Three tests for the Obama Administration
A Politically Blonde Exclusive
Time to relax. The season finale of the longest and most breathtaking television series ever is officially over. No more pollsters. No more pundits’ predictions (although, unfortunately there still will be pundits). No more pesky campaign phone calls and finally, no more super annoying “get out the vote” status changes on Facebook.
Barack Obama will be the 44th President of the United States of America.
However exciting and historical the moment, reality remains that tremendous challenges and unprecedented difficulties lie ahead for the new President-Elect. Here are three things to watch for during the first few months of an Obama Administration:
Bi-Partisanship
While unifying statements like, “There’s not a liberal America and a conservative America, there’s the United States of America!” have long peppered his soaring speeches since 2004, Obama’s senatorial record suggests otherwise.
“He was clearly your classic liberal legislator,” said Associated Press reporter Chris Wills, who has covered Obama off and on since his days as a state senator in Springfield, Ill.
For the man whose reliably partisan voting record earned him the National Journal’s title of “Most Liberal Senator,” it will be essential to the success of his presidency to work with both Republicans and Democrats. According to political philosopher Dr. Jean Bethke Elshtain, whomever Sen. Obama appoints to his cabinet will be a good indication as to how he will govern.
“We will be able to tell pretty quickly,” said Elshtain, who is the Laura Spelman Rockefeller Professor of Social and Political Ethics at University of Chicago. “Appointing moderates, centrist Democrats and liberal Republicans will signal that he’s taking a more bi-partisan approach than he has before.”
Political strategists from both sides of the aisle say America is a center-right nation. For Obama, it will be important to keep that in mind.
How Obama Balances a Powerful and Partisan Congress
The only people who are less popular than President Bush are the collective members of the U.S. Congress. According to Gallup, their approval rating currently holds steady at a dismal 18 percent. Nancy Pelosi’s angry speech blaming Republicans for the financial crisis just before the bailout bill failed is an all-too-common example of how party interest often precedes the public interest on Capitol Hill. Most of America is hoping Obama can change the “blame game” environment and initiate a new tone in Washington.
Look to see whether Obama will provide balance. Although they fell short of the filibuster-proof Senate majority for which they were angling, Congressional Democrats gained 20 seats in the House and five in the Senate. This is the most powerful majority they’ve enjoyed in decades and it’s likely that big-spending legislation will begin barreling to the White House before you can say “Good-Bye Dubya.” To prevent America’s trillion dollars deficit from plummeting even further, Obama must find middle ground. Expect many of his expensive plans, notably healthcare and energy, to land on the waiting list.
“Real politics, on the ground, are about negotiations and compromise,” noted Elshtain. The Let-Down Effect
According to the Center for Media and Public Affairs, the evening newscasts over the past two months have reflected positively on Obama in 65 percent of cases, compared to just 31 percent on McCain. Couple that with Obama’s repeated promise to “change the world,” and it’s no small wonder expectations for his presidency are sky high. The problem with honeymoons is that they eventually end and America’s challenges will take time to address.
“The first thing a President says once he gets in office is, ‘Wow, it’s harder to get things done than I thought’,” said Elshtain. “Our political founders wanted leaders to think and re-think their decisions again.”
Great expectations can unfairly breed impatience for immediate results, and a disappointing Obama Administration could disenchant the millions who were originally introduced to politics by Obama.
“There is going to be a let-down,” noted Elshtain. “It’s just a question of when.”
The time has come for America to unite behind a new President. Let’s hope Obama does what he says he’ll do—not what he’s already done.
