THOMAS H. THOMPSON | Posted: Sunday, June 21, 2009 12:00 am
It's been said that President Barack Obama can walk and chew gum at the same time. Granted. But he has insisted that we have to deal with our nation's problems, not one at a time, but all at once. Our hopes for his success are enormous. (Excepting, of course, for Rush Limbaugh.) We project our hopes for rescue from national adversity upon one popular leader. To extend the metaphor - he'll have to walk, chew gum, tap dance and twirl a baton simultaneously without missing a beat.
To be fair, many of the problems Obama faces are inherited from the reckless spending of the previous president and the then Congress. But political life is unfair. They're Obama's problems now, and it's up to his administration to place the ship of state on an even keel.
In some order of importance, here are the problems he and we are facing:
Nuclear proliferation. North Korea is ignoring U.N. resolutions and is proceeding to test nuclear weapons and fire short and long range missiles. Its government is unstable and unresponsive to diplomacy. Are Pakistan's nukes really all that safe? Iran is experiencing political chaos while, perhaps, progress toward a nuclear weapon continues.
Deficit. The national deficit stands at about $11.5 trillion and it's growing. Some economists say that figure could double. Foreign lenders may become reluctant to continue buying our treasury notes and they are likely to raise interest rates.
Climate and energy. Carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere need to be reduced by about 30 percent in the next decade, but current measures fall far short. A virtual revolution in our means of producing energy, away from coal and toward solar, is required. Tom Friedman quite plausibly analyzes this situation as dire, but says there's enough time - but only if we start yesterday.
Recession and depression. There are some positive signs, mainly in the stock market and the condition of banks, but unemployment is above 9 percent and many thousands of foreclosures continue. That the stimulus will cure this condition is, for now, quite uncertain.
Health care. If nothing is done, current entitlements will drive us into bankruptcy for sure. Health insurance companies, the pharmaceutical corporations, and even the AMA, are reluctant partners in a government solution. Can you remember those TV ads featuring Harry and Louise? Republicans are showing little sign of bipartisan cooperation on this matter.
Terrorism. I hate to think that Dick Cheney would welcome another 9/11 attack. It would enable him to say the previous administration's tough methods worked and Obama is too tender-minded. But Osama is still out there. Afghanistan and Pakistan still provide a safe haven for al-Qaida. Now we must also figure out a way to protect ourselves from right-wing crazies who target abortion clinics and places like the Holocaust Museum.
Nothing I've outlined above is new to most readers. However, try to put all of them together and then try to think of solutions that will set things right. I've tried and my mind isn't capable of holding all of these dangers together in one collection. It's easy to be completely discouraged. It's easy to believe we're going down the tubes and nothing can stop it.
Nevertheless, I have a vision of a nuke-free world, a Mideast with Jews and Palestinians living in peace, a world climate-controlled and energy-efficient, a nation with a prosperous middle class, affordable health care for all and a world where terror has been replaced with opportunity for the young.
I am optimistic. Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream and President Obama has something more than a dream. He has a team, a plan and, hopefully, eight years to make progress toward the realization of "Yes, we can."
He can't do it alone. We must all show patience, understanding and unselfish devotion to the cause.