American's, Hostage to Political Affairs

American’s, Hostage to Political Affairs

By: Gary Hychko

With President Obama’s first term coming to an end, the standoff against his opponent Mitt Romney is becoming more imminent. As the incumbent, Obama has the upper hand, only three times dating back to World War II have they been defeated-Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, and George H.W. Busch. But don’t count Romney out yet, according to the Gallop Poll, President Obama’s approval rating has drifted between the low to mid 40% range, and all of the incumbent president’s (except George W. Busch) who have been reelected had approval ratings at levels above 50% at the time of election.

President Obama won in part because he campaigned on changing Washington and slogans such as, “yes we can”; however most American’s don’t feel he delivered on his message. President Obama was able to relate to a wide range of people, and records were set for voter turnout at the polls. He was able to rally people and get them excited for something new, but like all new things they eventually become old. The excitement for President Obama may be over, as he passed a health care bill they know nothing about, and has doubled the nations debt, giving billions of dollars to banks and Wall Street. 

One thing President Obama has going for him is his competition Mitt Romney, who has continually failed to relate to the American people. Romney has been quoted on CNN stating, “I’m not concerned about the very poor.” In neighboring state New Hampshire, Romney was quick to use poor wording again, stating, “I like being able to fire people who provide services to me...” The quotes referred to people that provide poor quality of services, nonetheless American’s don’t relate to using the words “fire people”.

With this election there will be plenty of important headline topics for debate. Republicans and Democrats have been going at it since the summer of 2009, when President Obama pushed through his health care reform law before the summer recess. Another heavily debated topic is how to deal with the nations energy crisis. American’s consume 20% of the entire world supply of oil; yet depend on foreign nations as its source.

Debate brings out the best in President Obama, and is his strong point; Mitt Romney on the other hand, loses his cool under the pressure. As reluctant as the Republican Party has been to anoint Romney as their representative, President Obama had his own struggles, having to come from behind to beat Hillary Clinton. For President Obama, it is all about having momentum going into November, if the unemployment rate continues to fall and gas prices are down, Republicans will have to have a new strategy. One thing that is for certain- even if the economy is booming and a new Golden Age is in effect, or if America goes into a double dip recession, both parties will blame each other, and the American people will be the ones who suffer.