AS THE economy deteriorates further and the stock market remains in constant fluctuation, more Americans are laying blame upon President Obama. A September 2011 Gallup poll revealed that 53 percent of Americans place a "great deal or a moderate amount" of blame on Obama for the economic decline, a sharp increase from the 32 percent indicating that sentiment in the original Gallup poll conducted six months after Obama took office. Although it is understandable that people are going to play the blame game because of the high unemployment, it is unreasonable and illogical to hold a single person responsible for the current economic conditions.
Obama cannot single-handedly ruin an economy. Rather, a collection of political and economic mishaps have caused the current problem. Part of the blame rests with Congress, and specifically with the Republican and Democratic politicians who comprise it. Their sole ambition appears to be to blame the opposite party for everything, in addition to blatantly opposing any proposal the opposite party puts forward. Their lack of cooperation nearly has led the government to shut down twice in a single year.
The people are frustrated that Obama is not doing anything to force Congress to get its act together, but the executive power is not unlimited. The president cannot simply override Congress at will when the two parties are incapable of cooperation, nor should the President be expected to force Congress to behave like adults. The members of Congress should have the sense to realize that constant bickering will not solve the problem of the economy, nor reelect them.
The same September 2011 Gallup poll also revealed that although people place much blame on Obama for the economy, they place greater blame on Bush. Yet although Bush did make some bad decisions, some aspects of the economy such as the collapse of the housing market cannot be connected directly to him. The housing market problems were a consequence of low interests rates during the Clinton era, which encouraged people to obtain loans on houses they could not afford. When people were unable to pay their loans, the banks were affected. These same banks then had to be bailed out off debt by the government. It was a chain reaction of bad decisions involving banks and the federal government that led to a collapse of the housing market, which in turn affected the overall economy.
It is obvious that Obama has made mistakes as a leader. He himself admits that leadership involves "persuading people and giving them confidence and bringing them together, and setting a tone."
But the president has been attempting to accomplish too many goals and has alienated Congress. He has failed to persuade Congress of the worthiness of his endeavors.
The blame for the current economic condition should extend to Congress, Obama, the collapse of the housing market and former officials. It is unreasonable to place the blame solely on Obama or to actually assume that he could single-handedly turn around the economy. Politicians during campaigns make multiple promises in order to get elected. Very few of those politicians, however, successfully accomplish all their promises because of reasons ranging from lack of time to lack of Congressional support.
Meanwhile, voters are disillusioned, especially independent voters from the 2008 election. The problem is that people perceived Obama as a source of hope during the 2008 presidential election. Many elected him because they believed that he would put the United States on its feet again with a booming economy as was the case in the late 1990s. Now, with the economy still the same, these people are disappointed. And who better to blame than the leader, the person who promised change?
Yes, Obama has made mistakes as a leader. He has not fulfilled all his campaign promises. Yet the people must realize that he is not the sole cause of the nation's current economic malady.
Fariha Kabir is a Viewpoint writer for The Cavalier Daily.
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