Obama's dim, yet-to-be-seen future

Mariana García Santaella
Relaciones Internacionales - UDLAP



Ladies and gentlemen, do not? place your bets on Obama.

Up to these days Mr Barack Obama has not been everyone’s favourite man. Needless to say, his administration has not reached, by far, the expectations of his supporters from both within the United States and around the globe. Several of his initial campaign proposals, such as the Migration Reform of the Dream Act that would legalize hundreds of thousands of undocumented youth in the U.S. if entering college or the military, sank into oblivion or were buried under other, more urgent issues of national interest.


The Obama administration, like its predecessors, has had several worthy-of-recognition achievements. During its first year, the administration presented the automotive industry with its full support and even prevented it from falling into bankruptcy. Later on, a nuclear disarmament agreement was signed along with the Russian government in order to reduce both their arsenals by 30%. However, the Obama administration has also been criticised for their lack of action and attention towards the Guantanamo situation or the progressive Irak military occupation. This administration has also been tainted by its uncertain role in Osama Bin Laden’s and Moammar al-Qaddaffi’s deaths, in the name of combating terrorism.

Presently, however, the issue that most troubles the American society is that of national economy. During his final year in office, Mr Barack Obama is making a fervent defense of his efforts to fight back the economy’s weakness and revive it by creating more than 3 million jobs. The situation is certainly apalling: currently the unemployment rate goes by 8.5%. This fall is partly due to the bizarrely low growth rates in the labour force, as well as the indebted consumers, real estate issues with massive home sales and fiscal government austerity.

However worrying this situations are, studies reveal that there are slight though clearly visible indicators that point to a future recuperation. Nonetheless, whether or not these statistics will provide Mr Obama with a secure position for these elections, that is a whole different story. Raw data shall not be of great significance as much as the conventional American citizen’s sense of individual and common welfare, based on the immediate circumstances that develop around him or her. And despite of all the efforts of the current administration, the employment growth during the present government’s recovery process has been dreadfully frail and slow.

Taking into account that Mr Bush senior was re-elected, Mr Barack Obama might find it heartening and hopeful in some ways. Nevertheless, there is no doubt that time is presently his worst opponent. The president most centre and maintain all of his efforts in the inflation of the domestic economy at any cost. Should he fail to prevent it from blending or stagnating, he might as well bid adieu to his post for good.



References:
"The recovery and the election: That 2004 feeling", The Economist.