Obama's Legacy Depends On Accomplishments

It’s a known fact that the President has no control over the circumstances under which they take office. I’m sure that Barack Obama never envisioned that he would be inaugurated during one of the United States’ most severe economic recessions, just as I’m positive that, say, Gerald Ford never expected to attain the presidency as a result of Richard Nixon’s infamous resignation. But, oh well; part of the office’s responsibilities include reacting to the social, economic, and political “curveballs’ that are thrown the country’s way. However, merely “reacting” isn’t enough.

 The President also needs to “set a course”, a course that will continue to make the United States relevant, secure, and functional in the coming decades. But that’s a task at which not all of our presidents have found themselves to be adept. Depending on whom one asks, certain presidents have actually left this country in worse condition than that in which they found it. That’s what Republicans say about…oh, we’ll say Jimmy Carter. But it’s also what Democrats in the Obama administration—including Barack Obama himself—seem to repeat ad nauseum about George W. Bush. But Mr. Obama would do well to be aware that his own administration is teetering on the knife’s edge between success and failure. Sure, they may have stabilized certain sectors of the economy (but the jobs are still hard to come by) and they may have succeeded in signing into law the most ambitious health care reform in America’s history (see you in 2014, reform); But the Obama White House will need to bring more cards than that to the table if they want to be remembered as anything more than a blip on the nation’s political radar.

 Now I won’t pretend to be an expert on anything, but here are some goals that I think the President and his administration should aim to accomplish:

• Make the United States energy independent. Or at least, get the ball effectively rolling. This is something that has been talked about since the days of Richard Nixon and nothing tangible has been accomplished. And thanks to BP’s deepwater fiasco, the stage has been uniquely set for the other shoe to drop and make some progress. Cap and trade seems to be where the discussion will start (and I think it has its advantages, but that’s another post), but really, at this point, anything should be on the table. Maybe there’s a deal that can be struck that combines cap and trade’s focus on new efficient technology with the self-provision of drilling offshore. Bottom line: this country needs to able to meet its own energy demands.
• Make more of tangible effort to reduce the budget deficit. Back in February of 2009, Peter Orzag, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, declared that the President would put America on “a sustainable financial course”. Make that step. The current deficits, no matter whose fault they are and no matter whether they are necessary or not, cannot be sustained over the long-term. Just like the United States can’t keep ordering out for its oil, it can’t keep having to have other countries own its debt. The President made a good step by removing some important budget “gimmicks” that brought hidden debt back into the budget. Now, he should complete the circle and clear that debt out. Maybe it means the government spends a little leaner, and maybe it may even mean some strategic revenue increases (yes, I mean taxes), but it has to be done.
• Close Guantanamo Bay. This one actually has nothing to do with how I feel on the matter. It has more to do with the fact that the President specifically vowed to close the controversial facility within a year of taking office. It’s been more than a year. Gitmo is still open and it’s really become a little bit of an embarrassing punchline. If the President gets it closed, it just might make people (at least some) take him a little more seriously.

We get it, Mr. President. You didn’t exactly inherit America at its best. But the time for pointing that out has passed, and the United States is getting impatient. If you want build up some equity with the general public, the best strategy is to cross important items off of America’s much-neglected “To Do” list. The aforementioned list includes just a few that I think can be achieved. But if 2 ½ more years pass by without any progress, the Obama White House might find itself on the wrong side of history’s memory.