President Obama and US Mid-term Election

[FagunerAgun]

As the US midterm election is in the offing, President Obama is becoming a great dilemma in managing expectations at home and abroad, to keep his own vessel afloat, either with a direction or not.

“The woman who told President Obama she was "exhausted" of defending him on CNBC on Tuesday set the tone for what has turned into a pretty bad week for Obama and his restless base.

"Quite frankly, I'm exhausted. Exhausted of defending you, defending your administration, defending the man for change I voted for, and deeply disappointed with where we are right now," Velma Hart told the president in a televised question and answer session told the president in a televised question and answer session, been told that I voted for a man who said he was going to change things in a meaningful way for the middle class. I'm one of those people and I'm waiting, sir, I'm waiting. I don't feel it yet."

Obama answered the question deftly, defusing the tension with a few jokes and then touting some of the legislative changes that he says will help her and other middle-class families.

But as Obama supporter Jesse Jackson told the Daily Beast, Hart looks like "canary in the mine" for Obama and his team, showing that even some of those who enthusiastically voted for him in 2008 are losing confidence, which may prevent them from going out and voting this November.

Then on Wednesday night, Obama was heckled by angry AIDS protesters at a Democratic fundraiser in New York--not usually a place where a Democratic president would have to worry about getting a hard time. (In other not-so-good news, the president couldn’t fill the spaces even with rock-bottom ticket prices.

Obama got annoyed with the protesters, who wanted more funding for AIDS prevention and treatment as well as a repeal of the military's ban on openly gay service. He said he had raised funding for AIDS prevention, and then said those angry about don't ask, don't tell would be better off mounting protests at GOP events.

"But hold on a second. But hold on a second. Think about--think about what happened in Congress two days ago where you got 56 Democrats voting to debate this issue, and zero Republicans. And as a consequence, some of those signs should be going up at the other folks' events," an Obama heckler said in that fund raising event.

Just last night, "Daily Show" host and frequent Obama-defender Jon Stewart told Fox News’ Bill O’Reilly that he's "saddened" that Obama hasn't done more to change Washington.

"I think people feel a disappointment in that there was a sense that Jesus will walk on water and now you are looking at it like, 'Oh look at that, he's just treading water’ I thought he'd do a better job," he said.

Meanwhile, if Stewart's disenchantment weren't enough of a blow, the artist Shepard Fairey, who had created the iconic "Hope" portrait of Obama during the 2008 campaign, told the National Journal in an interview today that, while he still regards Obama favorably, he has felt some "disappointment" with the president's performance as well. The younger voters who flocked to Obama's campaign "wanted somebody who was going to fight against the status quo, “Fairey told Aamer Madhani of the National Journal’s Hotline blog”. "And I don't think that Obama has done that." -- an excerpt from Yahoo.com.

In restructuring Wall Street strategically and applying stricter regulations and enforcement, he almost failed. Furthermore, Stock Markets around the globe tumbled few times when he announced his financial regulations. But despite all odds, I think, President Obama did a wonderful job.

Obama hectically put a fast hand bandage on the ailing health care - the burning issue for the Democrat voters, thus he created so many disgruntled ones.

Rate cuts, tax cuts, payroll tax cuts, stimulus packages, nothing seemingly are working well for Obama through this dire financial crisis, instead, US national debt has skyrocketed.

The 2008 US Presidential election was a euphoria not only for the US, but also for the whole world, more than usual; the world was watching the election and treating Obama as a US President for change.

But the first disappointment came to the world, at least most of the world, when Obama appointed some of the people of Bush era in some key positions in Washington, thus, as many people think, Obama continues the left over of Bush administration under a new and enchanting camouflage of ‘time for change’ – a great disappointment for the world specially for the ME.

The world was optimistic that Obama would be able to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian crisis, would withdraw from the occupied Iraq and give a better solution and leadership to divided and civil war-torn Afghanistan.

The world understands these ME crises are very complicated, but what the world wants to see is the beginning of something positive and sustainable to these crises.

Obama fell short in providing a unique and strategic leadership to Global Financial Crises, and to other issues like AIDS and Environment; the way this world expects from a US President.

May be, Obama will show the world how different are the oratory and the real life of a US President.

Despite all these ‘failures’ and ‘negativities’, I hope Obama will go through the mid-term election well, if not, then there will be even a bigger problem and mess in US politically and financially, and parts of the world may tumble. And I am sure, to win this time, Obama must show something real other than his superb oratory more at home than abroad. He may go to the voters, and say, “Think, if you do not vote for me, what will happen”.

At least, ‘time for a real change’ is over for now.