This article published today in the New York Times discusses the Impact former President George W. Bush has had on the upcoming presidential election. In the article it is stated that in 2008 Obama inherited the war in Iraq and poor economy, just as any new president inherits what the former is to blame for. Do people cut Obama a lot of slack for the economy still being in bad shape because it wasn't his fault in the first place? Are people extra approving of Obama's foreign policy (that will be the topic of the debate tonight) because he was the one finally able to capture Osama bin Laden?
What are your thoughts on this article, and what would you like to see addressed in tonight's debate?
I don't think anyone from the Republican party cuts Obama 'any slack' regarding the economy. They blame him for lack of solutions, highlighting things like a 7.8% unemployment rate, when he promised initially to get it down to 5.4%. Democrats, and economists however, have probably given him more leeway concerning these issues. For instance, he's had to exercise tax policy, in the face of Bush's tax breaks for the rich throughout the duration of his Presidency. The massively costly war he directly inherited, is not good for the business of running a country either. Aside from the enormous economic impact the war(s) have had, they also purely divert a monumental amount of his attention from domestic concerns.
ReplyDeleteI think that around the world, Obama is a highly liked President, with solid foreign policy. Referencing that Wall Street Journal opinion column we read, in today's world we cannot have brute, 'American strength' dictate our interactions. Diplomacy is key to our increasingly globalized world. Obama projects that perfectly, so far as to having some people critiquingly call him 'apologetic'.
What I would most like to see addressed tonight, is HOW Romney's foreign policy will be different. He speaks in circles about projecting strength, and being tougher on countries like China (the world's next great superpower),Russia, and Libia. But HOW? What measures would he take?? At the moment, he has almost no credibility in international affairs. Massachusetts is hardly an international locality. He can talk about managing the Olympics...but really? And then there's his management of an Bane Capital, the firm he likes to simultaneously champion as a 'small business'. Are their global relationships really tantamount to how foreign policy is conducted as a whole, for our nation?? Projecting strength is one thing...for a business. But the policy motives and decisions for the world's most powerful country...are in an entirely different context.
This is definitely not an either/or situation when it comes to how people view president Obama. Yes, I would agree that there are some voters who would "cut him some slack" because of the state of the country when he received it from president Bush. However, I also agree with Andrew in the fact that there are people who do the exact opposite, and either disregard the notion that he took over at a hard time, or are just not well enough informed about the background of it all and expect more out of him. As far as his foreign policy is concerned, the capturing of Osama Bin Laden is definitely something that will be fresh in voters minds and may cause them to feel comfortable with Mr. Obama, however I also believe that votes will be able see the bigger picture and assess their decision on a larger scale, rather than simply voting for that reason alone.
ReplyDeleteI think there is not debate that Obama took over at a rough time and as Alex said, there will be people who let him off the hook a little but others who do the exact opposite. On one hand, we are finally looking like we are coming out of this recession we seemed to have been in forever which is great news. On the other hand though, he promised us 4 years ago to bring the economy back up and it is now just getting done and it is slowly recovering so people will get on him for that since his plan did not work as planned. His foreign policy will be looked highly upon for his capture and will help him out but in the grand scheme of things, this is only a couple of the topics people will be voting about in a couple weeks so hopefully this is not the only reason people may or may not vote for him.
ReplyDeleteI cannot imagine how Romney believes he can get tough on China where G.W.Bush couldn't. The discussion over Chinese influence on the global stage has been inflated during the election cycle, and in the last couple of weeks we have seen outright china bashing on both sides. This is not good for anyone involved. Romney will find as soon as he (possibly) enters the white house that the reality behind relations with China is something that cannot be easily prodded or changed.
ReplyDeleteI also have to disagree sharply with this article about the feelings of voters. It is wishful thinking to believe that the average American has a solid enough idea of how the economy works, and the time that it takes to improve, for them to cut Obama any slack. This is probably extra true of staunch conservatives. Andrew makes a good point about specifics. Both candidates could do a lot to restore my faith in American democracy tonight if they actually talk about real policy rather than just hype. My optimism is low though, because so far the debates have been pretty empty, and foreign policy is one of the more entrenched and clandestine aspects of government.
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ReplyDeleteAt some point President Bush has to be looked at as a scapegoat. Yes the policies he put in place have not left us in a good position, but you can not make excesses for this long no matter what party the president comes from. The President of the United States is the most powerful man in the world. If he wants something done, I believe there should be little stopping him from accomplishing something. No matter the red tape, he is put in office to bully and get the job done. Passing the buck just isn't good enough.
ReplyDeleteObama did come into office at an unfortunate time for our economy, but I do no think this can be used as an excuse for everything. To keep blaming Bush for the economy after he was out of office does not make sense to me. Yes, his policies did carry over and took a huge chunk of our debt, but Obama did contribute to the budget deficit as well. To be honest, I do not know who to blame, but I know that Obama is not innocent in the matter. I found this graphic of Bush vs. Obama on spending, found it pretty interesting.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/adding-to-the-deficit-bush-vs-obama/2012/01/31/gIQAQ0kFgQ_graphic.html