Latest update April 25th, 2024 12:59 AM
Nov 08, 2014 Letters
DEAR EDITOR,
The Republicans have taken control of the Senate in the United States and have extended their majority in the House of Representatives. This is a major setback for the Obama administration which until November 4 was in control of the Senate.
Political analysts would no doubt come up with all kinds of explanations for the apparent surge in support for the Republican Party in the mid-term elections. But there is one factor which in my view cannot be ignored and that is that most Americans, in particular those in the low income category, did not place the same degree of interest in mid-term elections as they would normally do in the presidential race. This is manifested in lower than expected voter turnout, especially among the low and middle income segment of the electorate.
This gives Republicans a distinct advantage, especially in light of a larger turnout of elderly white voters who in the main tended to vote Republican.
Interestingly, recent polls taken showed that fifty-six percent of Americans still have an unfavourable view of the Republican Party and an even larger percent are dissatisfied with the performance of GOP leaders in Congress.
The outcome of the mid-term elections has certainly put President Obama in an even more difficult situation in terms of pushing through his legislative agenda. This could result in more gridlock, more obstructionist tactics and more procrastination in terms of decision making on the part of the current administration.
One policy measure that is connecting with Americans right across the political divide is that of raising the minimum wage, which has also been embraced by several Republican-controlled states. The depreciation of the US dollar over the years coupled with inflation is wreaking havoc on the standard of living of the average American worker, who is finding it increasingly difficult to make ends meet and is forced to do multiple jobs in order to survive.
It is interesting to see how this new configuration in Congress will play out. One thing for sure is that President Obama will have to find new ways to reach out to the Republican side of the House and try to arrive at some measure of consensus on important issues affecting the lives and well being of the American people.
Republicans, for their part, will need to ensure that they do not get power drunk and use their majority position to thwart the development agenda of the Obama administration. One can only hope that Republican leader Mitch McConnell would live up to his victory speech when he said that both sides have an obligation to work together on issues where they can agree.
And at a post-election meeting both President Obama and McConnell indicated their willingness to get past their previously frosty relationship to pass legislation on priorities on which they can both agree. President Obama has already indicated a desire to use his executive authority to press ahead with policy positions that could remove the threat of deportation from millions of undocumented workers.
The mid-term elections have come and gone, but the ideological underpinnings of the two parties will continue to be a deciding factor in the upcoming presidential race in another two years time.
There can be no doubt that there is some measure of political apathy among the electorate on fundamental issues such as high unemployment rates, sluggish economic growth, immigration, regional conflicts, and the rise of ISIS, among others.
All of this has led to a drop in the approval ratings of President Obama, which some analysts blame for the disappointing performance of Democratic candidates in the mid-term elections. Indeed, this is
one of the worst defeats suffered by Democrats in mid-term elections since the end of the Second World War, which goes to show the extent of popular resentment by Americans on the existing status quo.
My own view is that President Obama is being wrongly blamed for many of the ills afflicting the American people, which he inherited from his predecessor, such as the war on terror following the destruction of the World Trade Centre which eventually saw United States military intervention in Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan and other countries. The so-called Arab Spring has seen the removal of several Arab leaders, but in almost all of these countries there is political turmoil, with large parts of Libya and Syria being overtaken by ISIS forces.
President Obama has now continued the trend of his two predecessors who entered the White House with majority control of both the House and the Senate and lost control of both at mid-term elections. This is an indication of the fluidity and unpredictability of the political mood and voting behaviour among the electorate.
One fact that cannot be ignored, however, is the role of the media in terms of influencing voting behaviour. A good example is Fox News, which has been unrelenting in its attacks on Obama and his administration. Then there is the power of the purse and the role of big business in ensuring a Republican victory at the polls.
It remains to be seen how this new political dispensation would play out. One thing is certain: it will not be business as usual in Washington.
Hydar Ally
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