Against Obama

The new U.S. Congress that emerged from last November’s legislative election has opened its sessions with a declaration from the Republicans about their resolve to torpedo Barack Obama’s management. The Republican party, especially its ultraconservative wing, the tea party, has entered the new Congress like an elephant in a china shop, determined to make the second half of the mandate a living hell for the president.

The Republicans have a majority in the House of Representatives, which presents an obstacle for Obama. Leaning on this majority, the Republicans have already announced that they will strive to repeal the president’s health care reform; that they do not want to impose limits on greenhouse gas emissions; and that they will do anything to cut the funds to the institutions that watch over financial markets. In other words, they want to reverse Obama’s reforms that he fought so hard for. And if that were not enough, they have also declared that in the first quarter they will open up six investigations in order to reveal the faults of the Obama administration, one of them being the publication of thousands of State Department documents through WikiLeaks.

This Republican determination is a new confirmation of the deep divisions inside American politics. The Republicans obviously have all the right to oppose the government. It is not only their right, but their obligation. However, the announcements about reversing what Obama has achieved in the first years of his presidency give cause for reflection.

In November, the Republicans took over the Democrats’ majority in the House of Representatives, and this has encouraged them. In order to reverse Obama’s reforms and unveil the mistakes of his administration however, the Republicans are lacking one very important ingredient: The Senate. In the High Chamber, the majority is democratic, even if only just. This means that the Republicans too will have to break a sweat to tackle Obama. They are, nonetheless, capable of complicating his political life. And in the end, that is what it is all about.

If the Republicans want to but can’t act, what are they planning? They aim to undermine Obama as a candidate in the 2012 re-election, meaning that with the new legislature, the Republicans have started the electoral campaign. This shot could backfire.