As the New Year begins and President Obama prepares for his State of the Union address, this is an appropriate moment to make some observations about his first twelve months in office.
1) The euphoria of the election and inauguration of the first African-American President has not been sustained. That level of energy and euphoria is inherently limited. Nevertheless, the brilliance of candidate Obama and the enthusiasm of his supporters were far from the performance of the President and his followers as well as the Democratic Party. Candidate Obama was far superior to President Obama.
2) The strategy of moving on many fronts – climate change, health care, finances, Middle East, Afghanistan and Pakistan – was difficult if not impossible to fulfil. The drawn out decision to send additional troops to Afghanistan seems a simple continuation of George Bush’s War on Terror, while the health reform bill in whatever form it passes will be an important step forward for millions of Americans, although less than many expected.
3) More credit should be given the Administration for stabilizing the economic crisis, but the high unemployment rate, long-term debt problems and greed of the financial community have taken the gloss away from a considerable success. While the President would like to focus on unemployment and fiscal responsibility in the second year, the security problem arising out of the Christmas bombing attempt might keep the attention of the Administration away from domestic considerations. Fierce Republican opposition in Congress has shown that the Administration has not been able to be inclusive. Continuing politicization could be fatal for future legislation.
4) The standing of the United States in the world has certainly improved post George Bush, but the decision to send troops to Afghanistan, the Chinese refusal to cooperate on climate change, and the lack of forceful leadership from President Obama domestically and internationally - such as in the Middle East - has seen the continued fragmentation of global authority and diminishing U.S. power. Obama may be the world’s biggest rock star, but he is far from the world’s leader, and we are far from the excitement of the Cairo speech.
President Obama gave himself a B+ rating for his overall performance in the first year. His popularity numbers are down, with progressives and conservatives alike expressing disappointment. Too much was promised, too much was expected. Barack Obama must accept that he represents and became the representative of a generation of hope. If he cannot live up to those expectations, if he doesn’t give himself a straight A, then he has only himself to blame. As many expected, he did not ace his first-year exam.
