Into the Mire

How does one go from being a visionary to an administrator? How does one create compromise without becoming too compromising? How does one avoid paralysis between Congress and the White House? Only this is clear right now: Barack Obama is going to plunge his hands into the political mire.

His unwanted election results — stinging, but not slanderous — have put him in a scenario similar to those that Reagan, Clinton and Bush have seen before him. But the comparison ends there, since the circumstances are different — in particular, when compared to the Clinton’s experience in 1994. Contrary to his Democrat predecessor, Obama is going to brave a Republican Party that has no uncontested leader and that has been overtaken by the extreme right (tea party). But above all, this reversal is taking place right in the middle of an economic and social crisis, with a return to power of Yankee values (individualist, defiance toward the state, etc.) that are rather unfavorable to fundamental reforms.

However, strength could come from this weakness. The urgency of the moment, in particular in the matter of employment, and American pragmatism could just as well clear the way for solutions that can be negotiated and shared. But there again, a few clashes can be expected between Obama and the Republicans, notably over how to reduce the country’s abysmal national debt. After only two years, the man is really forced to “change”: a change he is being subjected to more than making voluntarily. But this could also be the time to demonstrate his true presidential mettle by evading the new traps set before him. Already in the annals of history for being the United States’ first black president, Obama has an obligation not to rest at this accomplishment. If between now and 2012, he maintains his course and manages to counter the ascendancy of a Republican star, his own star may avoid the black hole that his more vengeful enemies are promising.