Special Report:
U.S. presidential election
2008
by Yang Qingchuan ¡¡
WASHINGTON, Dec. 8 (Xinhua) -- The inauguration of
U.S. president-elect Barack Obama is still more than 40 days away, but the world
has already talked about America in a post-Bush narrative.
Indeed, as the outgoing President George W. Bush gets
fewer headlines, people in the United States and abroad now watch more closely
what is going on in Chicago, where Obama's transition office is based.
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U.S. President-elect Barack Obama speaks
to host Tom Brokaw during a taping of "Meet the Press" at the NBC Tower in
Chicago, Illinois December 6, 2008.(Xinhua/Reuters Photo)
Photo Gallery>>> |
In many ways, Obama has long been received by the
U.S. electorate as the "anti-Bush" candidate. Actually, many would agree that
his election owed much to many of Bush's mistakes, failures and unpopularity.
As Obama is taking over the country, he is also
taking over the daunting problems left by Bush's eight-year tenure -- the
economic crisis, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, terrorism and a long list of
other issues, for which there are no quick fixes.
¡¡¡¡ECONOMY TO DEFINE OBAMA-ERA
The latest news on the economic front underlines the
fact tackling the worsening economic crisis is Obama's top priority.
Talk of a possible bailout of the auto industry and
the U.S. government's latest announcement that 533,000 jobs had been lost in
November reveal the depth and breadth of the economic crisis.
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U.S. President-elect Barack Obama is
flanked by Council of Economic Advisors Director-designate Christina
Romer(L), National Economic Council Director-designate Lawrence Summers
(R) as he announces the members of his economic policy team during a news
conference in Chicago, November 24, 2008.(Xinhua/Reuters
Photo)
Photo
Gallery>>> |
At no time in the United States' modern political
history, as the Washington Post puts it, has a president stepped into a dire
moment as Obama will next month.
Former President Bill Clinton was faced with a
sluggish economy when he took office in 1992, but it was a "small deal" compared
with what is happening now.
Furthermore, as Obama won the election under the
banner of "Change," there are ultra-high expectations for him to quickly reverse
the economic slide.
Carter Eskew, a political strategist, said the
problem was not whether Obama can make a big change happen, but rather what that
big change will be.
Bob Kerrey, a former senator and now an academic,
said specific policy proposals by Obama are less important than re-instilling
confidence among the American people.
The most important trait for Obama to keep in mind,
Kerrey added, was the post-partisan attitude that he adopted during his
successful primary and general election races.
What may come as music to Obama's ears is that
opinion polls show Americans seem willing to give Obama "the benefit of the
doubt" when it comes to the economy.
In a recent Gallup poll, 58 percent of those queried
said they would be inclined to support an economic stimulus package proposed by
Obama.
The president-elect may also benefit from the
sentiment that the current economic woes are the result of bad policies during
the Bush Administration rather than the result of anything he will do during the
first years of his own presidency, analysts said.
As the economic situation is worsening day by day,
most people tend to believe that how Obama responds to the economic crisis will
define his presidency and the incoming "Obama era."
A recovery would certainly strengthen his reelection prospects while a prolonged downturn could eventually lead voters to make a second thought about their choice, analysts said.
