Published: January 26, 2009 10:54 am      

The Road Ahead

Opinion

President Obama comes into office facing a daunting task. With the economies of the United States and the world in the tank he, more than anyone else, will be the face of economic recovery or failure. No one is really sure what it will take to return the nation to profitability. Any move will be based on informed choices (some may say best guesses) that will be heavily dependent on timing, amount and application.

He has pledged to restore the standing of the United States in the world by shaping the country to be more cooperative with other nations in diminishing turmoil and addressing climate change. He will have to do this while keeping the nation safe from attack by extremists. In addition he will have to manage the drawdown of forces in Iraq and figure out how to extricate the nation from Afghanistan without leaving it open to reinfestation by the Taliban and Al Qaeda.

To a nation increasingly despondent about the ability of its citizens to take care of families he has promised 3.5 million to 4 million new jobs, many in federally funded programs to rebuild infrastructure and retrain workers for careers in new fields.

With our dependence on foreign energy sources at the forefront of a national security crisis he has espoused moving toward renewable energy sources such as wind and solar. In a more problematic but plausible manner he will support new nuclear sources.

Education is one of the many objects of his attention. He believes that the education system as we know it is broken and must be fixed to maintain the leadership of the United States in the growing pantheon of world economies.

Health care is something that should be available to all in his opinion. It is a task that will not be solved easily and its opponents are many, ranging from those philosophically opposed to government programs to the giant insurance companies and pharmaceuticals. These interests have proven formidable with their tentacles into the campaign coffers of both parties alike. The President will likely be content to move in small steps, first advancing health care to children then later to adults.

How to make native industry more attractive on the worldwide market will be a leading topic. His natural leaning toward supporting workers must be tempered with an awareness of what the costs are to the manufacturers. He may find that national health care will be useful in removing the burden of those costs from manufacturers which will make products less expensive in the international market. Regardless, it will be a tough sell.

Not the least of his tasks will be his relationship with Congress. While the President can suggest legislation he cannot propose it nor enact it. He has considerable executive powers but they are insufficient to the task ahead. He must walk the tightrope between competing political interests that have produced a poisonous atmosphere in the legislative branch. His presidency will rely on his ability to promote compromise between the parties and bring them together in unity for the benefit of the people. The other day John Boehner, the Minority Leader of the House, came out to the microphones with the phrase, "Oh-My-God." What he was referring to was his assertion that the Democratic Party was revamping and pushing forward many of the same old proposals under the guise of fiscal stimulus. The President will have to decide if that is so and what to do about it. One of his greatest challenges will be to reign in his own party, now in the majority, in order to promote cohesiveness to show the people that our various branches of government can work together for the good of the people. Right now the Democratic Party, flush with victory and a new majority, is eager to flex its muscle. In opposition, the Republican Party is trying to stake out a position to show how it is different and preferable to the Democratic Party. The job of the President will be to serve ALL the people and to achieve consensus.

Our state was not ambivalent in its choice for the presidency. President Obama was overwhelmingly rejected. Our senior senator is the Minority Leader of the loyal opposition in the Senate. Now, however, the welfare of our state will rise or fall on the ability of President Obama to be successful. We will not be satisfied with many things in the times to come. They will be harder than anything our generation has experienced before the turnaround comes. Even if successful, it will be many years before our nation comes back to the level of prosperity we experienced prior to the collapse even if it was build on a foundation of sand.

As in 1932 there is disagreement as to the proper course but the nation needs for President Obama to be successful. Presidents can be successful in the short term with the support of their own party. For long-term success he must have the support of the people. He deserves that chance and the patience for success.

That’s my take on the situation.