Given the usual calm and composed nature of President Obama, one would think, he would not create a situation to go into a battle of wits with his soon to be replacement, Donald Trump. He did exactly that. Donald Trump had a field day when Obama, day after Christmas, said that he believes with his campaign message of "hope and change" that he ran on 2008, he could have "mobilized majority" of the American population if he had been able to run again for a third term had the Constitution allowed it. Obama knew full well that Trump will take any opportunity to degrade his presidency and cast doubt on his legacy.
Obama made those comments when he spoke with his former senior advisor, David Axelrod, on Axelrod's podcast, "The Axe Files." During the conversation, "Obama reflected on his 2004 keynote address at the Democratic National Convention, which put the then-state senator and US Senate hopeful on the map." The speech carried a message of "one American community in which we have different stories, but we have shared aspirations, values," Axelrod recalled. It appears that Barack Obama still thinks that with his "exceptionalism" and his grand ideas, he alone is best suited to represent America. At this point, it is nothing but wishful thinking on his part and sounds a bit childish.
Obama is leaving his presidency in the least hopeful moment in American politics with Donald J Trump as our next president.
In 2008, Obama was elected on the promise of "hope and change." But sadly, his record shows a huge gap between his grandiose promises and less than stellar performance while in office. We have seen that in setting an agenda for the country, his vision for the future and his skills didn't always go hand in hand. Many in the country, especially those in the rust belt who were suffering the loss of manufacturing jobs, saw him as an ineffective president in choosing the proper methods to meet the challenges (social and the sinking economic issues) that were in front of him. Perhaps it is not fair to criticize Obama for all the things he couldn't deliver. For the past eight years, the Republicans have blocked many of his attempts to run the government effectively. Yet, at the same time the burden of failure falls on him, not the Republicans. After all is said and done, Obama will be judged on his eight years in office.
During the final months of his presidency, Obama has watched the worst of American politics play out in the presidential race to replace him. In his final weeks, showing us a side that is uncharacteristic of him can be considered too little too late. For example, during the recent vote in the United Nations against Israel building settlements on land claimed by the Palestinians, USA took a different stance than usual and abstained. Therefore, the UN Security Council was able to adopt a resolution that condemned settlement in occupied territories. America has always used its veto power in support of Israel. A lot of Israel's allies all along have said in no uncertain terms that they are against Israel building settlements. If Obama personally had felt against the settlement then he should have made sure that the USA either abstained or voted against. Instead, he followed through the acts of his predecessors when it came to Israel. He was consistent in letting US veto anything regarding Israel that came before the UN for a final vote. This last-minute attitude change in dealing with Israel seems hasty and is deemed a delayed retaliation against the Israeli PM Netanyahu for all the frustrating and offensive things he had hurled at Obama.
Furthermore, knowing full well that Donald Trump will respond in gusto about his third-term wish, Obama went on to declare such a contentious statement anyway. Didn't he have full eight years to accomplish all the things that his campaign ran on in 2008 and 2012? One has to wonder, is Obama admitting what his critics have said the whole time that his was a "failed presidency?"
In the aftermath of a historic election, shouldn't Obama take some blame for Hillary losing because African-Americans, Latinos and young voters failed to show up at the polls in large numbers? The voters were fed up with his policies and decided they couldn't trust another Democrat in the White House. They couldn't trust the Washington elites solving unemployment, lack of opportunity and personal growth. They wanted much needed change to come their way. In that sense, Obama failed to reach out to all Americans with his promises of "Yes, we can." Otherwise, why would a record number of working class white voters of Florida, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan and Wisconsin vote for Donald Trump and not Hillary Clinton? Surely, there was no lack of trying on Obama's part to see that Hillary wins.
Instead of wishing to defeat Trump in an imaginary game (third-term), he had ample occasions to connect with the voters on Hillary Clinton's behalf. Both he and First Lady Michelle Obama and Vice President Joe Biden campaigned relentlessly for Hillary Clinton. In October, when an eleven-year-old audio tape of Donald Trump's conversation revealing his lewd nature resurfaced, Michelle Obama came to defend every woman in America from the likes of Trump. Mrs. Obama's speech denouncing the content of the tape and Trump's unacceptable behaviour while talking about the members of the opposite sex resembled verses from the gospel about morality and sense of right and wrong. That emotional speech got her so many applauses that for a day or two, it seemed, Trump has zero chance in getting votes from any American woman. It was supposed to be an easy win for Hillary. But it turned out not to be the case. Throngs of suburban middle class white women, including some of my neighbours, flocked to the voting centres to vote for Donald Trump.
So what does that really tell us about the Obama presidency? If he had done half of the things that he had promised then the outcome of the election might have been different for Hillary. A lot of people during this past election season were judging Hillary Clinton based on the Obama presidency. Neither Obama nor Hillary said anything in public whether it is Jill Stein or Obamacare that cost her the election. They only blamed James Comey (FBI director) and Russia for her defeat.
Obama had too many big plans that he didn't know how to implement and had set very high standards for himself. With his repeated promises that he can fix what is wrong with America, didn't resonate with many of the white voters to have trust on Hillary. He simply wasn't able to generate a level of enthusiasm among the voters to choose another democrat. On voting day, many decided to stay home instead.
Obama had a lot to prove coming from a biracial background, and seeing himself as someone "outside the historic norm." He had to face enormous "challenges of polarization and partisanship" between the Democrats and Republicans in implementing his major policies. The whole thing perhaps became too much for him to handle. His single most failure is his inability to bring the Democrats and the Republicans together to support him with his vision for America.
In the final weeks, Obama should prepare to make a graceful exit and not contemplate what would have been if there was a third term for a president. Sadly, for Obama, there will be no genie coming out of Aladdin's magic lamp nor is there any Lady Luck to wave a magic wand to fulfil his wish. In politics, there is no room for idle thinking. Only action, performance and proven results determine someone's worth. Obama had eight years to finish what he had started in the name of "hope and change' and this is not the time to philosophize to avoid responsibility as US president. His failed policies and Hillary Clinton's inability to persuade the voters have given us Donald Trump. From all of Trump's latest fiery comments on Twitter, it is very clear that he lacks the temperament and the wisdom to correct all the mistakes Obama has made. As the Obama presidency ends, we all are bracing ourselves for a bumpy ride when Trump takes the rein on January 20, 2017.
In closing, I wish all the readers a joyous year, filled with hope, happiness, and may it be a memorable one. Happy New Year!
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