Obama in deep thoughts

Mid-term congressional and senate elections in the US reveal that indeed Americans have a narrow sense of what it takes to propel their country to the leadership of global economy including global relations.

America experienced the worst economic crisis, an equivalent of great the depression witnessed through the 1930's. The economy shrunk, the real negative growth causing a "financial melt down" of global proportions. An estimated 8 million jobs were lost, the Wall Street ran wild, and banking, housing and infrastructure sectors were affected. The middle class saw their real/disposable incomes decline by 5% between 2001-2008. Job growth prospects during this period remained a pipe dream. The cost of living escalated. Additionally, the image of the US within the global family of nations was seriously impaired and terrorism threats were on the rise.

America required new direction and radically new socio-political and techno-economic paradigms. In early 2009, they elected Barrack H. Obama, president of the US and the "Democrat" party to government with one major aim-reversing the mess caused by  the Republican led government.

Why then do Americans have a narrow sense of what it takes to reverse retrogressive effects of GOP's bad leadership? Most of Americans erroneously think and perhaps from a more "racial" stand point, that growing an economy and such a complex democracy as big as theirs is "a mechanistic process," something you tie to two years. The state of US economy as at the end 2008 two years down the line was such that revival would  be gradual owing to the systemic economic structural transformations that are required.

Barrack Obama and the "democrat" party took the following set of actions:

1. He nipped in the bud, what was evidently a growing financial crisis in the US and globally through the ARRA Act.This Act stemmed financial   instability and re-ignited confidence within the diverse financial systems-today, America and the world hardly faces great depression reminiscent of what happened in 1930's.

2. He has practically kept the promise of ending the war in Iraq that saw millions of dollars wasted and relations with the Arab world strained-100,000 US troops have already pulled out of Iraq

3. He has made historic investments in clean energy technologies with huge long-term implications on the US economy in terms of job creation and saving huge financial resources spent on energy by both industrial and household users.

4. He has passed the elusive health care reforms that guarantee more than 30 million Americans of the medical care, something that his predecessors could not do over the many decades. This measure will save the US more than US Dollars 1 Trillion. 

5. He has greatly improved the image of America in the world -even among the Arab and Muslim world. Islam sees hope in the  American leadership of global peace and security.

6. He has passed 16 tax cuts in favour of SMES that will for many decades, boost job creation related economic growth

7. From the great depression leading up to 2008/2009,  the American economy is currently growing at 2% but with steady progress expected through a balanced budget that Barrack H. Obama and his team have planned.

8. He has extended education grant/funding to college/university students all over America and made huge investment toward improving math, science  technology and innovation-essentially building the foundation for Americas posterity.

9. His top priority is infrastructure-giving America world class infrastructure that suits and serves global integration.

10. He is focussed in the next two years on checking growth of external debt-through the Bi-partisan fiscal management commission which he will personally lead

From the elections just concluded, Republicans have won congress with useless and backward proposals to repeal health reform, cut spending in education, infrastructure. Seemingly, GOP plans to stifle efforts to improve the lives of the middle class, reverse gains relating to America's image in the global community of nations regardless of what this poses.

If Obama's efforts could be frustrated presumably for racial or other negative reasons, the world will be unhappy-remember today, the whole world celebrates his efforts and hopes that he gets another term as president of US. 

By Henry Ouma.
The author can be reached at [email protected]