THE TALE OF TWO COUNTRIES

 

 

                                Barack Obama

  Dopo l'ultimo discorso di Obama sullo stato dell'unione di qualche giorno fà,il nostro amico e corrispondente Tony Tasca da Palo Alto è sempre più confuso.Perchè da un lato ascolta per l'ultima volta un leader e dall'altro assiste ai dibattiti  e alla "propaganda" dei due partiti contendenti ,democratici e repubblicani, per la carica di Presidente degli Stati Uniti.E allora si cala nei panni dell'elettore ,frastornato e confuso,e si chiede :quali sono le sue reazioni,quali sono le sue percezioni? Il nostro Tony fa una simulazione e le sue conclusioni,  tutto sommato,sono amare. 

 

The Tale of Two Countries

I watched President Obama’s State of the Union address last week. I also watched the rebuttal and commentary from the republican side. I was blown away by the difference in perceptions. Perceptions are real, even though they might be based on false data.

I felt that I was living in two very different countries!

To illustrate the divergence, I will summarize a few perceptions, side by side. You the reader will decide which perception is rooted in fact, and which is a fabrication, which one fits your reality, and which one does not.

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Country 1: The economy is in great shape. We have created 14 million jobs, unemployment is half of what it was 7 years ago, and we have reduced the budget deficit by 2/3. Price of gas has never been so low! Car industry had the best year in many decades. We saved many jobs there. 18 million people have now health insurance thanks to the Affordable Health Act. We have reduced dependence on foreign oil and invested heavily in green energy. We have created thousands of jobs in the clean energy niche and made it possible for our companies to lead in this expanding global market. We have made great strides in combating income inequality by raising the minimum wage and by extending other benefits.

Country 2:  The economy is not in good shape. The jobs were created are low paying jobs. 50% of workers earn an average of $ 30,000 per year. Unemployment is down because many have given up on looking for work; therefore they are no longer included in the statistics. We have a record national debt, double what it was 7 years ago. The Chinese economy is imploding. The stock market has dropped by more than 10% in the past year or so. Insurance premiums have skyrocketed since the adoption of the Affordable Health Act. We have decreased our dependence on foreign oil by fracking – a practice the President and his party is fighting against. We have killed thousands of jobs in mining. Over 47 million people, on food stamps, live in poverty, more than when Obama took over. Wages are continuing to be stagnant.

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Country 1:  ISIL is a bunch of misguided guys on pick up trucks, they are not an existential threat on us. We have killed many of its top leaders, destroyed their supply lines, and disrupted the flow of money. We are leading a coalition of about 60 countries to defeat it.  

Country 2:  ISL is growing as a threat. ISL is now in Libya, Indonesia, Egypt, Nigeria, Afghanistan, the Philippines, Burkina Faso, and other countries. They have killed people on our soil as recently as two weeks ago. In the recent past, they downed a Russian civilian airline, killed tourists in Istanbul, and innocent people in Paris, Beirut, Jakarta, and the U.K.  .

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Country 1:  The agreement with Iran assures us that Iran will not have atomic weapons. We have avoided starting another war, and spending our treasury, and sacrificing our young men and women.  We are not the world’s police force.

Country 2:  The Iranians have already violated the agreement by testing missiles prohibited by the agreement. We are about to releasing 150 billion dollars that surely will be used to buy missiles and other armaments.  North Korea just exploded a hydrogen bomb. It proves that you cannot negotiate with rogue states.

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Country 1:  We are the most powerful nation in the world! Russia and China are second-class when it comes to the military. The world comes to us when there are problems to be solved. We contained Ebola and saved perhaps two million lives.  

Country 2:  Our military has been decimated by cuts to its budget. We have the smallest military in several decades.  We are not respected in the world. We put lines in the sand but do nothing when violated. Our allies question our resolve.  Just last week Ebola claimed new victims in Sierra Leone.

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Country 1:  The Trans-Pacific Trade agreement frees American products from 18,000 taxes that prevent the entry and sale of our products in the Pacific region.

Country 2:  The trade agreement is not a good deal for America. It will facilitate the export of thousands of jobs overseas. We are not smart dealmakers like others are.

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Country 1:  We have a robust foreign policy. We are leading the world with multilateral involvement of and cooperation from other countries, not unilaterally. America is more respected now.

Country 2:  The world is a mess. Obama withdrew from Iraq to keep an irresponsible election promise, leaving a vacuum, soon filled by Iran and ISL. The Middle East is in flame.  We bombed Libya to smithereens and what we got? Leading from behind has made us the laughing stock in many capitals.

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The unfortunate fact is that there is truth in the competing perceptions. We filter those facts that do not fit our paradigm – our lens on politics. It shows that the clash between the two competing visions will not go away anytime soon. Reconciliation for the collective good is elusive as each side pursues self-interest.

It has been estimated that the Democrats constitute about 30% of the electorate and Republicans about 27%, leaving the rest in the Independent or undeclared column. It is the nominees of the two main parties that will determine our collective future.  Without a leader capable of building national consensus we will continued to be a divided nation. Inability to do so was Obama’s only parting regret in his State of the Union address.
Tony Tasca