It should be no secret to Americans that President Obama has let the country down. Running on a platform of hope and change, he just happened to be in the right place at the right time. Many voters were excited just to get then President Bush out of the White House. Senator Obama may have given the voters hope, but President Obama has not shown the country any real change. In the past three years, President Obama has failed to keep the majority of his campaign promises or even lead the country in any direction at all.
Part of the problem can be blamed on the political tension we see today. While the richest 1 percent are doing well, the middle class is headed to the poor house. The political divide in this country is stuck in an unprecedented polarization the nation has never seen before. The extreme right wing refuses to raise taxes to pay for government spending, wanting to cut any and all benefits that would help the failing middle class avoid poverty. Yet they are more than willing to keep going into debt to continue doling out money toward our failed war efforts, which the majority of Americans wish to see come to an end.
The left are not innocent either. They want to raise taxes on the rich to offset spending programs that help average citizens, but are unwilling to end the "free" trade agreements that are putting American workers in direct competition with workers in third world countries. America cannot simply become a welfare state, we need conditions conducive to sustainable employment for the working class.
The reality is that both parties have to keep the 1 percent happy if they want to keep their funding, and that appears to be exactly what they are doing.
Of all the contenders trying to replace President Obama, there is only one candidate standing up to big money -- Former Governor Buddy Roemer. However, his refusal to take Super PAC money has left him out of the race. Roemer has not been seen in the recent America Idol style debates -- thus he is left out of the public eye. While Roemer may be someone that would actually help America, the current political system is not going to help him get elected.
Looking at the choices the GOP has given American voters, it looks like the nation may be leaderless for four more years. Other than Jon Huntsman -- who is too low in the polls to be taken seriously at this point as a real contender -- Mitt Romney is the best man the Super PAC money has to offer us. However, his flip-flopping over the years will likely leave voters leery.
If president Obama wins in 2012, America's slow downward spiral will continue thanks to his lack of any real effort to lead the country. If he loses, it is unclear how any of the top contenders would do any better. In fact, some of the ideas mentioned in the GOP debates (like ending the minimum wage and child labor laws) would just make things worse.
Until we get money out of politics, the government of the United States will continue to fail its people.
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