Who's Next?

              The political season is in full swing as the Presidential Election near. We, as voters, are faced with several difficult decisions from the national elections to our state and local governments. The days of 'Hope and Change' are passed and the lackluster achievements of those topics have left a bad taste in the mouths of many. Personally, I feel disenchanted with the left and completely disconnected from the right. President Obama has succeeded on several social initiatives, but has failed at the economic issues that have plagued our ailing country for the better part of four years. The Obama administration has gotten us out of Iraq (where we should have never been anyway) anyway and come up with a plan to drawdown from Afghanistan. Don't Ask Don't Tell has been successfully repealed, proving that a person’s sexuality doesn't affect their ability to serve their country; the President has even taken a pro-gay marriage stance. Most impressive has been the foreign policy positions led by Hillary Clinton, who has made one hell of a Secretary of State. Hillary's positions and interactions on the world stage have set a positive tone. This experience as the leading social diplomat really bolsters Hillary's credentials for a 2016 run (Clinton-Rice 2016 would be an amazing ticket). Despite the peaceful policies, the President did manage to find and kill Osama Bin Laden. These successes really make the case for a 2nd Obama term. The hard reality is that people are hurting all across the country and the administration has not been able to reign in the out-of-control spending to chip away at our ever-increasing deficit. Unemployment is still above 8% nationally, which is misleading, as people have fallen out of the job market; the true number of unemployed or under-employed Americans is much higher. Another shortcoming has been the administration's inability to bolster small business and limit the red tape that constricts private enterprise. A strong private sector is the backbone of America and making it easier for businesses to open, flourish, and hire is a necessity to get this country back on track. Also proving difficult for the President was the bailout of the auto and banking industries as well as a stimulus package that didn't get the job done as the administration had hoped.
           Unfortunately, there weren't many options for a replacement. The Republican primaries were intensely divisive amongst the candidates (Jon Huntsman was probably the best candidate out of the lot; he has the foreign policy credentials and is more centrist).  In the end the GOP selected Mitt Romney, who definitely has the business background. Despite Romney’s background in business, he still faces a few obstacles, most importantly himself.  Mitt’s lack of personality gets in his way when he is trying to deliver his message to voters; quite frankly the man is blasé, and nothing about him excites me to listen to him. Obama is a gifted orator, but listening to Romney takes me back to high school economics class.  What Romney boasts in business savvy, he lacks in charisma. Another problem for Romney is his lack of details. I understand that you have to keep some cards close to the chest, but if you expect people to vote for you to tackle our nation’s problems, there has to be some explanation of how you intend to accomplish that task. The debates will be coming up soon and that could be a good vehicle for Mr. Romney to unveil some details. More troubling though, are the recent developments.  Shortly after the U.S. embassies were attacked in Egypt and Libya, Mitt Romney seized that opportunity to criticize the Obama Administration’s handling of the events and the embassy’s “apology” to those who were offended by the anti-Muslim internet film.  Romney’s criticism was early and sadly the news broke a little later that four Americans, including the U.S. Ambassador to Libya, were killed in an attack on the embassy in Benghazi. Particularly troubling is the timing. Mr. Romney decided to publicly criticize the President and his administration immediately in the wake of an attack on U.S. diplomats and U.S. interests. Romney’s decision was completely inappropriate. That would have been the time to reassure America that despite our political differences, we are all united against these terrorists acts and that we stand together in the name of liberty and freedom. We condemn the acts of violence, yes, but we also condemn the vile, vitriolic film which directly attacked the Islamic faith. Instead Mr. Romney attempted to politicize the events; these actions don’t unify, they polarize. Certainly, we do not want a leader who ‘jumps the gun’ to criticize and speak about events which are still unfolding. This type of decision making is similar to what got us into an unnecessary war with Iraq. As a country that is feeling the effects of two decade-long wars, we cannot afford to be put into that situation again. This was the proverbial 3:00am phone call and Mitt Romney blew it.

                Something else that has come to light in the last few weeks are these videos from private Romney fundraising dinners, where he suggested that 47% of Americans believe they are the victims, they abuse government aid, and don’t pay income taxes. We all know that there are some people who take advantage and work the system. However, I truly believe that the majority of people don’t want to be victims. We have to believe that the American Dream is still alive and well; that people want to succeed and do it through their own hard work. Yes, we all dream about winning the lottery and striking it rich, but the true American Dream is to rise up and do better than our parents did; to take where they left off and continue on. For many of us, our parents had to work exceptionally hard to make ends meet and to give us the opportunities that they never had; and we expect to do the same for the next generation. That is the American Dream and is it forged deeply within us all. There is an unfortunate side of truth with what Mr. Romney was saying. That 47% doesn’t believe that they are victims, but the truth is that in some ways they are.  Those individuals are victims, victims of discriminatory accounting tactics which force most people to pay higher percentages in taxes than the upper echelon of the wealthy class, including Mr. Romney. The rich get rich and the poor get poorer. We don’t need to go to the opposite extreme and call for a complete redistribution of wealth, but we definitely need to level the playing field so that each and every person pays their fair share. These preferential policies are widening the gap between the classes.

                I, for one, am looking forward to the upcoming debates. This election is incredibly important for the future of America.  Who can get us out of the economic slump in which we find ourselves? Who can keep us safe and protect our interests? Will our foreign policies alienate us from the rest of the world? The next four years will be no easy task.