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This evening, the President of the United States will deliver his State
of the Union address. In light of his declining popularity and
legislative stalemate, President Obama is expected to scale back his
climate change agenda and reach out to recession-hit families.
The
President has much to contend with, including the panic of some
Democratic members of Congress who are fearful of losing their seats in
November's mid-term elections.
Obama may have inherited 2 wars
and an economy on the verge of collapse, but other problems have
developed on his watch. Obama is struggling under the weight of failing
healthcare reform, Republican Scott Brown's surprise victory, growing
estimates of stimulus spending and high unemployment.
Focusing
on jobs and the economy is good politics and what could be more
populist than changing Washington. If nothing else, it is safe to focus
on job creation, deficit reduction and middle class families.
With
Americans questioning the very existence of climate change and the
unpopularity of legislation to address the problem, it may seem like
downplaying global warming is the shrewdest move Obama can make.
However, it could also be the worst decision he could make.
"I
will not slow down in terms of going after the big problems that this
country faces," Obama said to ABC News earlier this week. "The easiest
thing for me to do...would be to go small bore, avoid controversy, just
make sure that everybody's comfortable and we only propose things that
don't threaten any special interests in Washington. If you do that,
then you can get a boost in the poll numbers."
Obama was elected
on a platform of change, but legislators continued with business as
usual. "When I promised change, I didn't promise that somehow members
of Congress weren't going to be looking to try to get a project in
their district or help a hospital in their neighborhood," the President
recently told Time Magazine.
"I'd rather be a really good
one-term president than a mediocre two-term president," he told ABC
News "You know, there is a tendency in Washington to believe our job
description, of elected officials, is to get re-elected. That's not our
job description," Obama said. "Our job description is to solve problems
and to help people. I don't want to look back on my time here and say
to myself all I was interested in was nurturing my own popularity."
This
State of the Union address could be Obama's defining moment, the point
in his Presidency where he delivers on his promise to speak over the
heads of the Washington insiders, directly to the American people.
If
political realities keep Obama from leading, his Presidency will be
jeopardized alongside the green agenda. The President can either pander
to the confusion of the American people, or make climate and energy
reform a priority for 2010. It is time for the President to lead the
American people, not follow the polls.
