Obama wins the second round
8 Nov 2012 9:14 PM GMT
President Barack Obama’s success in the US presidential election does not come as a surprise though presidential candidate Romney has put up a reasonable fight. It has been difficult to defeat an incumbent US president in recent times with even George Bush (junior) having won a second term despite a disputed first election. Obama had not done badly in his first innings. He has taken some firm decisions though these have not been universally popular and his stand on healthcare, abortion and contraception, among other issues, has aroused the hostility of rightwing Americans. He has suceeded, despite their opposition, because of the good sense of some Americans and liberal politics in America. He has won this round, though Romney’s stand on some issues was not so different from his in this election. While the slogan of ‘we can’, coined during his first presidential run-up, has inspired many people around the globe, as the first black president of the United States, Obama stands as a beacon of inspiring light of the vision of those Americans and others who fought against slavery. While Obama has not had an easy time in office, with even his birth certificate being called into question, and, his liberal stance not being universally popular, the style of his presidency may have pleased some. However, his policies have, nonetheless, not been as progressive as they could have been. But this may not be his fault as he has not been able to make headway because of the contemporary politics of America.
There remain many more important issues to disentangle in his second term. With the economy in doldrums, Obama has not been able to pay as much attention to some important issues of contemporary US which can be dealt with only now. Among the most important of these is the dismantling of the department of Homeland Security as also the undoing of the draconian laws, which have introduced the worst excesses of MacCarthyism. These laws take away from the freedoms of Americans. Though the issue of terrorism may be far from settled, the elimination of Osama bin Laden allows many Americans to sleep peacefully at nights. So now these overly strict laws can go. Not all Americans realise that the excesssively centralised power structure now in the US, in the aftermath of the setting up of the nefarious department of homeland security, is a threat to American democracy, to the powers of its presidency, to its federalism and to the freedoms of its people. While the US president is democratically elected, the head of homeland security is appointed but can overshadow the President, especially in times of emergency. It is gargantuan and unwieldy and hardly accountable or transparent. This can make a travesty of American democracy in which the president is the locus of power. Even Indians know this department as even Shahrukh Khan faces its wrath. Can Obama make it better?
There remain many more important issues to disentangle in his second term. With the economy in doldrums, Obama has not been able to pay as much attention to some important issues of contemporary US which can be dealt with only now. Among the most important of these is the dismantling of the department of Homeland Security as also the undoing of the draconian laws, which have introduced the worst excesses of MacCarthyism. These laws take away from the freedoms of Americans. Though the issue of terrorism may be far from settled, the elimination of Osama bin Laden allows many Americans to sleep peacefully at nights. So now these overly strict laws can go. Not all Americans realise that the excesssively centralised power structure now in the US, in the aftermath of the setting up of the nefarious department of homeland security, is a threat to American democracy, to the powers of its presidency, to its federalism and to the freedoms of its people. While the US president is democratically elected, the head of homeland security is appointed but can overshadow the President, especially in times of emergency. It is gargantuan and unwieldy and hardly accountable or transparent. This can make a travesty of American democracy in which the president is the locus of power. Even Indians know this department as even Shahrukh Khan faces its wrath. Can Obama make it better?
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