jueves, 5 de junio de 2014

Why I no longer like Obama




There was a time I liked Obama. Although I am a conservative and would have preferred to see John McCain in the White House, I was not particularly sad to see Obama win the presidency. I felt the U.S. was ready for a black president (where did Colin Powell go?) and I felt Obama sounded both articulate and idealistic. However, at this point in time, with Obama already well into his second term, I feel he has not lived up to expectations, becoming too much of a populist for my taste. And when I say populist I am thinking of the very negative connotation of this term in my native language, Spanish, which equals it to demagoguery, the empty words of politicians who promise the moon knowing that they will not be able to deliver it. The social policies of Obama, such as Obamacare, have that ring to it. However, where he looks weakest is in the realm of foreign policy. He has failed to assert U.S. democratic values in the world, making undue concessions to autocratic governments and failing to act decisively in crises such as the ones in Syria and Egypt. His answer to the Hitler-like annexation of Crimea by Putin has been extremely mild. The indifference he has shown to Latin American issues has been only comparable to that of Richard Nixon.    
His posture regarding the Venezuelan tragedy illustrates this point. In the U.S. Congress a bipartisan bill that would empower the Obama administration to compile a list of human rights abusers in the Venezuelan government, freeze their assets and ban them from the United States has already been passed by the Foreign Relations committees of both houses and by the House of Representatives. In a significantly polarized political environment, where bipartisan action is no longer frequent, this bill has received full support from Republicans and Democrats alike.
However, the Obama administration is opposing this action. In a recent meeting of the Committee Of Foreign Relations of the Senate the inept Undersecretary of State for Latin America, Mrs. Roberta Jacobson, was asked by Senators Rubio and Menendez about the reasons for the inaction of the U.S. government regarding Venezuela and she said that some members of the Venezuelan opposition had asked them not to sanction the Venezuelan government officers involved in human rights violations. Days after she had testified in this manner, under oath, she retracted her testimony and said that no members of the Venezuelan opposition had made such a request. She added that the U.S. government did not approve of enforcing sanctions against the members of the Venezuelan regime, since such an action would “harm the outcome of the dialogue” between the Venezuelan government and the opposition. In fact, this dialogue has never had possibilities for success, since the Venezuelan government is clearly using it  as a strategy to defuse the strong popular street protests.   
Obviously the Obama administration has no intentions of enforcing sanctions against the Venezuelan regime, if they can help it. They believe that the government of Venezuela, although undemocratic, is preferable to the political instability that, according to them, would erupt in Venezuela with a change in regime. In doing this they are prepared, not only to sacrifice the well-being of Venezuelans fighting for democracy, but also the principles and values which have made the US an icon of freedom. 
In failing to act against the corrupt and authoritarian Venezuelan regime President Obama has broken away from his promises to the American people. In his first inauguration speech he said: “we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals.  Our Founding Fathers -- (applause) -- our Founding Fathers, faced with perils that we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man -- a charter expanded by the blood of generations.  Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience sake”. In his second inauguration speech he stated: We will support democracy from Asia to Africa, from the Americas to the Middle East, because our interests and our conscience compel us to act on behalf of those who long for freedom”.
The posture of the U.S. government regarding Venezuela so far does not honor these words.

In parallel with the reticence shown by Obama to act against the Venezuelan regime, an expensive and all-out propaganda campaign has been launched in the U.S., paid by the Venezuelan regime, incorporating numerous hired guns and groups that have traditionally sided with the leftist dictatorships in the hemisphere. In spite of this costly propaganda effort the Venezuelan regime is losing the battle of public opinion, not only in the U.S but also in other countries of the world.  

9 comentarios:

Anónimo dijo...

Pathological LIAR, incompetent Marxist con artist, a demagogue who instills and uses race hatred as a weapon. Idiotic, misguided foreign policy that has cost the US friends like Egypt and brought suffering and death. Supports the massacre of Christians by aiding the Syrian rebels, destroyed the stability of Libya. Used government agencies to attack political enemies (Tea Party, Gibson Guitars), views any opposition to his views as a hate crime, supports radical Islam, refuses to sanction or criticize any Marxist regime as repressive (Cuba, Venezuela) has no coherent economic policy (doesn't want the economy to improve-makes more escualidos (Maduro?)? Refuses to secure the violent US border because he sees illegal aliens as potential Democratic voters, used proxies to attack the 22nd amendment so he can be president for life (Hugo, Correa?) Said it was immoral to raise the debt ceiling and then produced the highest deficits in history, in short consistently violates his oath of office and his responsibilities to the country. Tries to subvert US energy independence and related job creation, Intent only on pushing left-wing, anti-American ideology and not really interested in anything else. Thought he was the next Hugo Chavez leading the shitty hate-inspired revolution for a bunch of brainwashed sheep bought with promises and handouts. Allows Russian invasion of Crimea (another aggression like 1962 and 1979 because he is perceived of as weak by the Russians). Can't even write his own books, needs a communist terrorist to do that (Ayers).

Anónimo dijo...

Aparte de lo que Ud. dice, creo que el gobierno de Obama está actuando precisamente contra sus principios fundadores, de manera oportunista.

Algunos analistas dicen que se hacen los suecos con la situación venezolana porque temen que sí Venezuela se democratiza, y salen los cubanos y se acaba la regaladera a Cuba, el régimen de los Castro se derrumba y vendría una oleada de inmigraciòn que pondría una carga pesada sobre la ya atribulada economía. ¿No sería más bien lo contrario, que una Cuba en transición atraería inversión y se modernizaría sin provocar ese efecto sobre la economía gringa?

Realpolitik la llaman. Yo la llamo sinvergüenzura y miopía. Saludos

Anónimo dijo...

P.S:: Soy el segundo anónimo. Con rspecto a lo que dice el primer anónimo, se me olvidó agregar el torpe intercambio del soldado sospechoso de ser desertor por los terroristas presos en Guantánamo. Pésimo precedente.

Anónimo dijo...

Hurt me to see how the Presidente Obama has ignored the Venezuela situation for the past 8 years, allowing the communist to spread out right in our backyard? There have been plenty red flags indicating all the illegal business the Venezuela government has been involved with communist countries (Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Russia and China) and the US remains disengaged on this issue.

I was expecting United States stands up for the democracy and human rights all around the world; otherwise we don’t practice what we preach.

Jacob Sulzbach dijo...

 
Gustavo,
 
As I think you already know, I have never liked Obama because I saw three things in him from the beginning; his political allies here in the U.S. were a group to be feared, his domestic policies have fostered misguided social justice programs that defied economic reality--which have predictably created more social injustice in our country in their wake, and his foreign policy urged American acceptance of Euro-Leftist "Multi-Polarism," which has always represented an American retreat from supporting democracy and human rights as universal values abroad in favor of a new international order that renames "Spheres of Influence" as "Polar Centers of Power."

Betrayal is the essence of Obama's presidency and it extends to every level of the exercise of his mandate.
 

Anónimo dijo...

How can a poor Syrian Christian believe that a supposed Christian nation (The US) is paying Muslims to slaughter them!!!? And it's called foreign policy in the US interest by this Muslim-loving idiot who claims to be a Christian?!

Alitas Allie dijo...
Este comentario ha sido eliminado por el autor.
Charly dijo...

Obama is nothing but an Afro-American version of Jimmy Carter, peanuts vendors.

Gustavo Coronel dijo...

I said a black president, as a way to minimize racial tensions in the country. I di not say Obama. In fact I liked Colin Powell much better.
I will be hppy to exchange views with your husband, Alitas,
Gusatvo