While there is a lot of
speculation about what President Obama’s second term will look like, it would
be easy to argue is going to look pretty much like his first. Obama will do
little about changing the United States drone policy or curbing the war on
terror despite its destructive outcomes (and what looks set to escalate in the
in light of the hostage tragedy in Algeria) or climate change as he can’t
discuss climate change Republican party, who have many members in congress and
among the rank and file who don’t believe it’s happening and think it’s a hoax.
Due to the tragedy at took
place in Newtown, will have a an ugly fight with NRA and the Republicans in
getting legislation through congress telling from the already ugly tone gun control
debate has taken already. The NRA, free
of shame, went after the children of the President citing the false discrepancy
between the protection his children get and opting not to put
armed guards at every at school across the country as if the President and indeed
his children are not the best targets for kidnapping or murder for any group
looking hurt the country.
It will be a draining but
necessary fight but Obama, if he gets something done, will have some political
capital to spend, and it is vital that he spends it trying to get to a jobs
bill through congress.
While his election served as
the first black swan against the maxim that presidents don’t get a second term
in a bad economy, the Obama campaign were really successful at destroying Mitt
Romney’s simple message of ‘are you better than you were four years ago’ by launching
a successful character assassination against it messenger by portraying him as
an aloof and cold-hearted plutocrat who could care less about the plights of
working people.
There was no real talk about
jobs as Obama has done very little about tackling America’s unemployment rate
and in the recent negotiations preceding the media and congress created ‘fiscal
cliff’, which would have saw the much despised bush era tax cuts expire, Obama
saw to it that the tax cut hated by most of his party are now permanent in
exchange for an small rise in the tax rate.
Obama will get somewhere in the
almost certain fight about immigration as Republicans have woken up to the
reality that the public is to the left on many of the social and cultural
issues that plague the country. He will
get a lot of movement in getting the Dream Act passed and getting currently
undocumented immigrants on a track leading to citizenship.
In sum, Obama Inauguration will be a joyous occasion as Americans will once again bears witness to an African American taking
the oath of office and also for all who love lofty speeches and the choreography
of American Politics in general. However
when the music and the celebrations dampen, there is a great chance of Obama
proving once and for all the trends of all politics is continuity, not change.
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