Obama’s Administration: The Unseen, New American Model
Published in Chunichi Shimbun
(Japan) on 6 July 2010
by (link to original)
The eloquence of American President Barack Obama has been fading for quite some time. American voters refrained from midterm elections, and approval ratings remain low. While America is planning to drift away from neo-liberalism, the new administration model is not yet apparent. Now I will describe a vision of the future (for America).
A column published in Port Sulphur, LA, on Independence Day caught my eye. It expressed the sentiment of the American people who feared the impending onslaught of hurricanes.
The ongoing Gulf disaster has spread wider due to Katrina-level hurricanes and has led to irreparable damage in this region that is dependent upon the fishing industry. The article was by a popular columnist, who captured the worry and anger of the locals by evoking the name of a band that performed in local festivities: “Earth, Wind & Fire.” In the eyes of the majority of American citizens, this is the biggest concern.
Last year, there were two crises that came after the historical inauguration of the first black president of America: the once-every-hundred-years economic disaster, and the deadlock in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, which were said to have been inherited from the Bush administration.
Emergency economic measures that totaled around $800 billion had immediate effects and cleared the road for immediate economic stabilization. The Obama administration announced an exit strategy for the withdrawal of American troops from Iraq and Afghanistan. If the crises are assessed from the standpoint of the administration, the results are positive. Despite this, the approval rating from Americans remained split at 50-50.
This low approval rating is due to the deflated national image that was in place before the crises. Approval ratings continued to slump after the passage of the healthcare reform bill, which led to de facto universal health insurance. Is it not the tradition of the independent spirit, pervasive since the country’s birth, that is giving way and starting to resemble the Western European welfare state? It is no surprise that citizens are anxious about the future. The unemployment rate, peaking at close to 10 percent, also corresponds to Europe’s figure.
The split is noticeable even in the dialogue regarding Islam. The negative response to Turkey’s mediation in negotiations with Iran seems to reveal an inconsistency with the path to international cooperation. In Afghan policy, the only action seen was the noisy drama involving the dismissal of Gen. Stanley McCrystal over his criticism of leadership in Afghanistan.
Though sparked by the increasingly government-critical “Tea Party” activities, the Republican Party’s actions are still disorganized. Despite this, an administration supported by the mistakes of its opponents is dangerous.
At the beginning of the Obama administration, there was a rush to immediately apologize and amend. However, there are mistakes that cannot be undone. The citizens’ fears of the approaching hurricane season plainly testify to that.
A column published in Port Sulphur, LA, on Independence Day caught my eye. It expressed the sentiment of the American people who feared the impending onslaught of hurricanes.
The ongoing Gulf disaster has spread wider due to Katrina-level hurricanes and has led to irreparable damage in this region that is dependent upon the fishing industry. The article was by a popular columnist, who captured the worry and anger of the locals by evoking the name of a band that performed in local festivities: “Earth, Wind & Fire.” In the eyes of the majority of American citizens, this is the biggest concern.
Last year, there were two crises that came after the historical inauguration of the first black president of America: the once-every-hundred-years economic disaster, and the deadlock in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, which were said to have been inherited from the Bush administration.
Emergency economic measures that totaled around $800 billion had immediate effects and cleared the road for immediate economic stabilization. The Obama administration announced an exit strategy for the withdrawal of American troops from Iraq and Afghanistan. If the crises are assessed from the standpoint of the administration, the results are positive. Despite this, the approval rating from Americans remained split at 50-50.
This low approval rating is due to the deflated national image that was in place before the crises. Approval ratings continued to slump after the passage of the healthcare reform bill, which led to de facto universal health insurance. Is it not the tradition of the independent spirit, pervasive since the country’s birth, that is giving way and starting to resemble the Western European welfare state? It is no surprise that citizens are anxious about the future. The unemployment rate, peaking at close to 10 percent, also corresponds to Europe’s figure.
The split is noticeable even in the dialogue regarding Islam. The negative response to Turkey’s mediation in negotiations with Iran seems to reveal an inconsistency with the path to international cooperation. In Afghan policy, the only action seen was the noisy drama involving the dismissal of Gen. Stanley McCrystal over his criticism of leadership in Afghanistan.
Though sparked by the increasingly government-critical “Tea Party” activities, the Republican Party’s actions are still disorganized. Despite this, an administration supported by the mistakes of its opponents is dangerous.
At the beginning of the Obama administration, there was a rush to immediately apologize and amend. However, there are mistakes that cannot be undone. The citizens’ fears of the approaching hurricane season plainly testify to that.