Obama Has Done A Lot But Accomplished Little

However, that was expected until now, as well as growing skepticism about his politics. However, the need for reform is not going to be let go.

Shortly after his inauguration, President Barack Obama made a request of Americans much like that Gerhard Schröder to Germans, “Measure me by my deeds! If at the end of my term unemployment is not down, then I do not deserve to be reelected.”

Obama is only half a year into his term, the first summer recess starts 8 August, and things are not looking good. He has done much but the desired results have not been achieved. Regardless of where one looks, nothing is running smoothly or as planned. The people are restless. Despite his previous popularity, his approval rating has fallen below 60 percent for the first time since his election.

Measure Me By My Deeds

Unemployment this summer should be near eight percent. Instead, it is nine and a half percent, and soon will probably be ten. Congress passed a US$787 billion economic stimulus package, but the money is only flowing in drops.

By this summer, Congress should have adopted Obama’s health care reforms. The miserable health insurance system is a burden for both people and companies; 46 million Americans do not have insurance and illness is the most common reason people fall into poverty. Regardless, the committees cannot reach a compromise. All of the suggestions are being scrutinized by politicians and the powerful health care industry. However, Obama’s ambitious time frame cannot be halted.

In addition, the president promised to lower the horrendous budget deficit while spending money on the stimulus program. The economy does not seem to be gaining momentum and tax revenues are not appearing. Soon, the talk will be of a second stimulus package and, therefore, more debt.

The budget director in Congress calculated that the planned health care reform will cost much more than anticipated, but Obama has already allotted US$600 billion. It was suggested that this plan would be financed by increased income taxes for the rich and radical cuts in health expenditures, but these ideas are not supported by a political majority. So where should the money for these necessary changes come from?

As if this were not enough, Obama just put a climate bill to vote in the House of Representatives. It was passed, but only by a razor-thin margin. Nevertheless, the content of the bill has fallen behind the simple necessity for such legislation given the expectations of ecologists and Europeans. Adversity looms in the Senate.

Above all, the coal states of West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Montana, and others want to thwart Obama’s eco-program. They fear the proposed emissions market will not only send electricity prices skyrocketing, thereby emptying the pockets of the public, but also that coal will become more expensive and therefore less cost efficient.

Those are only the domestic issues. Foreign policy is also moving ahead slowly, if at all. Obama’s speeches and offers of diplomacy have not made dictators in Tehran nor Pyongyang temper their actions. On the contrary, Iran and North Korea continue to fiddle with their nuclear weapons and test rockets capable of bearing warheads. In the Middle East, the Israelis are not about to stop building new settlements nor demolish already existing residential quarters, despite the fact that another land seizure will soon come.

Europeans are playing hard to get when it comes to taking in Guantanamo prisoners and sending more troops to Afghanistan. Since all countries are short on cash due to the economic crisis, the necessary money for humanitarian and reconstruction aid from Gaza to Kabul is not available.

One could say that Obama has done a lot but achieved little. However, that would not be fair. Most of the problems were unforeseeable. The simple fact that a younger, more sympathetic and proavtice president has occupied the White House since 20 January does not mean that people will immediately denounce their long-cultivated self-interests. Well-paid doctors, powerful private insurance agencies, republicans and democrats are all looking ahead to elections next November.

What goes for the health care sector also applies to banks, the auto industry, coal mines and schools. The list goes on forever, and foreign policy is not excluded. Whether friend or foe, in times of doubt, self-interest rules. This is of course only in principle, and not an indiscriminate rule. Obama must painfully learn that many at home and abroad applaud his efforts and wish him the best of luck, but that is often the extent of the solidarity. Major victims and guests stay away.

Despite the hardships, Obama has already set a lot in motion. After all, nothing can carry on as before, whether because the president or the ratios do not allow it. The need for reform is undisputed, and the eager for such reform cannot be disturbed. Overall unrest will continue and, in the end, America, as well as the world, will probably change more than people suspect.