After a year and a half, what have you got?
What else can go wrong? Following the Obama Administration over the past year and a half the answer to the question becomes terrifying.
Since the election America has fallen into a long, unyielding, recession that has no exit except if you can understand Government mathematics. The U.S. military campaigns in Iraq are shabby, while those in Afghanistan are in turmoil. The Afghanistan problem is not only from the lack of international support, but due to the disdain now visibly known to exist between Gen. McChrystal and President Obama, and the failure to achieve positive results. Add to this the near incomprehensible push to achieve political milestones over the public’s virtually unified disapproval and you can see what the Obama Administration believed “Change” to be.
In the past year and a half the public has been witness to the White House being at least as obtuse, arguably even moreso, than any President in decades. Administration officials have scurried off in the middle of the night (usually over a weekend) rather than face the press. The objectives of the Administration have proven to be ineffective, in almost the same degree and magnitude as the impact they are creating to the deficit. The most long-lasting ecological disaster continues without abate, as the Administration jockeys to turn it into a political advantage while deflecting potentially hazardous political blame. Which says nothing of the counter beneficial impact of the President on members of his Party up for re-election. That is those not being offered potentially illegal offers to curb their political ambitions.
In fact it is difficult to name 1 subject, 1 campaign promise from 2008, 1 liberal media driven concept that the Obama Administration has successfully completed to the satisfaction of even ardent supporters.
Which brings us to the question at the start of this commentary. What could go wrong next?
The November mid-term elections will go against President Obama and the Democrats. While many hope this will result in a negation of items that seem prevelent currently, it in truth means a stalemate. President Obama will become impotent politically, a lame duck without the ability to pass a law giving out a cone of ice cream let alone his vast plans of reformation.
But that means that longer term issues will prevail. Health Care Reform will go forward, adding pressure on the public already saddled with extremes from the worst recession in its lifetime. Add to that the joy of higher taxes as the Bush tax cuts expire, and a growing move by corporations to remove either employees or healthcare coverage due to cost.
Yet another side to the potential issues is the stock market. A massive market sell-off is in the wings, as investors prepare to take out profits from the market at every opportunity prior to the massive increase in taxes that have been mandated by the Obama Administration.
Effectively we see that the Federal Government is growing in size and power, while it’s ability to continue is shrinking along with the revenues it can generate even in the face of expansive taxation. So bad are these issues that even State and local governments are seeking sources of revenue that are absurd. Such as the effort in NY State to increase the tax rate for cigarettes, promoted to reduce the number of smokers, but affecting individuals, businesses, and workers even more harshly.
What will happen next? Will allies of America give up on this nation? Will the national debt increase so much that the the dollar must be removed as an international currency and the U.S. downgraded from AAA? Will enemies of the nation see pervasive weakness, an opportunity to exploit the discord?
All are possible. With 2 1/2 years left to go the only answer is, we will find out. Brace yourself.
