Obama: Toxic at Ballot Box

One of the president’s most characteristic traits is his distinct lack of drama when it comes to confronting crisis. The American press has even nicknamed him “no drama Obama.” This level-headedness, however, is bordering on disrespectful indifference, like the time he went to play golf minutes after denouncing the decapitation of journalist James Foley by Islamic State militants. But these are not good times for the White House, and this week Obama made a surprise decision, entirely clearing his schedule for two whole days in order to dedicate his energy exclusively to dealing with the Ebola crisis.

The country is shocked. Recent mistakes by healthcare authorities have given rise to the perception of incompetence, which the Republicans are trying to attribute to the government — not forgetting that the midterm elections are just around the corner. In less than three weeks’ time, a third of the seats in the U.S. Senate and all seats in the House of Representatives will be contested. If the surveys have predicted it correctly, the Democrats are set to lose control of the Senate, the only chamber left in their power. With a 60 percent chance of this being the case, Obama will be left with no legislative power for the remaining two years of his presidency. But, truth be told, nothing much will really change as the Republicans have blocked all of Obama’s initiatives in Congress since 2010.

Plebiscite

Obama will not be on the ballot this Nov. 4 but, as he himself has recognized, the elections will be in a large way a plebiscite on his leadership. “I’m not on the ballot this fall”, he said in a 60-minute interview, “But make no mistake: These policies are on the ballot, every single one of them.” His words created an uncomfortable atmosphere among many Democratic candidates, who are trying to distance themselves from the president’s policies. And they have good reason to do so: Only 27 percent of Americans think that the country is headed in the right direction, and Obama’s popularity rate is fluctuating around the 41 percent mark.

Bush was also faced with a similar percentage just before the 2006 midterm elections, and the voters’ verdict was overwhelming: The Republicans lost both the House and the Senate, as well as the majority of their governors. When his time’s not taken up dealing with the Islamic State, the situation in Ukraine or the Ebola epidemic, Obama has been trying to sell the success of his economic policies. Unemployment has fallen to just 5.9 percent of the active population, the lowest figure since 2009, and the deficit, previously a major cause for concern, has been halved to a commendable 3 percent.

But these figures do not tell the whole truth. Income has not increased, nor has household wealth recovered six years after the grave losses of the 2008 financial crisis. Inequality is rampant and job opportunities are only being generated from within the private sector. Unemployment rates may have seen a substantial reduction, but this can be attributed to the fact that millions of people have simply given up looking for work. The active population is at its lowest since 1978.

Proof of Obama’s Decreased Popularity

During this election period, Obama has become a toxic weapon to have in one’s arsenal. Very few Democrats have asked him to accompany them on the campaign trail, whereas Michelle Obama and the Clintons, on the other hand, continue to be seen as lucky charms. The most obvious example of this dates back two weeks to when Democrat Alison Grimes tried to unseat Mitch McConnell, the most experienced of all the Republicans in the U.S Senate. During the debate that ensued, Grimes was asked if she had voted for Obama, and on three occasions she failed to produce a response. “This election isn’t about the president. It’s about making sure we put Kentuckians back to work,” she finally said.

Not even the main party leaders, including some of his former colleagues, have shown him any mercy. Hillary Clinton mocked his foreign policies doctrine, claiming “’don’t do stupid stuff’ is not an organizing principle.” Leon Panetta depicted him as somewhat cowardly when he said Obama “avoids the battle, complains and misses opportunities.” And former President Jimmy Carter, attacked his policies in Syria: “We waited too long. We let the Islamic state build up its money, capability and strength and weapons while it was still in Syria.”

Ever since his first day as president, the Republicans have tried to ruin Obama, evoking scandal after scandal. They tried linking him to the Benghazi scandal, and then to the IRS harassment of tea party groups. It didn’t work, and now they’re targeting his supposed incompetence as head of state, referring to Obamacare, his disastrous health insurance website, the Secret Service security breach and the failure to attend rapidly to U.S. veterans, resulting in the resignation of those responsible. “The latest nightmare for Americans caused by the incompetence of the Obama Administration is its detached response to the Ebola crisis,” said Bobby Jindal this week.

Obama has still hardly begun his campaign, and instead has simply been organizing private fundraising events. He has 17 days left to defend himself, and to be something other than a just hindrance for the Democrats.