. Of course, Washington’s relationship with Iran cannot be compared to the relationship with the Castro regime; and of course Republicans, who were caught off guard with the Cuban case, will do anything to thwart an agreement with Iran. But Obama’s proven courage and his success in areas where many before him have failed suggest that in foreign relations, the duck really does know how to roar.
*Editor's note: Correctly translated, this quote could not been verified.
As a citizen of the United States and a democratic Socialist, I do not think I am ” WILLFULLY IGNORANT of the way the world truly works “. I applaud President Obama’s fresh approach to Cuba. What scares me is how out of touch the now Republican Senate and the now Republican House are with the common people of America. Imagine Cuban-American Senator Marco Rubio saying he does not care what 99 percent of the American people think ? Just what is HIS concept of Democracy anyway ? When the majority opinion is always checked and frustrated ? Does our capitalist ruling class always know best ?
I am presently reading American socialist Irving Howe’s political biography ” A Margin of Hope “. From a New York Jewish background, author of the popular best seller ” The World of Our Fathers “, Howe never abandoned the socialist idealism of his youth.
The problem , as he saw it , was to keep socialism compatible with Western Civilization values of freedom and democracy.
Today in America there is a whole- not so fresh anymore- crop of right-wing intellectuals who idolize crackpot Ayn Rand and her ” Virtue of Selfishness “. Now this is atheism with an attitude !
Thank God for Pope Francis and the humane social philosophy of the Catholic Church. Francis played a key role in this ending of official hostility to socialist Cuba.
And I am sure he has only kindly feelings for the people of Israel.
( http://radicalrons.blogspot.com/ )