Author: Clark Scally
President Obama had a rough summer as he faced public discontent and disillusionment with his administration from both sides of the political spectrum. He is caught between two halves of the country, the Right, that attacks him with viciously clever bumper sticker slogans, and the Left, that believes they have not seen enough of the “hope and change” that they voted for in 2008.
The President is in dire straits and struggling to find his stride, but now is not the time to give up on him. The prevailing attitude seems to be that hope and change can just be given up on if they do not come immediately. President Obama needs to be given more time to fix the damaged country he inherited. It is up to the construction workers and college students that made history in 2008 to make history again.
Even the most ardent President Obama supporter will have trouble forgiving him for failing on several key issues. Most famously, the health care debacle tarnished the Obama administration’s image and gave the entire world the perception that the Democrats are weak and ineffectual when it comes to achieving their legislative goals. The failed nature of the health care initiative is made clear by the fact that the average American thinks “Obamacare” either accomplished very little or should be repealed immediately.
President Obama also disappointed his constituents on Sept. 3 of this year when he issued an executive order to the Environmental Protection Agency, which scrapped plans for regulating smog and holding corporations accountable for their pollution. Environmentalists across the nation were outraged because the President had previously championed the environment with legislation that increased funding and size of national parks and forests. This sudden change of heart with respect to emissions regulations shows that President Obama is now openly surrendering to the Republicans and big businesses on a key issue of his policy agenda.
The most stinging betrayal of all was on May 27, 2011, when President Obama signed a four year extension to the Patriot Act with an autopen (a digital version of President Obama’s signature). All of a sudden some of the most dehumanizing and tyrannical legislation in U.S. history was being passed in the most impersonal way possible.
The President did little to challenge the most controversial provisions of this legislation and it was ultimately another case of failing to deliver on campaign promises. As a former law professor, Obama would have been uniquely suited to address the most troubling aspects of the bill, yet he failed to do so.
Despite this,00 now is not the time to lose hope. Early in his term President Obama passed legislation that significantly expanded Pell grants, which help low-income students pay for college.
The Center for College Affordability& Productivity said, “In 2000, 35 percent of students at two-year institutions were receiving Pell Grant funding, but by 2009, this figure had almost doubled to 65.9 percent. Although not as extreme, similar trends can be seen at four-year institutions.” With college education becoming more expensive, exclusive and competitive, many Occidental students have President Obama to thank for boosting federal student aid programs.
President Obama’s other successes include the extension of benefits to same-sex partners of federal employees, the expansion of hate crime legislation that now includes sexual orientation, and cutting prescription drug costs for Medicare recipients by 50 percent. These accomplishments indicate that the President is not a complete failure and that he is on the right track. He deserves a second chance from the people that elected him in 2008.
If the American people can unite to elect the first African-American president, they can believe in re-electing that same man with the hope that he will try harder and continue to fight for civil rights.
Now more than ever, President Obama needs the help of his supporters. The triumphant coalition that elected him on that auspicious day in November 2008 must reaffirm their belief in him. Republicans have offered few if any productive alternatives to “Obamunism,” which voters should remember.
For the Right, everything he does is an evil socialist plot, yet for the Left, everything he does has become increasingly disappointing to his core constituency of liberal Democrats.
Despite President Obama’s failure to deliver on all of his campaign promises, he has brought forth tangible changes to improve the lives of Americans. As with all politicians, he cannot please every single constituent and must make compromises.
His supporters should not abandon him if they do not agree with some of the concessions he has made.
Clark Scally is an undeclared first-year. He can be reached at scally@oxy.edu
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