As President Obama’s term ends, what are the results of his eight
years in the White House?
1.
Chinese,
Russian, Iranian aggression increased
§ In response to President Obama’s policies of
reducing American military spending, and pulling back on military deployments
overseas (he unilaterally withdrew all U.S. tanks from Europe, a move he was
later to force to partially rescind due to the Kremlin’s aggression) China,
Russia, Iran, and terrorists became more militant and active. In the largest
military effort on European soil since the end of World War 2, Moscow invaded the
Ukraine. There was no significant American response. Now Russia has
adopted a more threatening posture towards other European nations.
§ Similarly, when China invaded the Philippine
economic zone, the White House didn’t even lodge a diplomatic protest.
China now regularly engages in lawless activities.
§ After eliminating sanctions on Iran in return
for its limited and unverifiable promise not to develop nuclear weapons for the
next few years, Tehran has become far more belligerent at sea and in its development
of missile technology.
§ Following the President’s premature withdrawal
of U.S. forces from Iraq, ISIS was able to grow to enormous size.
2. Nuclear proliferation spreading
Using similar logic and tactics that failed to rein in North
Korea’s nuclear program, the results of the fatally flawed Iran nuclear
agreement have resulted in a nuclear arms race in the Middle East. In Asia,
America’s decreased position has made regional nations seriously consider the
acquisition of nuclear weapons.
3.
Relations
with allies deteriorated
Washington’s relations with the United Kingdom were
intentionally downgraded almost immediately after Mr. Obama took office.
Antimissile agreements with Poland were pulled back. American support for
Israel was reversed. The White House encouraged the ouster of a pro-western
regime in Egypt in favor of Islamic extremists. The Anti-Islamic extremist
government in Libya was overthrown with American assistance, for reasons that
remain unclear. The Philippines were abandoned to their fate with the Chinese
Navy.
4.
Loss
of US nuclear supremacy
The New START Treaty gave Moscow, for the first time in history,
a lead in nuclear weapons. Mr. Obama failed to support urgently needed
modernization of America’s nuclear deterrent.
5.
US
armed forces demoralized and diminished
In addition to reducing the budget for the U.S. military, the
outgoing president initiated personnel moves, including the forced retirement
of key personnel both in command and enlisted positions, diminishing and
demoralizing the armed forces.
6.
Afghanistan
about to be lost
In a rejection of common-sense military strategy, Mr. Obama
announced a withdrawal date from Afghanistan. Rejecting long-standing
U.S. policy, he opened up negotiations with the Taliban terrorists, who stand
poised to retake control.
7.
Middle
East descent into chaos
The President’s premature withdrawal of American forces from
Iraq created a vacuum that allowed ISIS and other terrorists groups to gain
power. The resulting chaos has allowed both Iran and Russia to become the major
power brokers in the region.
8.
Integrity
of key branches of government seriously compromised
Both the Department of Justice and the Internal Revenue Service
became involved in partisan political squabbles, essentially serving as
enforcers for leftist causes. Significant control of the Environmental
Protection Agency was given to nonelected, non-appointed partisans.
9.
Race
relations at lowest point in half a century
Mr. Obama, as America’s first black president, had a unique
opportunity to bring the nation together. Instead, he fanned the flames
of racial tension.
10. Middle class devastated
The Pew Research Center reveals that “The American middle
class is losing ground in metropolitan areas across the country, affecting
communities from Boston to Seattle and from Dallas to Milwaukee. From 2000 to
2014 the share of adults living in middle-income households fell in 203 of the
229 U.S. metropolitan areas examined in a new Pew Research Center analysis of
government data. The decrease in the middle-class share was often substantial,
measuring 6 percentage points or more in 53 metropolitan areas, compared with a
4-point drop nationally. The shrinking of the middle class at the national
level, to the point where it may no longer be the economic majority in the
U.S., was documented in an earlier analysis by the Pew Research Center. The changes
at the metropolitan level, the subject of this in-depth look at the American
middle class, demonstrate that the national trend is the result of widespread
declines in localities all around the country.” The reason for the recent
decline of the U.S. middle class and the general weakness in the U.S. economy
is not the result of a cyclical downturn in business, or the bursting of a
bubble. It is not a reflection of the 2007—2009 recession. It is
the specific result of federal tax and spending practices which ignore the
needs of the private sector, and redirects federal dollars away from essential
needs such as economic growth, defense and infrastructure and towards
entitlements (but NOT Social Security of Medicare.)
11. Decent paying jobs slashed
The president’s policies served to discourage the private sector
from hiring or retaining full time employees. The Affordable Care Act
(Obamacare) which excluded employees working under 30 hours a week from
employer coverage was a major factor.
12. Health care system damaged
The financial structure of Obamacare never was realistic, a fact
that even its architect, Jonathon Gruber, subsequently admitted. Now the nation
must undo the damage done.
13. Vast increase in national debt with nothing to
show for it
The national debt has nearly doubled since the President took
office. There is, unfortunately, almost nothing to show for all that
spending. America’s infrastructure needs remain unaddressed, the military
is underfunded, poverty rates haven’t dropped, the middle class is struggling,
and more businesses are closing than opening.
14. Constitution damaged
Mr. Obama famously announced that he “Couldn’t wait for Congress
to act,” even though he was legally required to work with them. He
violated provisions of the Constitution mandating Senate approval of key
international moves, using the technique of labelling international deals as
“agreements” instead of “treaties.”
15. Contagious diseases reintroduced through lax
border control
The President clearly remained disinterested in limiting illegal
immigration. One result of Lax controls on the border was the
re-introduction of contagious diseases that had long ago been eradicated in the
U.S. A Breitbart report noted: “A February 2015 report of
the Southern Medical Association cautioned that, since none of the 700,000
illegal entries have been screened for infectious diseases, “Illegal
immigration may expose Americans to diseases that have been virtually
eradicated but are highly contagious, as in the case of TB.” The association
concluded that despite the efforts of the CDC, “There’s a growing health
concern over illegal immigrants bringing infectious diseases into the United
States.”
16. Black poverty at epidemic levels
A Townhall and Gateway Pundit analysis reveals: What
about poverty? In 2009, when Obama took office, the black poverty
rate was 25.8 percent. As of 2014, according to Pew Research Center, the black
poverty rate was 27.2 percent. What about income? CNNMoney says,
“Minority households’ median income fell 9 percent between 2010 and 2013,
compared to a drop of only 1 percent for whites.” The Financial Times wrote
last October: “Since 2009, median non-white household income has dropped by
almost a 10th to $33,000 a year, according to the U.S. Federal Reserve’s survey
of consumer finances. As a whole, median incomes fell by 5 percent. But by the
more telling measure of net wealth — assets minus liabilities — the numbers
offer a more troubling story.” What about net worth and the
black-white “wealth gap”? The Financial Times said: “The median
non-white family today has a net worth of just $18,100 — almost a fifth lower
than it was when Mr. Obama took office.”
17. Internet oversight passed to nations that
believe in censorship
For reasons that have yet to be made public, President Obama
transferred control of a key portion of the internet out of American hands and
into those of an international body comprised of many members who believe in
censorship. He did so in clear defiance of Congress, which had prohibited the
use of any funds being spent for the purpose.
18. law enforcement discredited
In unprecedented fashion, President Obama has consistently
criticized police officers every time a potentially racially-tinged event
occurred. He has done so even before all the facts are clear. In a FOX
interview, Milwaukee Sheriff David A. Clark Jr., who is black, stated: “war had
been declared on the American police officer led by some high profile people,
one of them coming out of the White House, and one coming out of the United
States Department of Justice…”
19. Nation more divided than at any time since the
civil war
In July, the Washington Post noted “The sense that America is more divided
than it used to be is backed by hard data. There’s been a sharp spike in the
contempt that partisans express for their opponents, according to Pew Research Center polling. More than 4 in 10 Democrats and
Republicans say the other party’s policies are so misguided that they pose a
threat to the nation.” During his time in office, the President engaged in the
rough and tumble “Chicago Way” politics, using government facilities for
partisan purposes and ignoring the considerations and ideas of those he
disagreed with.
20. Manned space program in hibernation
President Obama prematurely ended the Space Shuttle program,
then eliminated what had been scheduled to replace it as America’s manned space
effort. He changed NASA’s budgetary focus from human exploration to endeavors
mean.t to bolster his climate change beliefs.
Frank Vernuccio serves as editor-in-chief of the New York Analysis
of Policy & Government (website usagovpolicy.com). He is the co-host of the
syndicated radio program, Vernuccio/Novak Report, and is also a contributor to
Fox News. His columns appear in many newspapers. After graduating Hofstra Law
School, he was a legislative editor for a major publishing company, then served
in both Republican and Democrat Administrations. Following the 9/11 attack, he
was appointed to run the hard-hit Manhattan branch of the New York State
Workers Compensation Board.
No comments:
Post a Comment