Planetary Engineering for Climate Change
With inauguration day tomorrow there is a sigh of relief among many Americans as we put an end to the Bush era and start anew with a different president with fresh ideas. In our collective anointing of Barack Obama many people still fail to realize how much work there is to be done and how slow progress will be.
Barack Obama will merely be a catalyst for things to come. It is unlikely that all of his goals will be achieved in his first term, and should he prove himself a capable leader it is still unlikely that all of his goals will be achieved by the end of his second term. Obama’s job is to begin a legacy of American national duty and global awareness. There have been many comparisons to an Obama administration being a reflection of the Clinton years. Yes, while in Clinton’s second term the United States prospered beyond any previous measure, Bill Clinton did not inherit a deepening recession - seemingly on its way into a depression - two wars, and a nation divided so deeply only our nations crumbling infrastructure shows fractures more severe.
No, Obama’s potential for two terms will not be anything like the Clinton years. However, we must not lose that sense of American optimism that has defined this nation through all of its tough times. It is true that the endurance of the United States is connected to its ability to accept change and to reinvent itself for the moment at hand. Obama must be steady and wise while carving out this new path.
Obama’s first order of business is to unleash a hefty $850 billion dollar stimulus package, this has been received with some criticism from both the Republican and Democratic side - and rightly so. Viewing this through the eyes of a pragmatic independent, there must be strict oversight to ensure that these monies are funneled into the appropriate channels to begin to reinvent the entire way we think about the United States and interact with the United States, and these visions must be bold.
There is often a comparison drawn with President Kennedy when imagining the first term of Obama. While it is similar with regard to the fresh face, let us not fall prey to nostalgic fantasies from a time whose framework cannot possibly translate to the problems we have at hand. Obama is a new man, and he is his own man. Though it is true Obama has the power to inspire Americans from all walks of life - as did Kennedy - many of Kenndy’s most iconic statements were carried out by other leaders. This is why the next 3 elections are extremely important.
If Obama performs well in his first term it will be imperative to re-elect him to a second term. But after he is out of office we must ensure that the trajectory of sound American democracy is maintained through the elections of 2016 and 2020. If things are on a positive route and either republican special interests or neoconservative ideologies reemerge, or if the Democratic party begins an internal war the political damage will be irreparable and the United States will not be able to persist as a world leader, and its borders will be threatened by outside powers.
Jimmy Carter is a classic example of a homegrown face of the middle-class who ascended into the highest office in the nation. His failure was less because of his naivety on certain issues and more a cause of the high expectations for him and the sour economic climate of the late 1970s his administration inherited. So let us not treat Obama as a Christ-like figure. Let us not treat Obama as a new Lincoln, a new Roosevelt, or a new Kennedy. Let us treat him as a practical and rational leader, and let us walk along with him though these times, holding him accountable, asking questions, and most importantly remembering that the United States is a democracy and Obama works for us.
If America is successful at being more involved with government and the daily functions of our society, and if Obama is a true and adept leader his legacy will catalyze a new era for American identity and purpose. That is the hope we must not lose. If Obama accomplishes few goals then he must be replaced.
Barack Obama will merely be a catalyst for things to come. It is unlikely that all of his goals will be achieved in his first term, and should he prove himself a capable leader it is still unlikely that all of his goals will be achieved by the end of his second term. Obama’s job is to begin a legacy of American national duty and global awareness. There have been many comparisons to an Obama administration being a reflection of the Clinton years. Yes, while in Clinton’s second term the United States prospered beyond any previous measure, Bill Clinton did not inherit a deepening recession - seemingly on its way into a depression - two wars, and a nation divided so deeply only our nations crumbling infrastructure shows fractures more severe.
No, Obama’s potential for two terms will not be anything like the Clinton years. However, we must not lose that sense of American optimism that has defined this nation through all of its tough times. It is true that the endurance of the United States is connected to its ability to accept change and to reinvent itself for the moment at hand. Obama must be steady and wise while carving out this new path.
Obama’s first order of business is to unleash a hefty $850 billion dollar stimulus package, this has been received with some criticism from both the Republican and Democratic side - and rightly so. Viewing this through the eyes of a pragmatic independent, there must be strict oversight to ensure that these monies are funneled into the appropriate channels to begin to reinvent the entire way we think about the United States and interact with the United States, and these visions must be bold.
There is often a comparison drawn with President Kennedy when imagining the first term of Obama. While it is similar with regard to the fresh face, let us not fall prey to nostalgic fantasies from a time whose framework cannot possibly translate to the problems we have at hand. Obama is a new man, and he is his own man. Though it is true Obama has the power to inspire Americans from all walks of life - as did Kennedy - many of Kenndy’s most iconic statements were carried out by other leaders. This is why the next 3 elections are extremely important.
If Obama performs well in his first term it will be imperative to re-elect him to a second term. But after he is out of office we must ensure that the trajectory of sound American democracy is maintained through the elections of 2016 and 2020. If things are on a positive route and either republican special interests or neoconservative ideologies reemerge, or if the Democratic party begins an internal war the political damage will be irreparable and the United States will not be able to persist as a world leader, and its borders will be threatened by outside powers.
Jimmy Carter is a classic example of a homegrown face of the middle-class who ascended into the highest office in the nation. His failure was less because of his naivety on certain issues and more a cause of the high expectations for him and the sour economic climate of the late 1970s his administration inherited. So let us not treat Obama as a Christ-like figure. Let us not treat Obama as a new Lincoln, a new Roosevelt, or a new Kennedy. Let us treat him as a practical and rational leader, and let us walk along with him though these times, holding him accountable, asking questions, and most importantly remembering that the United States is a democracy and Obama works for us.
If America is successful at being more involved with government and the daily functions of our society, and if Obama is a true and adept leader his legacy will catalyze a new era for American identity and purpose. That is the hope we must not lose. If Obama accomplishes few goals then he must be replaced.