As a staunch Obama supporter and a political junkie, I have watched this administration with a close eye and optimistic heart. Considering the many firsts that were heading into this presidency, Obama has more often times than not gotten the benefit of the doubt. I am a black male who followed politics since the great Bush v. Gore election blunder of 2000. As an eight year old, I understood the magnitude of how the political landscape would change when Florida and the Supreme Court handed President Bush the White House. So my sixteen year old adolescent my heart was proud when I saw Barack Hussein Obama grab the highest mantle in the land. My love for politics grew with every victory and defeat following the 2008 elections. I understood that after 2010, the movement in which the President could govern would be severely hindered having lost the majority in the House. Which would only be hindered more when he lost majorities in both houses of Congress. Yet as I was sitting watching the President give his final State of the Union address, I found myself selfishly wanting more from him. Before coming in, the White House announced that this would be a different form of address to the nation — that he would do something that no other president had done in the past. Sure, the address was shorter, but was it really different?
In 2009, when delivering his first address, there was a different air about Obama — more passion and vigor. Obviously, that can be said for any first term president who is fresh off winning a national election, but this felt different, at least to me. He was ready to tackle the issues that were plaguing our country: a foreign war costing a considerable amount of lives and money, a failing economy coupled with a dying auto and housing industry, unemployment reaching great depression levels, and a nation with a glaring distrust for government. To be fair, to take on a laundry list of that size and that heavy, a lot of political capital had to be spent to make sure the country did not slip any further. I give the president the utmost credit for that; the country’s economy is moving in the right direction, the unemployment rate is 5%, the auto industry is booming, while the housing market slowly but surely still recovers. Yet I would be remiss if I did not point out some of his mistakes. Going into his presidency, one major concern was Obama's lack of knowledge on foreign policy. In his first term, it did not seem to haunt him as much; but when things are going good, you cannot expect them to stay good for long. Our exit strategy in the Middle East was flawed. This obviously left a power vacuum for groups like ISIS and Al Qaeda to gain strong footholds. China has built an island in the South China Sea, giving them much more power geopolitically. Russia has defied this administration at every possible turn. Yet through it all, I will say that President Obama has remained vigilant and steadfast despite taking his lumps on foreign policy.
Which brings me back to Tuesday night. I felt as though he played it relatively safe. I talked this over with some of my political confidants and they were split. Some felt he did well and some felt he was reserved. Sure, there were narratives attacking Republican presidential hopefuls like Donald Trump and Ted Cruz. There were moments when he gave of us flashes of the man who ignited a nation towards change, but in the grand scheme of things it was not very different. The country has and always will have a laundry list of issues that need to be addressed and President Obama should not hold on to whatever political capital he has left. I questioned why he was so timid, what was his cause to pause? Then I remembered what is stacked against him, how many things he has on his plate. It has been no secret that he has been using executive action to ensure a majority of his policies are pushed through. Yet in order for them to survive past this year he has to make sure they survive in court. He cannot appoint any Justices because, without a doubt, the Senate will hold up their confirmations. This means that if Democrats lose the White House this fall, ACA will go away, the Iran deal will die, progress made with Cuba could go out the window, and the Republican president could have the opportunity to appoint at least three Supreme Court justices.
Now it does not take a genius to look and see why Obama was a bit tentative, especially considering all the things mentioned. Yet for the president not to take any shots is very uncharacteristic of him. All this leads me to believe that he fears the GOP candidates and the elections more than we think. The worst possible outcome is one November day away from happening. After 2014, we saw a majority of the country turn red. In 2016, if things stay the way they are and the Democratic Party loses the White House, it essentially loses the Supreme Court as well. Who knows how this will leave this country? So much for a bicameral system…
~Consigliere
