Barrack Obama seems like a pretty competent guy, and if I were a US citizen, I would have voted for him. But now that his surreal inauguration is over, it’s time for a dose of reality. Much of the US populace have hung their hopes and dreams on this one man’s shoulders, but I can think of at least 10 reasons he’s doomed to fail.
1. We don’t even know what ‘success means.’
America is a society in decline. It’s not one thing, it’s everything. Obama is not just being asked to ‘fight terrorism’ or ‘fix the economy’ (as meaningless as those statements are, if you think about it). He’s being asked to halt and reverse the decline of American society: economically, morally and internationally. How the hell are we supposed to know when to hang the mission accomplished banner for this one?
2. There are too many big problems
Let’s count ‘em: 1, the economy, 2, war in Iraq, 3, war in afghanistan, 4, instability of the middle east (especially Israel), 5, corruption in washington, 6, illegal immigration, 7, ridiculous drug policy, 8, racism, 9, overcrowded prisons, 10, crumbling infrastructure, 11, persecution of minorities (gay is the new black), 12, unaffordable healthcare… I could go on.
3. Everyone is focused on the wrong problems
The problems I just listed are not actually the ‘real’ problems, where by ‘real’ I mean the underlying causes of the decline of the United States. Those are mere symptoms of the true problems: 1) The political system (democracy) is fundamentally broken, 2) the system of laws is fundamentally broken, 3) the education system is fundamentally broken, and 4) the economy is imaginary.
4. Obama is too conservative
Obama is not a liberal. He claims he’s a moderate, but in the US ‘moderate’ means you’re somewhere between the Conservative Party (Democrats) and the Facist Theocracy Party (Republicans). The conservative doctrine of corporatism and basing public policy on religion has fundamentally failed and must be rejected before real progress can ensue.
5. These problems can’t be solved by moderation (e.g. prosecuting war crimes)
Being a moderate, Obama does and will resist taking radical actions (e.g. voting for the FISA bill to give telecoms immunity for illegally spying on ALL american citizens). Unfortunately, halting the moral decline of the US requires demonstrating that no one is above the law. And that means prosecuting the telecoms for violation of privacy and the bush administration for the war crimes to which they’ve already CONFESSED.
6. The forces of stupidity have already aligned against him
The GOP is already trying to block and delay Obama’s nominations, including Hilary Clinton. Obama’s going to have the people he wants whether the Republicans like it or not. That’s what being in power means. They’re just being difficult for the sake of slowing him down.
7. People don’t forgive
The United States has been the largest purveyor of international terrorism for decades. (Don’t believe me? Read Chomsky). That’s pissed off a whole lot of people. They aren’t all going to just let it go.
8. Corporatism
Washington puts business first. This caused many of the current crises and this policy of trickle-down economics has to go before anything is going to get fixed. That means no more bailouts. But Obama isn’t going to abandon corporatism because he’ll get slaughtered in the media, most of the populace is too ignorant to understand that it’s necessary, and a whole lot of very powerful people will get very angry.
9. Obama either lacks convictions or courage
Obama has reversed his position on gay marriage and shied away from definitively stating that if the previous administration had committed war crimes, they would be tried. There are only two explanations for this: 1) he lacks convictions, or 2) he lacks the courage to stand by them.
10. Competition from other countries
The rest of the world (read ‘China, India and the European Union’) are not going to sit around and facilitate America’s return to imperialism (what Obama calls “world leadership”). Other countries are not going to give up their hard-earned power without a fight. They will not stand by and relinquish their power back to a US pseudodictatorship.
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The ignorance of American politics is astounding.
I forgive you Mr. Wolfe; because you are Canadian.
That was real constructive j.
Woe is he who criticizes the almighty Obama!
That was real defensive H.
Woe is he who challenges the ignorant.
Full rebuttal: http://jonathanmw.blogspot.com/2009/01/war-on-bullshit-is-bullshit.html
These are all valid points and we’ll see how things play out, but I will say this, he maybe already be halfway to accomplishing something very significant, restoring HOPE.
@j
So why didn’t you post that originally instead of saying: You’re from another country. You don’t know shit. How dare you badmouth the Greatest Country on Earth*? Even though all the Information on the Internet is available worldwide, nobody else could possibly understand anything about the United States unless they live there and hear it on Fox News and CNN.
That’s what your first comment was saying.
So why not post your “rebuttal” here? Oh wait, you just wanted an opportunity to pimp your blog on this one.
and it wasn’t even a FULL rebuttal. You left half of them out.
*”Greatest Country on Earth” is a registered trademark of the United States of America. Unauthorized use or criticism of this statement will result in ridicule, name-calling and prick-waving. If left unchecked, will result in the subsequent invasion and bombing of the country in question.
@Rick: False hope, perhaps.
@J,
In response to the rebuttal you linked to, first, you only rebutted half of the points. Any individual item above is sufficient to derail the Obama administration, so you have to rebut all of them to rebut my arguement. Still, counter-rebuttals follow:
1. Yes, the GOP lacks the political power to block nominations. That’s what makes it stupid to waste time trying. This is a sign of future time wasting and obstruction from the forces of stupidity.
2. Do you see many parallels between Japan and Iraq-Afghanistan-Pakistan? I don’t.
3. How is it irrelevant if your leader lacks convictions or courage?!?!? If Obama obstructs prosecutions of war crimes, illegal wiretapping and politicizing the DoJ, he sets a precedent that will be used by future administrations to further their big-brother agenda.
4. Part of what Obama is trying to do is restore american leadership in the world. He said so himself. You can’t take on a leadership position unless you are more powerful than everyone else, or others consent to your leadership. As power shifts from the US to US-hostile countries like China, US world leadership will become impossible.
Next time you’re going to accuse someone of political ignorance, you had better do a more thorough job.
@Rick, I grant that restoring hope is important; however, I dispute that this is anywhere near half the battle. You can restore hope by rhetoric alone, but rhetoric won’t feed your family or get you your home back.
@H, I think the only people who believe the US is the greatest country on earth are idiots and people who don’t travel.
@H – Yeah, perhaps:)
@Kavan – “@Rick, I grant that restoring hope is important; however, I dispute that this is anywhere near half the battle. ”
If you re-read my comment I think you’ll notice I never said that restoring hope is half the battle. I said “he maybe already be halfway to accomplishing something very significant, restoring HOPE.” Meaning, he hasn’t restored everyone’s hope.
“You can restore hope by rhetoric alone, but rhetoric won’t feed your family or get you your home back.”
I agree, sooner or later, you better be able/willing to walk the walk.
oops, just notice my typo, should read
“he maybe already halfway to accomplishing something very significant, restoring HOPE.”
@Rick – sorry, my mistake – I read your comment incorrectly.
Kavan,
The argument you make shows a lack of political efficacy and unfamiliarity with political processes. That’s all I’m saying. Your conclusions are fine (hence why I cherry picked your article) but your reasoning somewhat uninformed.
1) Incremental decision-making is the basis of most democratic governments–basically stuff happens slowly and in digestible bits. Obama’s policies are centrist at first but they establish a precedent and wedge them into our political discourse; thus legitimizing them. Yes, change won’t magically cure all like fans would like to believe. The short-term initiatives are part of a larger, long-term solution with numerous unpredictable externalities.
2) Chomsky sees those parallels; it is not hard to see–look at the broader policies. A dominant state making decisions for a smaller one…read up on Chomsky, keyword: hegemony.
3) Courage and conviction are campaign buzzwords not political tools. Don’t confuse your convictions with Obama’s and the meaning of courage changes. Again, It is a political strategy to abandon Kucinich-esque impeachment proceedings.
4) In international policy, leadership presupposes followers not necessarily subordinates. If America creates a model that other nations spontaneously follow (like Hong Kong) then we have become a world leader. America is the world leader in entertainment.
re: reason #5 . . .
today, Obama expanded the “rendition” program
1) The political system (democracy) is fundamentally broken, 2) the system of laws is fundamentally broken, 3) the education system is fundamentally broken, and 4) the economy is imaginary.
You really hit the nail on the head there. Congratulations.
Personally, I am making plans to leave the USA and live overseas, as many of my friends and family, who are very happy now, have already done.
When you’re on board a sinking ship, it’s best to get on the lifeboat and leave.
What I see, then, is a trap being set for white males such as myself. When a bird sees a trap being set, it flies away.
I would strongly advise other white males o do the same.
As for me, it’s bye, bye, America.
@j, It’s not unfamiliarity with the political process, it’s the rejection of the current political process as a result of equal parts circular reasoning and stupidity. Government doesn’t have to move slowly, or make decisions incrementally or compromise with idiocy. Many governments have taken stands and moved fast throughout history (see the history of WW2 for numerous examples).
Courage and convictions may be used as buzzwords, but they don’t have to be. When I say convictions, I mean simply the belief in right and wrong, and a desire to do what is right. When I say courage, I mean doing what is right even when it’s uncomfortable. I think (but don’t know) that Obama believes in Habeas Corpus and that no one is above the law, but I don’t think he has the courage to take a stand. Not everything is, or has to be, a political strategy. Some things you do just because they’re right.
Other countries once followed the US because of the threat of military action or economic sanctions. With the US economy in the shitter and the military stretched thin, kiss the followers goodbye.
@ddjango, you’re not serious! Where did you hear about this?
@Tom, thanks, but why only white males? What is it about the trap that makes it race/gender specific?
mostly a reaction to my experiences in the workplace, as well as a reaction to the recent “no white males” statement regarding who gets Team Obama’s stimulus money. ive experienced more than my fair share of discrimination as a white male, i promise… mostly regarding affirmative action programs and etc. i am not a fan of affirmative action, although it obviously is alive and well in the USA
Kavan,
Democracies make decisions slowly. It is the nature of the beast. Yes, Nazi Germany moved quickly once one-party rule was established.
Right and wrong are fuzzy concepts in politics. Perhaps this is an example of incremental conviction? http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123120462483255989.html
Military and economic superiority are irrelevant to being Obama’s (and other PoliSci buffs) “world leader.” Japan has neither, but they are a world leader in many things (if I’m not mistaken). No one follows Canada and they have a stable democracy and productive society.
It seems like something is missing, no?