Two Cheers for Obama Written By: Ian Williams Published in Tribune: August 7, 2015 Attacked almost as fervently by the left as by the right, Barack Obama is now doing what second-term presidents often do – looking to his legacy. He has been remarkably successful, not least in the face of a rabidly hostile right wing in Congress and with a frequently lukewarm Democratic Party in support. Many Democrat legislators would make New Labour’s worst sound like Bolsheviks in comparison. For Americans, Obamacare is his signature legacy. Although deeply flawed in comparison with a single payer system, compared with what passed for healthcare before, it is a huge step forward. Like most American legislation, it is a complex product of messy compromises with the pharmaceutical and insurance lobbies which had to be persuaded not to kill the reforms completely It is sad but true that while donors have considerable influence in the Tory Party, and were gaining it rapidly in New Labour, in the United States, quite often they literally write the law. That is one of the reasons why donor-driven policy making has failed to reform the American financial system since the sector is a major donor to the Democrats. Even so, Obamacare has offered millions of Americans health insurance coverage who could not afford it before and has even managed to constrain the cost inflation that has already made American healthcare the most expensive in world. Diehard Republicans have tried more than 50 times to repeal it. The Republican leadership is glad at the failure. Depriving millions of voters of healthcare in the run up to an election would have brought reality crashing down on the empty rhetoric of the Republican right. Foreign policy is a traditional recourse of second-term presidents trying to make the history books and here Obama has faced down strong lobbies such as the Israel and Cuba to make a mark. It is only a couple of decades since Bill Clinton bowed down to the Cuban American Foundation and ratcheted up sanctions
Two Cheers for ObamaWritten By: Ian WilliamsPublished in
Tribune: August 7, 2!"Atta#$ed almost as fer%ently by the left as
by the right, Bara#$ Obama is now doing what se#ond&term
'residents often do loo$ing to his lega#y( )e has been remar$ably
su##essful, not least in the fa#e of a rabidly hostile right wing
in Congress and with a fre*uently lu$ewarm +emo#rati# Party in
su''ort( ,any +emo#rat legislators would ma$e -ew .abours worst
soundli$e Bolshe%i$s in #om'arison(/or Ameri#ans, Obama#are is his
signature lega#y( Although dee'ly flawed in #om'arison with asingle
'ayer system, #om'ared with what 'assed for health#are before, it
is a huge ste' forward( .i$e most Ameri#an legislation, it is a
#om'le0 'rodu#t of messy #om'romises with the 'harma#euti#al and
insuran#e lobbies whi#h had to be 'ersuaded not to $ill the reforms
#om'letely It is sad but true that while donors ha%e #onsiderable
influen#e in the Tory Party, and were gaining it ra'idly in -ew
.abour, in the 1nited 2tates, *uite often they literally write the
law( That is one of the reasons why donor&dri%en 'oli#y ma$ing
has failed to reform the Ameri#an finan#ial system sin#e the se#tor
is a ma3or donor to the +emo#rats(4%en so, Obama#are has offered
millions of Ameri#ans health insuran#e #o%erage who #ould not
afford it before and has e%en managed to #onstrain the #ost
inflation that has already made Ameri#an health#are the most
e0'ensi%e in world( +iehard 5e'ubli#ans ha%e tried more than "
times to re'eal it( The 5e'ubli#an leadershi' is glad at the
failure( +e'ri%ing millions of %oters of health#are in the run u'
to an ele#tion would ha%e brought reality #rashing down on the
em'tyrhetori# of the 5e'ubli#an right(/oreign 'oli#y is a
traditional re#ourse of se#ond&term 'residents trying to ma$e
the history boo$s and here Obama has fa#ed down strong lobbies su#h
as the Israel and Cuba to ma$e a mar$( It is only a #ou'le of
de#ades sin#e Bill Clinton bowed down to the Cuban Ameri#an
/oundation and rat#heted u' san#tions against )a%ana in return for
#am'aign donation( Obama has now finally normalised relations with
Cuba and is sur%i%ing uns#athed( Third&generation Cuban
Ameri#ans now either dont #are or e%en a#tually wel#ome more a##ess
to their an#estral homeland( The business #ommunity is more
#on#erned with getting its toe in the door than #losing the gate on
Cuba business( It has long been #lear e%en to the more rational
Ameri#an #onser%ati%es that Cuba is no threat to the 12 nor to the
hemis'here and that the 'oli#y has been #ounter'rodu#ti%e( The
domesti# lobby was moribund, and internationally there was nothing
but 'raise for the mo%e(O%er Iran, he has had to wor$ mu#h harder
to o%er#ome the 're3udi#es and 'assions against Teheran where there
are unli$ely allies from the 2audis to the Israelis uniting to
sabotage the deal( Obama has had to ta$e on the mother of lobbies,
AIPAC and its allies, e0horted on by Ben3amin -etanyahu and a host
of derangedly #onser%ati%e .i$udni$ billionaires( Again, he saw his
#han#e( Polling showed that -etanyahus su''ort among the Ameri#an
6ews was minimal( /ewer and fewer Ameri#an 6ews see their identity
as 'arti#ularly tied to Israel and, li$e the general Ameri#an
'ubli# after Ira* and Afghanistan, e%en fewer relished the idea of
another all&out war in the ,iddle 4ast let alone the one that
the Israeli leadershi' is so ostentatiously trying to 'ro%o$e( 6ohn
7erry and Obama ha%e $e't the line to get the agreement whi#h is
now enshrined in 1nited -ations 2e#urity Coun#il resolution 228!(
-etanyahus attem'ts to interfere dire#tly in Washingtons foreign
'oli#y de#isions ha%e been so outrageous that he might well ha%e
alienated the +emo#rats away from the hitherto unbrea$able
bi'artisan su''ort for the Israel lobby(But Obamas administration
is so o%er#ome with its own temerity that it shows signs of the
fightor flight syndrome( The release of the Israeli s'y 6onathan
Pollard is #learly an attem't to #om'ensate -etanyahu, as is the
'ubli# tal$ of in#reasing military and e#onomi# aid( 2o, #an he
for#e a durable ,iddle 4ast 'ea#e settlement on -etanyahu and
Israel9 It was one of his first a%owed ambitions on ta$ing offi#e,
and after all the humiliations he has endured at the hands of
Israels Prime ,inster, it would be of dee' 'ersonal and histori#al
signifi#an#e to 'ull it off now with 'oliti#al 'ressure instead of
the traditional 'andering(About Ian WilliamsIan Williams is
Tribune:s 1- #orres'ondent
