The Visor

President’s Promises Left Unfulfilled

October 16, 2011

In 2008, President Barack Obama captivated Americans with talk of change and relatively easily secured the nation’s chief executive position based on this premise.  His campaign was full of promises: troops would be removed from the Middle East by July of 2011 and the tax cuts passed for high earners during President Bush’s term would be allowed to expire.  Many of his claims have gone unfulfilled, and according to countless polls regarding Obama’s approval rating, a large majority of citizens, both Republican and Democrat, believe Obama’s presidency has revolved too much around talk and not enough around action.

With the 2012 presidential election quickly approaching, the necessity for Obama to please more people is at an all time high.  In a recent speech, Obama made a strong statement in response to attempts to pull money from Medicare and Medicaid.  According to the White House fact sheet, “The President will veto any bill that takes one dime from the Medicare benefits seniors rely on without asking the wealthiest Americans and biggest corporations to pay their fair share.”

Obama’s threat will likely displease many. Though it seems unambiguous, it insinuates that he will accept taking money from the elderly on Medicare as long as the wealthy accept an increased tax.  The statement’s implication will not be looked upon favorably by the president’s supporters. The issue surrounding taking away the Bush tax cuts has been increasingly causing disgruntlement among the Republican party since Obama’s 2008 campaign, and his threat is likely to provoke his opponents even more.

The time for claims of this magnitude has past, and it is far too late to be addressing such a split Congress with threats.  Up until this point in time, Obama’s statements have lacked such a strong position, and because a vast amount of his past threats have never truly come to fruition, he has lost a great deal of credibility.

Obama’s current position is not altogether unlike that of Jimmy Carter at the same point in his term—by the end of his time in office, hardly anyone was willing to believe Carter’s statements regardless of whether or not they held any merit.  Time will only tell, as the 2012 presidential campaign becomes more intense, whether or not Obama’s time in office will mirror Carter’s one term presidency.

Tags:

 Email This Post        Print This Post