Latest update April 28th, 2026 12:30 AM
A ONE-TERM PRESIDENT
Barack Obama is going to be a one-term President. He created history when he was sworn in as the first African-American President in the history of the United States, sweeping into office on a ticket that promised change and renewal for the American people.
Instead of swiping away the cobwebs on the old establishment, President Obama has instead found himself stifled by the old establishment, and his popularity ratings have been adversely affected by high expectations, so much so that even though it is still a few months away from midterm elections, it is already being predicted that the Democrats will swept out of control of the Congress.
In this week’s column, we examine the disappointments of the Obama Presidency and how he has failed to live up to the high billing in which he was held at the time of his inauguration.
One of the biggest problems that he faced when he was sworn in was the high expectations. He came into office on a wave of goodwill and amidst expectations that he would dramatically change the face of American politics. Today, he seems a shadow of the charismatic leader that inspired so many and is fighting a battle to keep the economy recovery going and reduce unemployment.
There is no doubt that the stimulus package that he implemented during the early days of his presidency has achieved some progress, even if we discount the fact that the market itself corrected some of the problems caused by the financial crisis. There has undoubtedly been progress. But the vast majority of Americans are going to be impatient with the progress made in the economy, especially when they reflect on the huge bailouts that were given to financial companies.
Despite the progress, the unemployment rate remains high and this is likely to be reflected in voter discontent, which will undermine the Democrats’ appeal for the midterm elections to Congress.
Not that President Obama had it easy with Congress. The bruising battle that he endured over health care reform shows some of the limitations that he has faced, a situation that will not get better come November. But perhaps the main stumbling block to his success has been his own leadership. The formula of sticking to the middle ground, which worked so well during the campaign, was never going to be an asset in harsh economic times. Such times demand strong leaders and Barack Obama has not lived up to such a billing.
The disappointment, however, has not just been restricted to domestic issues. Barack Obama has failed in reshaping global relations. American combat troops have left an Iraq in shambles. That conquered nation is now overrun with sectarian violence and the American homeland is no safer now against the threat of terrorism than it was when the war first started. While Iraq was not his mess, he will face the burden of the chaos that the invasion has left in its wake.
Obama’s Middle East policy has been uninspiring. Having retreated from the ultimatum to Israel to freeze further settlements, his administration is not likely to be seen as capable of bringing about a lasting peace or even a ceasefire in that troubled region of the world, a situation that is aggravated because of the tensions over Iran.
Obama always provides enough rhetoric to wag the tongues of the optimists and those longing for change – like he did when he came to Port of Spain and promised to a wide-eyed audience a new beginning for the region. That new beginning was always going to be assessed in terms of his government’s policy towards Cuba, and it is here that he has been most disappointing.
While he has engineered some reforms in the Bush policy, these have simply reverted back to the Clinton status quo, and despite Cuba’s recent position on political prisoners, there has been little or no relaxation of the restrictions on that country.
So long as powerful lobbies continue to influence the direction of American foreign policy, not much should be expected in the area of foreign relations from President Obama. He is caught been a rock and a hard place, between himself and the establishment. Whichever way the tide goes it does not matter; the result will be the same.
There will be no serious reforms under President Obama, not at home or abroad. More importantly he will not be reelected for a second term. He will be a one-term President.
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