A Major Setback for Obama

The results of the midterm elections in the United States were a severe blow for President Barack Obama. The elections are considered a type of referendum on the president’s leadership, and so the Democratic Party’s loss must be assumed as a profound inquiry into the government’s management. The Republican opposition took control of the Senate, and in the fight for the House of Representatives, it obtained one of its best results in almost 70 years.

Two out of every three voters affirmed that they voted in order to express their opposition to the president, who has been criticized for his failures on the international level, his attitude towards national politics, and the problems regarding his leading reform, Obamacare. For this reason, the president cannot ignore what has occurred and must seek to compromise with the opposition, an approach which should result in a change of course from the policies pursued until now, which have been characterized by strong fiscal spending and tax increases.

Some analysts have warned that a Democratic president and a Republican Congress could provoke a political stalemate in Washington; such a risk is real—in Congress, there have already been heated debates regarding the government’s spending limits—and it will be a challenge to avoid it. Such a picture would delay economic recovery and continue to weaken the lackluster role of the United States within the complex international scene.

Tuesday’s win puts the Republicans on strong footing for the 2016 presidential elections, considering that they managed to impose themselves on the Senatorial race in key states like Iowa and Colorado; they even managed to elect governors in traditionally Democratic territories like Massachusetts and Illinois. Winning the presidency, however, will depend on the responsibility with which they manage the advantage that they gained, considering the low approval rating given to Congress by public opinion.