President-elect Barack Obama

Certain members of Nakadashi, me included, had always had an interest in current affairs, politics and to a lesser extend, economics. We had always wanted to do some articles commenting upon such topics, but we did not know when and where to start. The US Presidential Elections provided us with the perfect springboard to give our Discussion category a proper launch, and so here we are, with our first serious post in a hopefully growing collection of current affair related articles. No, I do not count the Judo-Putin article as a serious post, and really, neither should you.

Before I go on, perhaps I should say upfront that this article talks about Serious Business. If you are politically aware, then it will interest you greatly, and we look forward to healthy discussions via your comments. If you are not politcally aware, then this article will bore you to death and revive you only to bore you again. You have been warned.

In case you are not aware, Senator Barack Obama has just won the 56th United States Presidential Elections. He is now the President-Elect, expected to take office on 20th January 2009 as the 44th President of the United States. Now, while all US Presidential Elections have always been spectacular affairs, some aspects separate this particular election from the rest. For a start, never in recent history has the Democrats’ presidential nomination been so closely and bitterly fought.

Then of course, there is the election of a non-Caucasian candidate to the White House…a historic first that will radically change the previously racially-exclusive nature of US Presidential elections and at the same time, signal the gradually-changing mindset of the average American. Abraham Lincoln would be most pleased.

Yet, even as Mr Obama victoriously steps into the Oval Office, he would do well to break out the history books and consult the sections detailing the life of another Democratic Party President. This particular President took over the reins of power from a deeply unpopular Republican President, and obtained his election victory on a platform of recovery, since the Presidential election took place at a time that saw America deep in the throes of an economic depression. Sounds familiar?

Happily, this same President eventually led his country along the road of recovery with a series of innovative programs that continued playing an important role in the US in the present day. Yes, I am talking about Franklin Delanor Roosevelt, the 32nd President of the United States and the person responsible for the New Deal, which are a series of programs that he initiated in order to help America recover from the Great Depression of the 1930s.

Let’s put aside the fact that he practically won WWII for the Allies…

As hinted earlier, the circumstances surrounding Mr Obama’s election is remarkably similar to that of Mr Roosevelt’s. Both took over from unpopular Republican Presidents, both obtained victory from a platform of change/reform and recovery, and most importantly, both Presidents enjoy a significant advantage: Total Democratic dominance over both Congress and Senate.

This advantage, as all familiar with US politics will know, is immense. Democratic control over both Congress and Senate allowed Roosevelt to push forward his New Deal policies without Republican opposition, cutting down Congressional and Senatorial procedures and allowing Roosevelt to implement the New Deal with unprecedented speed. In fact, the term “First 100 Days” was coined to describe the whirlwind of political activities and changes that immediately followed Roosevelt’s election, during the first 100 days of his Presidency.

Now, Mr Obama will enjoy very much the same advantage, allowing him to implement any new recovery policies with practically no Republican interference. His own “First 100 Days” will be interesting to see, especially with the weight of world expectations resting upon his shoulders. The stakes are high…in this age of instant information transfers, any success will immediately increase the prestige of both Mr Obama and the United States, and consequently restore a measure of confidence in the American, and thus, the world economy. Conversely, a false step will swiftly bring high hopes crashing down, inducing a further economic downturn.

Of course, there will be no other bogeyman to blame this time round, since the Democrats are in control of both Congress and Senate and thus cannot claim to have been hindered by Republican opposition; all fingers will be pointing squarely at the Democratic Party and Mr Obama. With great power comes great responsibility, and we will soon see that saying in action.

The resemblance of the circumstances surrounding Mr Obama’s and Mr Roosevelt’s election victory ends here. In fact, if anything, Mr Obama’s challenges will prove to be even bigger than the ones faced by Mr Roosevelt. After all, Mr Obama has to manage, and hopefully end, an unpopular war in Iraq and Afghanistan while continuing the ongoing conflict against terrorism, both issues that Mr Roosevelt never had to contend with when he first got elected. With the vaunted American military might stymied in the Middle East and American credibility suffering from the mistakes of the previous Administration, President Obama will find himself with more to do than perhaps any other recent newly-elected Presidents.

But that’s fine. Mettle is only truly tested in adversity, and previous American Presidents that passed the test have since carved their name into the annals of history as great leaders. Examples include Abraham Lincoln and his abolition of slavery and his victory in the American Civil War, Franklin Delano Roosevelt with his New Deal and his leadership of Allied forces to ultimate victory over the Axis Powers in World War II, Harry S. Truman with the Marshall Plan and the Truman Doctrine, Dwight D. Eisenhower with his Interstate Highway System and last but not least, John F. Kennedy’s show of courage with the Cuban Missile Crisis.

President-Elect Obama has a real chance of joining that illustrious list, making history not just as the first black American President, but as the President who led modern America out of the severe economic, military and political rut that it is in, and restoring world confidence in America as the only current world superpower. Let us hope, for both his and the world’s sake, that he does not waste his chance.

This is Julius Firefocht, signing off.