 |
| JOHN STEINBECK |
The
novel “Grapes of Wrath” by John Steinbeck brings forth a powerful message: the deliverance
of workers from "Dust Bowl” oppression. Steinbeck believed that the deliverance
would eventually come through cooperation but at the cost of “terrible wrath”. Unfortunately,
the deliverance did not materialize in the “Grapes of Wrath” and perhaps in
that sense, the novel is incomplete.
When
preparing to write the novel, Steinbeck wrote: "I want to put a tag of
shame on the greedy bastards who are responsible for the Great Depression and
its effects." It is reported that he boldly said, "I've done my
damndest to rip a reader's nerves to rags".
Steinbeck's
novel may also be said to be a “shorthand” for the crisis which has gripped the
Great America since the Bush presidency and which president Obama inherited.
The
novel is an unapologetically passionate depiction of the plight of the poor and
vulnerable - the Romney 47%!
Arguably,
President Obama is one of our greatest contemporary speakers; but his
presidency and the current presidential campaign (against multi-millionaire
challenger, Mitt Romney in particular) have shown that his greatness goes far beyond
mere brilliant oratory. Like all true great men, he unapologetically leans on
the side of the poor and the vulnerable.
In
many ways, the arrival of Romney is a “God-send” for the Obama Campaign, in the
sense that it has brought into sharp focus the gains and potential gains of the
Obama Presidency! I am not afraid to argue that President Obama has perhaps done
more for America than any other president. The arrival of Romney on the scene
makes those gains look even more profound.
When
President Obama assumed the presidency, America faced its worst recession since
the days of Steinbeck’s “Grapes of Wrath”. Obviously, the most affected were
the poor and the vulnerable. President has not only give them hope; he has
brought real gains to them, chief among them is Obama Care!
Stimulating
or generating growth in a non-recession environment may be challenging; but removing
a country from a recession (or slowing down a recession) is exponentially more
challenging! President Clinton was irrefutably a great president and during his
tenure, he brought about real and significant economic growth; but the
challenge for President Obama is exponentially greater: he had to stop and
reverse a massive economic recession. He has succeeded; he has rescued a failed
and badly battered US economy, he has stabilised it and he has grown it, albeit
very slowly. All of the above happened in the face of Republican sabotage.
Under
Bush, America took a precipitous nosedive and lost millions of jobs; the
republicans knew it; some of them felt it and they knew about the long-term and
monumental impact on the economy.
Listen
to Romney carefully! Romney never talks about specifics or a short or medium
term fix; he always talks about what he’ll do in the next 4 or 8 years. Yet, he
dishonestly berates president Obama for not fixing all of the Bush problems in
less than 4 years; but even with the gains under the Obama presidency, Romney
projects a return to a full recovery is a long term process.
If
we use the state of affairs under Rush as a reference point, as a yardstick to
assess Obama’s performance, we can logically conclude that he may have done
more for America than any other president. As I mentioned earlier (an it’s
worth repeating), he stopped the Bush slide of recession; and even in the face
apparent massive republican resistance and sabotage reversed it and brought
about economic growth. That is a phenomenal achievement by any standard. In
addition, he brought about health care – something no other president had done.
He has made it easier for students to enter college
 |
| BIN LADEN IS DEAD |
Obama
captured and killed Bin laden (something Bush failed to do) and at least, won America
a reprieve from Al Qaeda terrorism; he ended the money-hungry war in Iraq and
Afghanistan.
President
Bush on the other hand wasted trillions to go to war at the expense of the American
economy.
President
Obama has facilitated world peace; there is a measure of stability in the Middle
East around the world now. President Obama has a brilliant mind and a steady
hand and that has contributed to stability.
My
view is, if Obama gets a second term, then America and the world will certainly
be a much better place! VOTE OBAMA!
No comments:
Post a Comment