I'm a strong Obama supporter and I'm helping as much as I can to get him elected but I had a conversation with a very prominent economist yesterday that made me think twice and ask myself if it's really the right time for the first african american to be voted to the white house.
The economy ,he said ,is in such dire straits that the next president is bound to be a total failure no matter what his plans are. Obama,he told me, won't be able to implement any of his measures,least of all his universal healthcare plan . The Bush administration is trying to set the next president's agenda on foreign policy as well : Once the agreement is reached in Iraq, it will impossible for any new president to get us out of that country anytime soon; The escalation of violence in Afghanistan makes it very likely that that particular war will last more than the new president's first term as well.With the US engaged in 2 wars and the economy at home in shambles, Obama can give as many speeches per day as he wants, he won't be able to have any positive impact and problably will be crushed by any republican in the next election,who will then "finish" Bush's Job.
While I still don't think Obama's legacy,if he's elected,will be as bad as Bush's , it's very likely his approval ratings could fairly quick resemble the congress approval ratings with many people who were enthusiastic about his candidacy disappointed with the lack of result.
Isn't it an option to let the repubs clean up the mess they have produced and for Obama to run again 4 years from now with more experience,better name recognition and more credibility ? Don't worry about McCain beeing worse than Bush, it doesn't get any worse.
What would the consequences be if the first african american elected president was a major disappointment? what would the consequences be for BO and the democratic party if he disappointed the millions of people who funded his campaign and are so passionate about it ?
I don't even whant to think about how devastationg that would be .
I'm still going to vote for Obama and urge others to to the same but it surely is something we should think about.
On another note:
Did some of the early celebrants notice the polls today ?? Well, things are clearly tightening in most of them, and the attacks are just beginning.Told you this election is as close as it gets. If we start taking things for granted, we gonna be surprised fairly soon.