Entering the Obama Years
"Hope." "Change." These were the two words that defined Barack Obama’s presidential campaign. But what exactly does that mean? Hope for what? And what kind of changes?
I think we can answer that first part. The vast majority of Americans, as well as people around the globe, are hoping that Barack Obama can undo the damage done by the George W. Bush administration: the war, fear, arrogance, and instability.
But the "change" is less specific. What does Barack Obama plan to do as president? How likely is he to get his proposals turned into reality? And what will be the impacts of those new policies on America and the world?
Some of the excitement surrounding Barack Obama’s victory reminds us of the euphoria that Americans felt over the election of Bill Clinton. And despite his liberal Democrat status, we saw him take many appalling actions that still echo today.
There, now that we've put a little concern into you, let's look at what an Obama administration might put into practice.
First of all, even if Obama is excellent on all the issues, he faces huge barriers and pressures. The United States is facing a serious economic recession, which has spilled over into the rest of the world. This global economic crisis may greatly limit what Obama can do
in office. In addition, US troops remain in Iraq and Afghanistan, nations torn by internal struggle, with no clear path to peace and no real plans to get the troops home. These situations must be solved, and the solutions will deeply impact what the US can do about every
other issue.
On some issues, Obama seems to have good ideas. He wants to get US troops out of Iraq, invest in environmentally-safe energy technologies, expand health care coverage to Americans who can’t afford it, cut taxes for most Americans while raising taxes on the very wealthiest,
fought against US torture, supports net neutrality, and has sensible policies on many other issues. However, he also wants to send more troops into Afghanistan, has openly talked about taking military action against Iran and Pakistan, wants to fund more coal-fueled power
plants, has a mixed record on government surveillance and individual privacy, supported the PATRIOT Act, and gives us other reasons for concern. He is also currently choosing a Cabinet that includes some members of the George W. Bush administration, and many from the Bill
Clinton administration.
Finally, we will also see renewed efforts by conservatives and corporations to oppose the Obama administration, and efforts by lobbyists to erode his stances and issues.
As always, the way that democracy should truly work is not to let politicians rule us, but to put our strength and hearts into making them do what we want and need them to do. So make sure that you are educated about the issues that matter to you, stay aware of what your
government is doing, speak up loudly and often, reach out to others, and let’s be ready to fight for what’s right.
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