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Adam Friedman's recent article, “Audacity of Hope?” was well-written and touched upon President Obama’s State of the Union Address, criticizing Obama for his “lackluster” performance and comparing him to Jimmy Carter, one of the least favorable presidents in U.S. history. This perception of Obama among his critics has been blown out of proportion. Unemployment is not an issue that can be solved in a couple of weeks, and Obama is only in the first year of his term. While criticism is warranted for a neophyte president, it needs to be put in context.
I voted for Obama during the presidential elections. After hearing his acceptance speech, I thought that things would turn around. At the time, I had as much hope as any fellow Democrat for the future of this country. My father had just been laid off, only several months after he had switched jobs. For months, I would arrive home and see him sitting at a computer desk, updating his resume. Though he did have some interviews, he never came out of them optimistically. Clearly, I had reason to be anxious. I secured a job to support myself and relieve some of the financial burden of my father’s unemployment. My father is still unemployed, but I cannot bring myself to blame Obama for this.
The national unemployment rate is still high. However, Obama’s administration was not responsible for causing the recession. That blame should be left to the previous administration. Critics might reply to this by claiming that the blame game can only go so far, and I agree. At some point, a president needs to take responsibility for whatever the economic or political environment is during his tenure. Obama has not shied away from this responsibility, and one cannot dispute the amount of hard work he has put into trying to solve the problems facing our country. Should we blame Obama unilaterally for trying his hardest to solve one of the worst financial crises to have ever hit America? Who are we to say that he has not accomplished enough?
Having heard enough criticism of Obama and his administration, I think it is time that we need to face the facts. For a bit over a year, Obama has continually tried varying approaches in a valiant but desperate attempt to get this country out of the recession. Congress seems never to be able to reach a compromise that will allow Obama's ideas to pass through legislature.
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