Whatever Obama’s ultimate legacy will be, the year 2013 will either go down as his worst ever or the year that marked the beginning of his slide to impotence. Just when the Republicans had all but committed suicide by their irreconcilable internecine battle and by unashamedly doing nothing other than saying that their job definition was to do nothing, the much vaunted Obamacare stuttered and spluttered to a false start. This was coupled with insurance companies dropping patients as a result of which the media made Obama look at best incompetent and at worst a liar.
The Republican leader of the House had said they should not be judged by the legislation they passed but rather by the amount they repealed. What he really meant is whether they could repeal Obamacare or not. The result of that objective is history and after playing chicken with the American economy the Republicans caved. That in itself should be the story of the year but rather the administrative blunders of the Obamacare website were chosen.
The upshot of all of this was Congress passed less legislation than ever before and it’s approval ratings fell to the lowest ever. All that still didn’t take the focus off Obama. The reason for the latter was that the media rather than focussing on the moribund, intellectually destitute and destructive Republican brand focussed on the supposed fall of the "Golden", or should Jay H. Ell say, "Brown", idol and his centerpiece legislation, Obamacare. Apparently that was much bigger news than the disintegration of one of the two political parties who control the destiny of America's future. There appears to a morbid fascination of the media in knocking the icons at the expense of real news, and like it or not Obama falls into the category of an icon. Or alternatively knocking icons sells more soap than informed inciteful commentary.
OBAMA
Obama’s poll numbers are at their lowest ever - close on 40%. The only good news, for Obama that is, is that the Republicans in Congress are about half of that. As a result of the Obamacare “disaster" the poll numbers for the midterm Congress elections reversed themselves and the Democrats are battling to maintain the stays quo.
Besides Obamacare there are several setbacks that the media and/or the Republicans have harped on. These include Obama's inability to close the Guantanamo Bay prison. - a promise from the first campaign. Then there was Snowden's NSA revelations that revealed the security lapses that exist in the system and the snooping on everyone and everybody. Again, at best, Obama was made to look totally out of the loop as to what was going on and, at worst, sanctioning a total breech of everyone privacy. This coupled with the Benghazi episode gave the impression of a President out of touch with his own administration, opined the pundits.
While not really his fault, nothing was happening on gun control, immigration and redistribution of wealth but this the pundits said added to the impression of him being a lame duck.
Then there were the foreign affairs "debacles". He drew a red line in the sand on chemical weapons for Syria and the critique was he let Syria off the hook and the carnage continues- this even though there are now no chemical weapons in Syria and that was what he drew a line in the sand about. Afghanistan is ending with more than a fizzle then a pop. Putin snubbed him on Snowden letting him know that America was not the power it was. If the Iranian nuclear talks should go wrong he is in for more criticism. The progress on an Israeli peace is slow and American opinion is so anti Iranian and pro Israeli he has little room to maneuver.
WHAT IT REALLY BOILS DOWN TO
It really boils to three issues that have put Obama in this "mess". One he has control over two he has not. As Lincoln said he realized that he was more controlled by events than he controlled them.
It is totally inexcusable that Obamacare was not greased and oiled to perfection. Not only was that his key issue, his Democratic Congress members had sacrificed their careers on the project. While Jay H Ell has blogged that the problems have been hyped up to nonsensical heights, (Blogs: For example; Obama a Lying Disgraced President - Why?, 11/21/13 and Obamacare: Politics, Hypocrisy Lies and Facts, 10/24/130), the administrative bungle in the framing of the law and the working of the program is and was ultimately Obama's responsibility. The attack on Obamacare is the only plank of the dismembered Republican Party and the only policy that they, the Republicans, are united on. The fact that Jay H. Ell still believes that Obamacare attacks will do the Republicans more harm than good is irrelevant, the Republicans should have been made to fight on their own policies and not on Obamacare “failures”.
Jay H. Ell doesn’t rate the other so called Obama blunders as being responsible for his poll numbers. Obama's international disengagement mood suits the electorate's mood. The latter are sick and tired of Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Syria and the like. They perceive that these military adventures cost much in blood and treasure and do not help American interests. On the contrary all "those" they “help” just kick them in the teeth. The Russian Putin cannot embarrass any American, even Obama. Any rate Obama put him in his place with the Winter Olympics.
Rightly or wrongly, the NSA Security issue is not such a big deal as, again, the electorate generally backs the government in doing what it has to do to prevent another 9/11. The same is felt about Guatanomo Bay - let them all rot there. So on issues that he has some control over it is Obamacare that is the nidus of the perception that he is incompetent.
There is, secondly, a general dissolutionment with politics and politicians as reflected by Congress having the lowest approval ratings ever. Two thirds of people interviewed in a CNN poll maintained that this was the worst Congress in living history. The politicians are generally regarded as self serving and not responsive to the electorate's needs but rather to those of special moneyed interests. Thus by voting you are not really influencing anything. To a large extent there is truth in their perceptions. Thus the percentage of those voting has generally showed a downward trend over the years. This general attitude towards politics naturally includes the Commander in Chief as well.
This climate creates a feeling of being "used" which perception has been aggravated by the fact that political advertising is now a non stop, 24/7 activity. Aided by the Supreme Court’s, 5-4 decision to literally allow no limits to the money being spent by Political Action Committees there isn’t enough television time to accommodate the endless flood. The fact that front and center, within 6 months of Obama’s re election, there is a debate as to who is to be the next President, with the formation of Political Action Committees, adverts, “campaigning” and endless media comment, reflects the intense battle for the future direction of America.
In addition, at the best of times, America is in a constant state of “electiontitis” with Congressional elections every two years. With all this money there is far greater focus on State legislature elections as well. So on a clear day you can vote for ever. Yet the system remains unchanged and fewer and fewer participate because nothing changes. As the late George Carlin said - they tell me to vote or I will get the government I deserve. But its the people that vote that give us the government "we deserve" and its really their fault not mine because I don't vote.
In addition, at the best of times, America is in a constant state of “electiontitis” with Congressional elections every two years. With all this money there is far greater focus on State legislature elections as well. So on a clear day you can vote for ever. Yet the system remains unchanged and fewer and fewer participate because nothing changes. As the late George Carlin said - they tell me to vote or I will get the government I deserve. But its the people that vote that give us the government "we deserve" and its really their fault not mine because I don't vote.
Thirdly, it was Obama who said he would change it all. He was a breath of fresh air. He was articulate, a visionary, he was charismatic, he was not one of the Washington insiders and had no baggage. He has subsequently learned that it is not so easy. As much as he wants to change the system, the system that he hoped to change won’t let him. And the media won't stop reminding him of his "failures" or "broken promises" as they call them while writing inane op - ed pieces about whether he will be able to "survive". Also Obama has spent endless time trying to be "bipartisan" to no avail. His compromises infuriated many of his base, who had eagerly voted for the first time, who now felt he was "selling out" and it was politics as usual.
WHAT NOW?
There are tremendous forces arraigned against Obama and what he stands for. If the military industrial complex was the power of the twentieth century the medical industrial complex is the power of the twenty first. The money is no longer in making wars it is in healthcare. If there is a rational efficient healthcare system it can compromise the forces that control one sixth of America’s spending. So massive sums of money will be spent to prove that because Obamacare is dead so is Obama and also so is health care reform and liberalism.
The media by constantly reporting and commenting to make the fight a “horse race” instead of spelling out as to what really is at stake is not doing the country a service. What happens now will dictate the direction the country will go. Can all that Republican money, voter suppression, district gerrymandering coupled with genuine voter disillusionment allow the Republicans to thwart progress and the need for distributive justice?
To date the Republicans have launched a successful propaganda war that Obamacare will take your health care away and or make it more expensive. As the numbers to Obamacare recruited increase and, in effect there are still 3 months to go, their story will get more and more ineffectual. Most importantly Obama is in with a chance because he has split the medical industrial forces by getting the doctors and insurance companies to back his unwieldy legislation.
As Jay H. Ell has blogged, Obamacare as a concept is not going to fail as it has already gone too far. Obama may yet find a place in history. The battle is on for the type of America that there will be in the twenty first century and Obamacare and Obama, for now, are the battlegrounds. And no-one more than the Republicans - both wings - realize that - they and their highly moneyed non elected leaders and their institutions.
The media by constantly reporting and commenting to make the fight a “horse race” instead of spelling out as to what really is at stake is not doing the country a service. What happens now will dictate the direction the country will go. Can all that Republican money, voter suppression, district gerrymandering coupled with genuine voter disillusionment allow the Republicans to thwart progress and the need for distributive justice?
To date the Republicans have launched a successful propaganda war that Obamacare will take your health care away and or make it more expensive. As the numbers to Obamacare recruited increase and, in effect there are still 3 months to go, their story will get more and more ineffectual. Most importantly Obama is in with a chance because he has split the medical industrial forces by getting the doctors and insurance companies to back his unwieldy legislation.
As Jay H. Ell has blogged, Obamacare as a concept is not going to fail as it has already gone too far. Obama may yet find a place in history. The battle is on for the type of America that there will be in the twenty first century and Obamacare and Obama, for now, are the battlegrounds. And no-one more than the Republicans - both wings - realize that - they and their highly moneyed non elected leaders and their institutions.
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