When it comes to President Obama, Americans have only two states of being: on or off. He is either the outsider who can bring about real change or he is a Washington insider just like the rest. The reality is that he is both, and most people find it hard to grapple with that paradox. After years of "simple-minded" nonsense from the Republicans and the Tea Party, complexity in leadership is out of fashion, but in complexity lies balance, and that is Obama's biggest strength.
When Candidate Obama rose to the Presidency in 2008, he did so on a tidal wave of hope and change, sentiments that most Americans, Democrat and Republican, could relate to. The hope was for a change in the way that Washington operates and the creation of a more transparent government that ran in the best interests of the people.
But when he got to office, Obama found himself unable to effect the change that he had promised. Republicans were more interested in sabotaging the Democrats than in governing, and Democrats were unwilling to get behind their President and help him execute on his ambitious agenda. The result was a series of bruising fights that tarnished the image of the White House and the President. What Obama discovered was that idealism was not enough to govern effectively.
To make progress and to get things done, he was forced to make a string of compromises, including on his landmark legislations like the financial stimulus and the healthcare law. The people of America watched as the White House cajoled, threatened, and bartered to govern, and in the process reached the conclusion that Obama had failed in his core mission and sold them out.
But the people's assessment is wrong.
What Obama has learned "on the job" in the last four years will enable him to produce serious results for America in a second term. The man who assumed the Presidency in 2008 was a simple idealist, the man who won the healthcare battle by using every trick in the book was a desperate pragmatist, but the man you see today is the perfect blend of the two - a principled idealist who also knows how to get things done in Washington. In other words, an experienced leader.
That is not to say that the coming four years will not be fraught with challenges or that he will not lose as many battles as he wins, but this time around he knows the game, the players, and the shortcuts, and that is not just a benefit but a necessity for the Presidency of the United States. Let's be real here: as much as we would all like Washington to change the way it does business, the truth is that our system is not going to change that quickly, and nor will the two entrenched political parties, not to mention the powerful lobbies, simply give up their control over the process and go home. Any President, Democrat or Republican, will have to work within the system to achieve results for the American people, and any President who can combine political "street-smarts" with strong personal beliefs will be, in essence, the perfect leader for our nation.
Barack Obama has fought continually for working class and poor Americans, and like steel, he has been through the fire and come out stronger. In my piece, The Case for Barack Obama, I discussed the President's major achievements in his first term, including his deft handling of several domestic and foreign crises, his bailout of Wall Street without which our financial system and then our entire economy would have collapsed, his brave stand on the issue of gay marriage, and his Homeric battle to obtain decent healthcare for all Americans.
Yes, he has made mistakes and there are still plenty of issues left for him to address, but we cannot blame him for becoming adept at navigating his way through the maze of Capitol Hill, or for building political clout that will help him govern, especially in the face of a malevolent opposition. If we want a blind idealist in the White House, then we should not expect actual progress on policy, and if we want a purely real-politik President, then we better be prepared for some serious compromises to our values and principles.
The bottom line is that we either give Obama credit for what he has learned over the last four years, and let him finish the job that he started, or we can keep playing the game of "replace the leader", expecting miraculous results, and keep being disappointed.
Obama deserves four more years, it's that simple.
Sanjay Sanghoee has worked at leading investment banks and hedge funds and is also the author of two novels (available below). Please visit www.sanghoee.com to sign up for updates.
Follow Sanjay Sanghoee on Twitter: www.twitter.com/sanghoee
Alec Baldwin: Can America Be Great Again?
Alfred J. Zacher: Why Most Second Term Presidents Fail -- and What Obama Can Do to Beat the Odds
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 |
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| Obama | Romney | |
|---|---|---|
| Electoral Votes (270 to win) |
332 | 206 |
| Obama | Romney | |
|---|---|---|
| Total | 65,899,660 | 60,932,152 |
| Percent | 51.1% | 47.2% |
| Democrats* | Republicans | |
|---|---|---|
| Current Senate | 53 | 47 |
| Seats gained or lost | +2 | -2 |
| New Total | 55 | 45 |
| Democrats | Republicans | |
|---|---|---|
| Seats won | 201 | 234 |
BORN IN HAWAII to a mixed race family; Raised by a single parent; Saw and lived in a foreign culture for a few years; Returned to Hawaii while his mother studied and completed a course in anthropology; Studied at 2 Universities. Majored in constitutional law; Was the top of his class on graduation; Turned down million dollar job offers to work with the poor disposed and disenfranchised Became a constitutional Professor; State senator, Senator, Has just paid off his first house; Has a net worth of 5.6 million dollars; Is the first president to pay for renovating the living quarters in the White House out of his own pocket and returned the amount allotted for this to every president, back to the treasury Tries to govern from the middle, much to the chagrin of the left base; Adopted Republican ideas when he saw value in them only to have the Republicans obstruct even their own ideas Gone from poverty to President For the republican Party we have Willard Mitt Romney A Vulture capitalist who is responsible for closing many factories in America and shipping thousands of job overseas for personal gain. And the republicans think President Obama is out of touch?
OBAMA 2012
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There really isn't any difference between Obama's policies and Bush's. None. Obama does give better speeches, but that is about the only change.
No sale. America deserves a real leader, one like FDR or JFK.
Look, we know that President Obama is not a raging Progressive. He governs with the moderation of...an Eisenhower Republican. He was the better presidential candidate over John McCain in 2008, and he is the better candidate over Mitt Romney in 2012.
There is one mistake he made, and a costly one.
The Obama administration and the Democratic party failed to amply demonstrate and define their accomplishments to the American people. Any and every effort (at whatever cost) should have been made to promote their achievements in a timely fashion. They are now playing catch-up, and it could have been avoided. It could cost the nation dearly.
As the author has amply demonstrated (and I wholeheartedly agree) the President is an exceptional leader, and now a seasoned one.
That this election is even close is a travesty which turn into a tragedy.
Mr Obama says the only mistake he made was he did not do enough speeches, wow.
You want change vote for Mr Johnson, he would cut military spending 43 percent, he would end the war on drugs, and stop us from being the nation withthe most amount of people behind bars.
You want Mr Obama, take him, then blame yourself, not him, you know what he will do, he already did it.
Yes, I am saying that it is literally impossible at this time.
The parties really on being in power to get money from the lobbyist, both parties always expand the power of government, the republicans do it when they can get away with it, the democrats do it no matter what.
Once 20 percent of the people voted for hte somebody in either party, when he did this the parties got scared, and they worked together to fix the economy.
This was why Mr Clinton was successful, but after this happened, they said never again would they get forced by the voters into doing this, so both parties, did everything they could to divide up this country.
It has worked, look at your posting, nothing voters can can do, nothing, we have to pick the least worst choice.
If this is your view, why do you even vote, why do you pay taxes, and why do you love a country?
I love my country, and as such, I will vote for what is right, and if enough join with me, we will change the path we are on.
Both parties are just playing us for fools.
Obama 2012. Democrats forever. Moving Forward.