President Obama re-elected: New mandate, newer challenges

Challenges Ahead For President Obama

Yuba Nath Lamsal

The US presidential election has become a global election in two ways. Firstly, US citizens living every corner of the world can participate in the election to choose their president. Secondly, the US election is watched globally because the US election has its global impact and implication. As the only super power, the United States has its global stake and presence and the change of leadership in the White House not only brings about changes in the US domestic policy but also sends ripples worldwide.

Several issues dominated the electoral debate in the US presidential election this year in which President Barak Obama won by a slight margin against his Republican challenger Mitt Romney. Economic issue was by far the strongest and most pressing one as the US economy is in history’s worst recession that has rendered tens of millions people jobless. American voters, therefore, scrutinized the economic policies of both the candidates more meticulously than anything else. Both Obama and Romney had promised to bring about change in the US economy and create more jobs. But voters trusted Obama more than Romney and gave Democrats four more years to rule the mightiest country in the world.

Economy was, indeed, the primary concern for the American voters and major factor that dominated the entire US presidential election campaign— world’s longest election campaign, which did play crucial role in changing the pattern of the election results. It was true that Obama had not been able to accomplish what he had promised four years ago when he was elected to the White House first time in 2008. There are many Americans who are not happy with the way the Obama administration handled the economic crisis. It is this reason why President Obama secured only a slim margin over Romney in terms of popular votes. But Romney’s prescriptions for curing US economic ills, too, were not promising.

If we look at the voting pattern, economic policy was not the sole determinant factor in this election. The changing demographic pattern in the US helped Democrats. The large percent of Latino (South Americans in general and Mexicans in particular) population favored Obama and democrats simply because they are more liberal and friendly to immigrants and non-white population including African Americans, Hispanic people, and Asians. In contrast, Republicans are more conservatives and less accommodative to non-whites, Asians, African Americans and Latino population.

Immigration reform is a big and controversial political issue which has taken a center stage in the contemporary political debate in America. This is mainly because of the presence of more than 12 million undocumented (illegal) immigrants in the country. The Democratic Party have been advocating comprehensive immigration reforms, under which President Obama favors a legal pathway to citizenship to the undocumented immigrants, who have been living and working in the United States for years without valid documents. Republicans and Mitt Romney were against the comprehensive immigration reforms and legal pathway to undocumented aliens, which antagonized Asians and Latino voters during the election. Over 75 per cent Asian Americans and Latin/Hispanic Americans voted for Barrack Obama. Similarly, over 90 per cent African Americans cast their vote for President Obama. The demographic pattern in the US continues to change with non-white population rising rapidly.

Already almost 30 per cent, the non-white population is expected to grow further and it will be a determent factor in the US election in future. If Republic Party ignores this fact and continues to pursue its anti-immigrant (if not racial) policy, it will have to pay a big political price in future. It, thus, bodes for Republican to change their anti-immigrant policy and back the comprehensive immigration reform policy in order to accommodate undocumented immigrants.  It should be taken into notice and knowledge that the United States is a country built by the immigrants and it should adopt immigrant friendly policies and laws so that aliens are not harassed and exploited in a country of Abraham Lincoln. The Democratic Party is well aware of this reality but Republicans seem to be more anti-immigrants and racial which has already cost them dearly. Way back in 70s, Republican President Ronald Reagan had announced a mass amnesty to all undocumented aliens, which helped the Republicans to control the White House for continued 12 years until Bill Clinton defeated George Bush senior. If Republicans were to regain the White House, they need do some deep soul searching in their policy and stance on several issues especially on matters concerning immigrants and immigration reforms.

Some other factors, too, did play the role in bringing the election result into Democrats’ fold. The gender issue figured prominently in this election in the US more than any time in the past. Majority of women voters seemed to have favored Democratic Party and President Obama. On gender issue, too, Democrats are more liberal compared to the Republican Party and its presidential candidate Mitt Romney. The issue concerning abortion right also had some role in female voting pattern. Democratic Party is pro-choice and the Republicans are against it. Pro-choice groups became extra active during the election to appeal the women voters to cast their ballots and make sure that Obama won. The electoral analysis shows that women constitute more than half of the electorates in the United States. Majority of female voters were found to have favored the Democratic Party and helped re-elect Barrack Obama.

 Although foreign policy figured prominently during the presidential debate, it had not much influence on the voters. Most Americans did not take foreign policy into consideration while voting. Foreign policy was a matter of concern more for the people outside the US border than the American citizens, except a small group. Although liking and disliking of the people outside America do not matter in the US presidential election, Obama was a better choice for most of the world, except, perhaps, Israel.  In the first place, Obama was a familiar face with whom world leaders have already worked for four years and they knew his mind, heart and style of working. Moreover, Obama was more accommodative to the world than his Republican challenger, which he proved during his four years in the White House. For both allies and enemies of the United States, Obama was, therefore, a better choice than Republican candidate Mitt Romney. Even for the arch critics of the United States like Iran, Cuba, Venezuela and North Korea alike, Obama could be better and more accommodative than hawkish Republicans. However, Israel could be an exception. Tel Aviv’s choice could be hawkish White House than the dovish Democrats because of its geo-political vulnerability surrounded by anti-Zionist forces.

Although his record in tackling domestic issues is not what American citizens had expected earlier, his performance in foreign policy front is definitely better and more noticeable. He has already done what he had promised in Iraq by withdrawing US combat troops from the war-ravaged region. Now the democratically elected Iraqi government has been in place and entrusted with the responsibility of maintaining Iraq’s security in which, it has, to a large extent, been successful. Secondly, US war on terror has achieved some degree of success with smashing and weakening international terrorist network of Al Qaeda and its allies all over the world. The capture and killing of Al Qaeda mastermind Osama bin Laden did mark some degree of morale boosting success in tackling international terrorism for President Obama.

There are some conflict spots in the world in which the United States has much stake and obligation. Middle East remains to be a flash point of conflict with Israel and Palestine still not in comfortable relationship. Syria is in trouble due to ongoing uprising against Bashar al Assad regime. Egyptian democratic change has not yet been stabilized and institutionalized. Arab Spring continues to flare up in several other countries of the Middle East and North Africa with demand of democratic change and reforms. Iran’s nuclear ambition has remained a global matter of concern. The tension in the North China Sea and East China Sea is also likely to have negative repercussion not only in East Asia and the Pacific region but also in the whole world as the tension, if it further flares up, may disturb the freedom of sea navigation in the Strait of Malacca, which is said to be the life line for trade between the East Asia and the rest of the world. 

These are some of the challenges that the United States under President Barrak Obama needs to be tackled with more maturity and flexibility. President Obama’s crucial test lies to keep the promises he has made to the American citizens during the election campaign that include the revival of ailing US economy and comprehensive immigration reforms allowing more than 12 million undocumented aliens a legal pathway to US citizenship. At the same time, his ability to handle the sensitive international affairs only fostering US security and its broader interests and also ensuring greater security, peace, and prosperity of the world will determine the success and failure of Obama presidency.