Barack Obama after a Second Term
Published in La Nacion
(Chile) on 11 April 2011
by Raúl Sohr (link to original)
In the president of the United States' great challenge to achieve reelection in November 2012, he is being recognized, as was the case in his candidacy in 2008, as an innovator and not as the lesser of two evils.
Barack Obama still has the charisma that enchanted millions of Americans with his policies during the campaign of 2008.
Barack Obama, who enchanted millions of Americans with his politics, will now go for more. His great challenge to achieve re-election in November of 2012 is being recognized, as was the case in his candidacy in 2008, as one of innovation and not of the lesser of two evils.
Four years in the White House haven’t passed in vain. He received the country in the worst financial crisis since the 1930s. This resulted in high unemployment, which surpassed 10 percent, and a significant drop in the revenues of many sectors.
Thus the bulk of his efforts in the economic realm, the determinant factor in his electoral chances, aimed to restore confidence in his constituency. Today the picture improves with a sustained drop in unemployment and surveys indicate that Obama has reasonable chances to repeat his term.
To his credit, there is the approval of reform in the health care system that excluded almost fifty million citizens. Among his shortfalls is his inability to have achieved a new immigration policy. But Latino immigrants, to a certain point, are a captivating vote.
Everyone political understands that a week in politics is an eternity where many things can occur. Obama has experienced this first hand. On March 31 of last year he authorized new oil exploration in deep waters in the Gulf of Mexico. On April 20th, the oil rig Deepwater Horizon broke, causing the largest environmental disaster in the history of the country.
The same thing took place with nuclear energy: Shortly after facilitating fiscal guarantees to construct new nuclear electric plants, the disaster in Fukushima in Japan struck. His recent energy proposals have distanced from his original electoral promises that planned for less petroleum and a cold attitude toward atomic energy.
In his foreign policy, Obama achieved an important agreement with Russia to reduce nuclear arms. In fact he was able to “reset,” to use the expression of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, his relations with Moscow. He has also been able to comply with his goals to withdraw American troops from Iraq and Afghanistan.
Where he hasn’t had success is in the Middle East. His attempts to achieve progress in the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations have reached a dead point. And Washington’s posture with regard to the Arab Spring is a knot of contradictions. This is without considering the unusual demand for regime change in Libya.
Despite the fact that Obama has not satisfied many of the hopes that arose with his arrival to the White House, he still seems to be the best positioned candidate to continue residing in it.
Barack Obama still has the charisma that enchanted millions of Americans with his policies during the campaign of 2008.
Barack Obama, who enchanted millions of Americans with his politics, will now go for more. His great challenge to achieve re-election in November of 2012 is being recognized, as was the case in his candidacy in 2008, as one of innovation and not of the lesser of two evils.
Four years in the White House haven’t passed in vain. He received the country in the worst financial crisis since the 1930s. This resulted in high unemployment, which surpassed 10 percent, and a significant drop in the revenues of many sectors.
Thus the bulk of his efforts in the economic realm, the determinant factor in his electoral chances, aimed to restore confidence in his constituency. Today the picture improves with a sustained drop in unemployment and surveys indicate that Obama has reasonable chances to repeat his term.
To his credit, there is the approval of reform in the health care system that excluded almost fifty million citizens. Among his shortfalls is his inability to have achieved a new immigration policy. But Latino immigrants, to a certain point, are a captivating vote.
Everyone political understands that a week in politics is an eternity where many things can occur. Obama has experienced this first hand. On March 31 of last year he authorized new oil exploration in deep waters in the Gulf of Mexico. On April 20th, the oil rig Deepwater Horizon broke, causing the largest environmental disaster in the history of the country.
The same thing took place with nuclear energy: Shortly after facilitating fiscal guarantees to construct new nuclear electric plants, the disaster in Fukushima in Japan struck. His recent energy proposals have distanced from his original electoral promises that planned for less petroleum and a cold attitude toward atomic energy.
In his foreign policy, Obama achieved an important agreement with Russia to reduce nuclear arms. In fact he was able to “reset,” to use the expression of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, his relations with Moscow. He has also been able to comply with his goals to withdraw American troops from Iraq and Afghanistan.
Where he hasn’t had success is in the Middle East. His attempts to achieve progress in the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations have reached a dead point. And Washington’s posture with regard to the Arab Spring is a knot of contradictions. This is without considering the unusual demand for regime change in Libya.
Despite the fact that Obama has not satisfied many of the hopes that arose with his arrival to the White House, he still seems to be the best positioned candidate to continue residing in it.