Advice to Obama

Barack Obama has many friends. All now rush towards him to lecture him or offer him good advice. The progress accomplished in two years? It’s real, these good souls say today, but it has been poorly explained. Who knows that the stimulus package, so reviled by Republicans, has helped save 3 million jobs? Who still questions the right of every American child to healthcare, as provided by the healthcare reform, obtained by the president’s determination?

Paired with these lessons of the past comes advice for the future. Switch teams at the White House. Do not hesitate to play the game of intrigue, letting opponents trap themselves with their own contradictions. Ride out the storm until the next election in 2012. And most importantly, restore contact with America by then. “Barack Obama must learn to manage his human relationships,” goes the latest joke in Washington. He must come back down to Earth from the stratosphere.

This good advice, a little late to arrive, forgets where the U.S. president stands today: only halfway through his term. Obama has been there, alone, defending both his own record and that of his Democratic cronies. A striking indication, which in fact constituted the largest Democratic campaign gathering, took place on Saturday in Washington and in the absence of any responsible party. It was hosted by Jon Stewart, a television comedian who spends his time making fun of the political system rather than to find ways to transcend it.

Without any intermediary to defend them against an excessive opposition, seduced by populisms, the policies advocated by Obama have not been embraced by the majority of the country. America remains committed to its individual liberties as the apple of its eye. Obama still has two years to convince America that he’s the man for the job, or to leave.