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| Barack Obama at Capitol Hill (image: ABC News) |
This blog post may, or in other words, will contradict what I have been writing over the last year. I have written in recent months how difficult US President Barack Obama has handled matters in the country he governs. I have said that he needed to have reacted better with regards to Libya. I have written about why it was important to prepare for any situation in the most diplomatic fashion with regards to the death of Osama bin Laden and the current nuclear programme in Iran. At the same time, I have been critical of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq (which I still feel passionately about) but have expressed delight in the President's assurance that their troops are out of Iraq and are getting out of Afghanistan. All-in-all, it appears that I have not been raving about Obama during his tenure at the White House office.
This week marked three years of his administration entering Washington DC which was the start to them altering the political misjudgements and policies made by George Bush's previous government. President Obama promised change as he said in his winning speech at the fall of 2008, "Change has come to America". He had a clear vision to get the States back from the rut of economy crisis and get the nation back on its feet once and for all. He said during his inaugural speech this time three years ago that these changes and results cannot happen overnight so do not expect too much from him from the start. This however was not easy. People have perceived him before as someone who was not going to make much of a difference as they had protested in his first year in his Presidential year over the health bill and high unemployment rate. I guess I have prejudged him too when it came to foreign policy. Not coming from the United States, I suppose I was expecting him to gain positive relations with most countries in all continents. Of course, he cannot do everything overnight just to please his people - he knew that and I'm sure the rest would realise that as well.
Despite this, every policy Obama and his administration has put in place, both home and foreign, I think he has done an exceptional job. Let us consider that half of the time he was in charge, most of the congress are from his opposition, the Republicans after a disappointing mid-term election for the Democrats. Let us also consider, the Republican candidate for Presidency is yet to be decided. In comparison to four years ago, Obama and Hilary Clinton were tightly matched when it came to the party elections but Democrat faithfuls said to themselves, if they voted for one candidate who lost i.e. Clinton, then they would be voting for the winning candidate anyway as both candidates had similar visions. This year on the other hand, the situation is different as religion could be the difference between winning and losing the Republican candidate for the White House battle. Mitt Romney was a clear favourite throughout last summer and early autumn but in recent weeks, other candidates such as Newt Gingrich who won the South Carolina primary last weekend, Ron Paul and Rick Santorum have caught up in the satisfaction polls.
There are two main issues with Romney, one he has not been paying all his taxes. Despite spending a lot of his income to charities including supporting his faith which I will discuss more in a moment, in 2010 he paid 13.9% in taxes and opened a Swiss account which has got him into trouble. The 'Federal Tax Bracket' in America varies depending on household income and the relationship status of the home owner but according to one website, those who earn more than $379,150 (which I assume that is what Romney earns) and is classed as "married filing jointly" (like Romney), the rate is 35% meaning a 20 percent gap between what he pays and what he should pay. The figure is big, and perhaps unfair to the public who pay that much percentage in tax. Those who have to pay only 15% in tax have wages of between $17,000 and $69,000.
The other problem Romney faces is the fact he is a Mormon. There is nothing wrong in being a Mormon however a lot of Americans are against this branch of Christianity. Places like South Carolina have strict beliefs towards almost every other Christian religion particularly Evangelism but tend to dislike the Mormon church, hence his humiliation in that Primary as far as Romney is concerned as I said earlier, religion can be the difference between being a President or not essentially. Regardless, Mitt Romney has to win back supporters and this has to start from Florida come Tuesday. By the 3rd of March, we get a clear picture to who will face Barack Obama for the White House so in the meantime the current President can relax after gaining his lost popularity and thank the Republicans for their recent uncertainties.
President Obama's popularity was escalated last night after delivering a remarkable "State of the Union" speech addressing the nation with his plans and proposals for the future in addition to showing off his impressive transformation to a country which is "safer and more respected around the world". With the all-important election quickly approaching, he intends to take actions combating unemployment and Wall Street madness this year which may appear to be a last-minute bid, sending a clear message to the US public that he is still the 'right man for the job'. It was an incredible appearance by Obama, I was impressed. His body language and the way he talked in front of the congress members, the Vice President and Mr. Speaker was sensational and quite admirable. At the end of his speech, he embraced with congress members, signed autographs and hand shakes with students. He acted as the "People's President" in a sense. During his speech, he wowed people with his vision to ensure Americans pay fair taxes and encouraged businesses to take on people who recently lost their jobs regardless of age, ethnicity and so on, and adds that immigrants can only work in the country if they are dedicated to the United States which is fair enough. He talked international policy as well, as I mentioned before, I take close interest in. He admits Iran are more isolated than ever before due to the long list of sanctions against them but hopes that relations improve if the Middle Eastern country does not produce the rumoured nuclear weapons. Obama pledges that talks will remain "peaceful".
Overall, I think people have fallen back in love with Barack Obama like they did four years ago. Yes, he hasn't done everything he said he did such as his promise to close down Guantanamo Bay but I'm sure he will get to that at some point.
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