Strategic Leadership: The Foreign Policy of Barack Obama Continued...

In a recent debate, presidential candidate Mitt Romney stated that he would follow the orders of his military advisors in making his military decisions. Based on this admission, how much differently would the Bin Laden assassination have happened if he were President? 

When Obama ordered Seal Team 6 to infiltrate the Osama Bin Laden compound and assassinate him, he went completely against what his advisers instructed him to do.

The moment the intelligence rolled in and we knew where Bin Laden was, the military's first response was to bomb the place, but Obama saw things differently. Taking into consideration the potential for civillian casualties and the fact that bombing the compound would destroy any evidence that Bin Laden was even there, he decided to take a much riskier --yet intelligent-- approach and used the expertise of the US Navy Seals. By taking this approach we were not only able to kill Bin Laden and obtain proof of his death, but also because he took charge in a sensitive situation, the lives of 23 children and their mothers were spared.

If Mitt Romney were President, he would have followed the advice of his advisers and 23 children would have been needlessly murdered and we would not have a shred of proof for Bin Laden's death.

From observing the Republican debates I think it is safe to say that if they were still in charge, they would have teamed up with Bibi Netanyahu by now and bombed the crap out of Iran and it is apparent from the irrationality of their rhetoric, that they are unsuited to lead America at such a critical time in global affairs. But what makes Obama different in this regard? 

What separates Obama from the Republican candidates who wish to replace him in 2012, is his ability to use diplomacy and international forces to get things done.

By working with the European Union to bring economic pressure to Iran to discontinue its nuclear program, Iran has been placed in a corner where it will eventually have no choice but to comply or commit economic suicide. Here is the Obama model for foreign policy: instead of trying to police the world all by yourself and blowing trillions of dollars to do it, get people to like you and want to work with you so you can make it an international effort.

Before Obama was President, we followed a series of unilateral decisions that not only didn't solve our problems, but created a great level of disdain for America among the international community. Because we have a pragmatic leader who is able to get the international community to work with him --in a way that the Republicans never could-- we have experienced a greater level of efficiency and success in our foreign affairs.

America faces a great crossroad at this moment in history and though most of us only see the economic problems our country faces, there are very serious challenges the US faces internationally that far overshadow our economic plight. By continuing the path we are following now through this tumultuous period in international affairs, we will be able to maintain peace internationally while still being tough on our enemies; however, if we put war-happy leaders in power who have pre-agreed to go to war with Iran, we will be placing the nation we love in great jeopardy.

Opportunity Economics and the American Dream Part 3

The reason economic opportunity is at a decline in America, is because of misplaced national priorities. We were told that if we distributed more wealth to the top income brackets, the wealth would trickle down and everyone would be better off. This has turned into a promise broken and we have seen that as income for the top 2% of income earners has grown by over 80%, the average worker's income has remained stagnant. With the pressure of inflation continually accumulating upon the working man's shoulders, the question we must ask is, do we blame the poor or do we blame the system that is clearly rigged against them?

We know the cause of the problem, just as we knew it after the Great Depression. And just as America needed a New Deal after the Great Depression, we need a New Deal today; a New Deal that allows every child to receive a quality education and an opportunity to succeed, regardless of their social status at birth. It is not about taking from the rich and giving to the poor, it is about providing a system that enables people to pull themselves out of poverty. Unfortunately, because of lies and propaganda we have sold our American Dream of social mobility for a system that has proven to be a nightmare for poor Americans. When are we going to stop blaming poor people for our problems and take back our American Dream? The Finns and the Swedes are living the American Dream today just as we did in the Post-War era, offering us a constant reminder of what America once was and can be again.

Even with all of the social progress that America has seen over the past several decades, it is evident that the politics of racism and divisiveness are seeking to creep back into our national discourse. I was disturbed but mostly heartbroken as I witnessed hundreds of Americans cheer and applaud flagrant racism and bigotry and my fear is that this could be the thing that holds America back from reclaiming its dream.

Opportunity Economics and the American Dream Part 2

Nelson Mandela once said, "Overcoming poverty is not a task of charity, it is an act of justice. Like Slavery and Apartheid, poverty is not natural. It is man-made and it can be overcome and eradicated by the actions of human beings.” Nelson Mandela's wisdom was based on experience. He was someone who experienced poverty but I don't think there is anyone who knows anything about Mandela who could possibly come to the conclusion that he lacked work ethic or believed in a society where everyone laid around and lived off of the government's teet. Just as anyone who has lived in poverty, he witnessed the causes of poverty first hand and when you understand the cause, you have the knowledge necessary to create the solution.

Liberals are often falsely characterized as wanting to end poverty by taking from the rich and giving to the poor and rewarding those who don't work with the spoils of those who do. This claim is one of the greatest lies ever promulgated by conservatives and it is designed to deter people from the real underlying socioeconomic issues. What Liberals really believe in, is an economic system based on opportunity for all and by avoiding the real question, Republicans have been able to completely bypass the ultimate reality of why the American Dream is turning into the American Nightmare. The reason for growing poverty in America is not the result of lacking work ethic, it is the net result of a deficit in economic opportunity.

There was a time not long ago when a person could be born in the poorest of circumstances and if they worked hard, they could make it into the middle or even upper class. It was a time when Americans trusted their government and the government was at the service of the people. During this time, America did big things like building an interstate highway system and landing on the moon. The reason America prospered was because there was an economic ladder put in place for people to pull themselves out of poverty and get a proper education. In short, America was a bottom up economy with a strong middle class where everyone prospered. Many Americans today say, "What happened to the day when a man could go to work for a factory and make enough money to support his family and even save a little money for his kids to go to college?"

The answer is conspicuous and requires only a simple observation of the correlation between the economic policies and trends of the past 30 years. The conservatives are desperately trying to convince a skeptical nation that the reason life is harder than it used to be is because of the excessive taxation and choking regulation placed on business owners by commie liberals. But if one makes the effort to place this empty claim under the microscope of reality, one will find that taxes for business owners are at historic lows and America is the fourth least regulated country on the planet. The reason for America's problems are much deeper than Conservatives want Americans to believe.

The Faith Crushing Liberal Guillotine of Destruction Continued...

Even more than the fact that he used the French Revolution and the guillotine as a scare tactic in his speech, the debate boils down to something much more dumb than the reference itself; it boils down to the extreme belief among many conservatives--including Surging Santorum--that birth control is just as immoral as abortion and should likewise be banned. To the average American this sounds preposterous but it is one of the great objectives of many social conservatives to engineer federal law to fit their narrow-minded value systems--even in the face of a country that does not agree with their bogus views. Moreover, Rick Santorum claims to be Pro-Life, but can a person who supports mass killing in the name of oil--under the masquerade of freedom--and who opposes a lifesaving resource for women--Planned Parenthood--truly consider himself Pro-Life?

I think the reason Rick Santorum hates Obama and Liberals so much is because he knows that the Democrats and institutions like Planned Parenthood have done more to prevent abortions than he and his Republican Party, who claims to be "Pro-Life," could ever dream of--800,000 per year to be exact. Because of easier access to birth control and contraceptives, abortion rates have declined significantly and thanks to Planned Parenthood, women's access to breast cancer screenings and other women's health resources have increased dramatically, preventing a countless number of deaths. It seems that instead of being Pro-Life, conservatives like Surging Santorum would force America to embrace the value system of the Dark Ages when women had abortions with coat hangers because family planning resources did not exist; but for most rational human beings, the 21st century is a great place to be.

Mo money, mo problems Continued...

In the minds of Romney and his supporters he did nothing illegal and is simply an example of succeeding in the "free" market. They see nothing wrong with a firm seeking out vulnerable companies, loading them up with debt, dismantling them, and then selling them off for parts. Here is an example of the Romney attitude summed up by Bill Maher: "What? We found a wounded animal and we ate it." This darwinian attitude might make sense to the expert rationalizer but to the average American it reeks of pure selfishness and greed. It gets worse.

Romney has also released his 2010 tax return revealing that although he and his wife made 27 million dollars through offshore and other investments, they paid a mere 13.9 percent in federal taxes--my English teacher crapped her pants when she heard this. Some people continue to support him, even in the light of overwhelming unfairness and flagrant favoritism towards the rich, but most people see his economic record and 2010 tax return as morally indefensible.

According to voters, the number one reason Romney won Iowa and New Hampshire was because they saw him as the most electable candidate among his peers; however, since Romney's business and tax records have been revealed, this sentiment among the Republican electorate has been greatly diminished. Now the Republicans are shuffling to do anything they can to keep the wool pulled over the eyes of the American people about the corrupt system that they built. Unfortunately for them, the damage has already been done and the GOP has become a sinking ship with a new captain--Rick Santorum--to lead the way to their ultimate demise in November.

So Much for the Dirty Smear Campaign

I just watched the new Obama campaign video and I must say that it was the most sincere campaign video I have ever seen. I have been hearing all of the conservative pundits say that Obama is going to be running a very dirty campaign because he cannot run on his record, but it seems that our president will be taking the high road and running a campaign based on honesty and truth, his contenders on the other hand seem to be doing the opposite.

I guess if a person was desperate to maintain their power by any means necessary, they would adopt such an approach to their campaign but I believe that there are a few people in the world of politics who are actually genuine people who do what the do because of the convictions of their hearts. I believe that Obama is one of those rare politicians who approaches his work with a heart filled with compassion and sincere concern for his country--not with the motive to have his face carved into the side of Mount Rushmore. Many have written him off for reasons not based on reality but this video lays out, with clarity, the many accomplishments of President Barack Obama and a solid case for his reelection.

Government is Evil, Please Vote For Me

I saw this quote by President Reagan and it caused me to ponder the lack of legitimacy of the anti-government Republicans, who are campaigning to serve in the government that they claim is "the problem." What really irks me about Ronald Reagan, is that he betrayed himself and his party when he left the Democrats and started preaching the conservative fallacies of the Republicans. The reason I say this is because when he was a Democrat, he was an admirer of FDR and acknowledged that FDR's policies saved his family during the Great Depression. How can a person who would have lost everything, if it wasn't for the humane government policies of the New Deal, turn around and despise the very government that saved his family from economic despair?

The whole statement is based on hypocrisy and ignorance of the progress that America made after the New Deal. They say that government is the problem but it was the government, laid out by FDR, that created the economic landscape that turned a country where most people didn't have plumbing in their homes, into a country where most people not only had plumbing but also telephones and automobiles. There is a natural urge to blame the Government for all of the country's problems but it is truly hypocritical to do so while running to be a part of government. If you think government is evil and can't do anything, get out of the way and don't run for office. Because contrary to what many conservatives believe, most Americans want a government that works; not one that obstructs progress and hinders society's improvement.

The truth is that when Republicans say they want to limit government, they are really saying that they want to limit democracy. Anyone who says the government is evil and shouldn't do anything for the good of the people is blind to the simple fact that in a democratic society, the people are the government and the government is the people. Many have been deceived into believing that if the government does more to benefit the "General Welfare" (See Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution) of the people, the people will lose their freedom. But if we are as Lincoln declared, "A government of the people, by the people, and for the people," we should not fear a big government, because in democracy that simply means that the people have achieved greater control of their destinies and the people that lead them. We are the rulers, we are the kings, and we ultimately dictate the kind of country America will be, now and in the future. So the next time you hear someone say that they want limited government, just remember who the government truly is and who they really want to limit.