Upon his election in 2008, the world seemed to roar with approval for President Obama. “Obamamania” went wild across the globe, as he had sold them on the notion that he was nothing like his predecessor. But why were other nations so receptive to the hope and change that Obama promised? Quite simply, they could relate to it.
Europeans have acclimated themselves to socialism over the years, and for the most part, they are not protesting paying more than 60 percent of their income to the government. Redistribution of wealth is and has been a reality for them. The reason Europeans like Obama is because they believe he holds similar political values. Europeans are used to big government, and are willing to sacrifice some of their freedom as a result.
On the other hand, Americans have become accustomed to the freedoms established in the Constitution. We are a society based on individual rights and the ability to run our own lives. These principles have gradually been washed away by the growth of the welfare state, but are nonetheless guaranteed in our constitution, and more importantly, are supported by the general public.
Blind to the principles of our nation and to basic arithmetic, Obama dreams that the state can take care of everybody and become a European-style socialist state. He is only concerned about the lower class and lacks a complete economic perspective. As a former community organizer, he has experience in breaking the banks and spreading the wealth around. Democrats mocked the Republicans for their use of the “Joe the Plumber” incident during the 2008 campaign, but Obama has shown his true colors in the past few months. Although he claims that he’s giving everyone a fair start, he really only wants to be a modern-day Robin Hood. After all, who’s going to pay for all the federal subsidies of Obamacare?
And while Obama has appealed to the masses overseas, he has been blind to the wishes of his own citizens. A recent CNN poll reported that almost 60 percent of Americans would like to repeal Obamacare. Another warning sign to the American public is the support of communist dictators such as Fidel Castro that applaud Obama’s public policy.
Amidst this resistance, Obama has disregarded the political integrity of his office. His commanding orders to liberals in Congress have induced bribery and intimidation. He believes he knows what’s best for the people, and in using the tactics of his radical role model — Saul Alinsky — he will do whatever it takes to get what he wants. He rallied like a madman for his health care legislation and strategized with Pelosi and Reid about how to bypass conservatives. Since when did the presidency come to mean “community organizer-in-chief?”
At the same time, Obama has been blind to foreign policy. French President Sarkozy views him as weak, and informed him that “we live in a real world, not a virtual one.” Of course, Obama has discredited the importance of his allies. He recently announced that he will not attend the annual European Union summit. Rather than recognizing the potential to expand world trade and stimulate the American economy, President Obama only views foreign policy as a way to boost his popularity and ego. How will Obama maintain his State of the Union Address promise to double exports in the next five years? Last year, Obama took 10 foreign trips to 21 nations in order to enhance his international image and to apologize for America’s presence in the world. Yet, after a year in office, the Obama administration feels it should limit travel. What about all the time that he wasted on health care reform?
But the Obama administration is not stopping there. In another effort to promote his liberal image and stay true to his unrealistic promise of eliminating nuclear arms, Obama has signed a treaty with Russia to reduce nuclear weapons. By signing the newest START agreement, Obama is sending out an image of a weakened United States to our enemies.
The president may have good intentions, but he is engaging in the wrong type of diplomacy. He is dedicating his time to pet projects rather than looking at the bigger picture.
The presidency is a distinguished seat that is supposed to represent the will of the people and the core constitutional values of America. The Obama administration needs to understand that we are not Europe, or any other country for that matter; we are the “Land of the Free.” Perhaps he should take another glance at the U.S. Constitution.