In the 1980s, a new band came out that fit into fashion like chocolate chips in a scoop of ice cream. They had big hair, played up the cliché rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle, and the public ate it up.Two decades later, the public gobbled up the urban appeal and teleprompter readings of a now-famous politician. The inexperienced administrator promised a utopia of national strength and unity as realistic as a rock-star life on the sunset strip without cocaine-induced heart failure and crabs.
The band was Poison. The politician is, of course, Barack Obama.
Yet, while Poison was only a shiny, hollow shell of heavy metal, the hollow shell that is proving to be Obama’s presidency could end up being far more damaging to the countryIndeed, the president really has yet to help write or threaten to veto anything. At the forefront of Obama’s agenda is his ultra-partisan domestic policy, where the baton has been handed off to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. This included the now-infamous trillion-dollar cash giveaway to the Democratic Party’s supporters in the government and unions, in addition to the bailouts of the new allies on Wall Street. In the face of all of this, one would consider Congress’ 27 percent job approval rating to be relatively good.
The domestic policies also include the health care bill — the so-called “”Obamacare,”” even though Obama doesn’t actually have any health care plan — where Democrats have smashed any attempts at tort reform; the party apparently rejects the false choice between appeasing its loaded tort bar supporters and actually making health care better and more affordable for Americans. The public option is not only a terribly costly Trojan horse for nationalization (as in the case of student loans), but also sacrifices the dedication to innovation and quality that have made having cancer or heart disease so much more survivable over the past few decades. Even in Massachusetts, where health care reform was guided by conservative former governor Mitt Romney, health care spending has skyrocketed by 42 percent.
Can our economy afford such a kick to the groin? As famed economist Arthur B. Laffer recently said, “”A government simply cannot tax a country into prosperity.”” Thus the vast majority of Americans, who are satisfied with American health care, are asked to give the government even more of their income in the name of the tiny sliver of people in America who are uninsured for reasons other than personal choice or not being in America legally. Yet Obama, oblivious to opinions below Capitol Hill, lectures on, repeating the same practiced answers to softball media questions like an MTV video, overplayed to boost record sales.
Unfortunately, having a weak president is only fun and games until it comes to foreign policy. Thus far, Obama may still commit to success in Afghanistan (he is currently being demoralizingly indecisive in the face of a leaked urgent military request for boosted support), but the rest of his policy is fraught with failure. Playing dead when it comes to America’s responsibility to promote free trade, the President has even supported tariffs. In the meantime, he lets his attorney general have his way with the CIA.
In Eastern Europe, our apologetic leader has handed the reins over to Russia, and in the Middle East he has delegated policy-making to Netanyahu and Ahmadinejad. Can we really expect sycophancy in the face of militarizing hostile powers to serve our national interests? Thus far, the message is clear: they thank Obama for the great night and have no intention of putting any effort into the relationship. No matter how much America gives them, those jerks probably don’t even call the next day. Yes, especially if Afghanistan goes down the drain, the trends of American dominance and security are likely to crash and burn like hairy chests and studded denim jackets.
Yet we are not quite at the point of despair. Even hard rock was saved from a glittering doom by the mainstream explosion of Metallica and Guns N’ Roses. Perhaps the modern counterpart is the growing opposition to Pelosi in the form of non-radical Democrats known as the Blue Dogs who have joined the entire Republican Party in checking the more extreme attempts of federal empowerment.
Furthermore, ACORN has finally lost Democratic support after months of being exposed by talk radio barons such as Rush Limbaugh. Indeed, it appears that the touring president is beating the drums to what is becoming an increasingly unpopular set-list. Although his relationship with the media may be close and upside-down enough to be rated NC-17, idle chatter day in and day out will eventually prove to be no more dazzling than Aqua Net hair spray. Ultimately, even Jon Bon Jovi took the shears to his golden locks.
— Daniel Greenberg is a Near Eastern Studies senior. He can be reached at
letters@wildcat.arizona.edu.
