Why would anyone want to be president? Confidence — that with changed policies we can fix the many things wrong in our country. Then Senator Obama promised this. Sadly, it was an empty promise. While Arnold’s editorial from Feb. 12 enumerates some of the failures of the Obama administration, it is total denial suggesting that a future president would be just as inept.
The President’s own policies, actions, lack of managerial experience and unwillingness to engage with leaders of both parties has resulted in failure in almost every area, including long-term, inherited problems.
As he points out, the administration’s foreign policy has been an unmitigated disaster. President Obama’s perceived weakness and the resulting power vacuum have emboldened the bad guys, who are winning on every front. We have been chased from our embassies as radicals take over one Mideast country after another. ISIL is advancing because we had no coherent policy in Syria and precipitously withdrew from Iraq. President Putin has taken the Crimea and will certainly extend his sphere of influence into Eastern Ukraine.
The President has overseen the slowest economic recovery in 50 years. This is a result of regulations that impact small businesses who do most hiring. The failure to recognize the government’s role in housing policy in the real estate crash has now reprised 3% down payments for home purchases. (What’s the sound of a future bubble bursting?) President Obama’s policies have increased income disparity between rich and poor and shrunk the middle class. Black households’ wealth is lower by 7% and the number of people working has declined. Obama’s health care policy was based on lies. Working people have worse policies at greater cost and can’t keep their doctor. Race relations have gotten worse.
Rather than do the hard work of engaging congressional leaders, the President insults and issues executive orders. Unchecked, this power grab by the Executive branch will take us down the path to authoritarianism.
Most media ignore these failures. Trying to pass them off as acceptable performance, however, is intellectually dishonest.
Scott Dittrich