What Matters for Americans?

-Helen-Margaret Nasser

The meetings of the United Nations General Assembly came and went. As per usual, they were nothing more than the expected long speeches made by leaders who wanted to demonstrate their relevance on the world scene. For the most part, everyone played their part well - with one glaring exception. President Obama avoided meeting with world leaders and instead relied on Secretary of State Clinton to do the schmoozing- freeing up his schedule to head back to the campaign.

At a time when Romney has been attacking Obama's foreign policy credentials calling him soft and too apologetic, and at a time when anti-U.S. sentiments are raging across the Middle East, Obama should have seized the opportunity to address these two pressing points and many others. Now, more than ever, Obama must prove his foreign policy prowess by doing exactly what the president does and by handling these "bumps in the road." This is what would benefit both the country and his campaign. What better way to show that he is fit for the job he is seeking for a second term? Instead, he chose to campaign and convince voters in Virginia that he is the better candidate.

I know, I know, this isn't a surprising choice. Most Americans hardly put foreign affairs on their list of priorities when considering a President and this race is certainly not going to be decided by the proverbial 3 AM phone call. At a time when the economy is low, unemployment is growing, and there is a general malaise among the American people, voters are looking for a candidate dedicated to jump starting the economy and giving their morale a much-needed boost. Talking about foreign wars or solving foreign woes is not at all germane to the conversation most Americans are having. It just doesn't serve as poignant a rallying cry as it did back in 2004.

In 2004, the country was entangled in two foreign wars - embarked upon as a result of attacks on American soil. In this way, foreign affairs had to matter to Americans - it was consuming their economy, their military strength, and certainly affecting their budget deficit. These foreign wars were tangible for most Americans and therefore, they mattered in the presidential campaign. Fast-forward to 2012 - Americans are tired. They are aching to have an inward looking President that will address their ills. That's what matters in this election.

At the end of the day, the game of politics is a delicate one. Every decision is carefully made, calculating the pros and cons of any approach and anticipating the counterattack from the opposing camp. Ultimately, Obama chose to address the American people who more directly determine his fate for the next four years. Once reelected, maybe then Obama will pay the traditional second-term lip service to global issues. 

Lessons Learned

Helen-Margaret Nasser

Unless you have not turned on a TV or picked up a newspaper or read the news on your new iPhone 5 within the past week then you must have heard the endless attacks on Mitt Romney for his latest campaign foible. In what he described as "inelegant" remarks, Romney's comments were directed towards the 47% percent of Americans who are dependent on the government, according to his estimations. The audio tape, taken from a fundraiser in a private home in May, is replete with fodder for the Obama campaign as Romney makes gaffe after gaffe.

While I do not at all agree with Romney's comments, I'm not in the least surprised by them. Simply consider his audience. Consider his setting. The event was a dinner that cost $50,000 a plate hosted by and attended by Romney supporters. What would you expect him to say? These types of events are pep rallies, opportunities to solidify the cheerleaders of your team. If you are the star quarterback, you are going make sure you are on your A-game and deliver crowd-pleaser after crowd-pleaser. Mitt merely delivered the play.

Romney's comments have made center stage because their inelegance has been painted as out of touch and offensive. Nevertheless, the parameters of what is considered to be politically correct are blurred on both camps as the election draws nearer. Don't you think Obama would have similar anti-53% comments in a room full of Obama supporters? How else would a politician be expected to rally support and build his base?

In short, this is campaign season - crunch time! Each candidate will say anything at anytime to any specific audience to please and gain their support. Unless you are a novice, these types of comments should not be surprising.

What else is considered a cardinal rule of campaigning? Making sure that these types of comments don't get leaked to ruin your campaign. A perhaps wiser Romney once said in 2007 "Running for president in the Youtube era, you realize you have to be very judicious in what you say...you have to recognize that anytime you're running for the presidency of the United States, you're on."

It might have taken him a few years, but I think Mitt Romney has learned that lesson now.

Wildfire

I am still in awe over the attacks on the embassies in Egypt and Libya - and just today, in Yemen. 
I am not at all justifying the video that was made that negatively portrayed the prophet Mohammad, but at the same time, I am at a loss for words that it has led to such a reaction. An inappropriate reaction, at that.

Why punish a country  for the actions of a few people? The people who produced the film in question are not representatives of the views of all Americans.Understanding the importance of separating a few rogue individuals from the entire country, Secretary of State Clinton was certain to assert that “The U.S. government had absolutely nothing to do with this video.”

Furthermore, isn't this the same gaffe the American government made when it began its War on Terror in 2003? Why punish all Arabs or all Muslims for the acts of one group? This type of retaliation is completely misguided and misdirected.

Egypt's President Morsi highlighted the tension of this incident and the reaction: “The Prophet Muhammad taught us to respect human life,” but made it clear that “The Prophet Muhammad and Islamic sanctities are red lines for all of us.”All heads of states have made public apologies for the actions in their respective countries.

Nevertheless, how can this hostile reaction be avoided? Often in history we have had misguided reactions against the people of entire countries for the acts of their governments - think of how the Germans or Russians were treated during WWII and the Cold War and the embarrassment towards the whole freedom fries agenda towards France. 

Just as how the Arab Spring started from one little flame that led to a region-wide conflagration, I only hope that this current wildfire will be put out sooner than later.

Missed Connection?

The Obama campaign of '08 had an unprecedented mastery of social networking and technology that provided them with a comparatively solid connection to the 18-24 demographic. They had found this source of untapped potential - this shortcut that none of the other racers were privy to - in being able to inspire the youth and get them to the ballots, effectively winning him his seat in the Oval Office. 

The use of technology is still a major player in these elections, and Obama still has the upper hand. But how much does this matter? Are the same youngsters who turned out to vote in '08 making the same commitment to do so on November 6th? In speaking with community college students I have been surprised to see a lack of enthusiasm, interest, and even hope, for this election.  Like Beijing after the 2008 Olympics, the fervor that once rocked the city is gone.

Nevertheless, the zeal should still be strong and should extend beyond the occasional Facebook status update and political meme and be enough to get people to the ballots to vote. The same Facebook and Twitter demographic should remain connected because this election still wrestles with issues that matter. The state of the economy, employment numbers, and education are not just topics worth tweeting about, but topics worth showing up to the ballot box for.

Obama is advocating for the youth more fervently than his competitor. His speech at the Democratic National Convention made sure it reserved plans for greater emphasis on education, student loans relief, and college tuition payments, making promises that should matter to current students, and heck, even recent graduates. Wouldn't it be great to enter the workforce without the burden of college loans? Not to mention, wouldn't it be great to enter the workforce after graduation at all? These are issues that Obama continues to work towards. An election, a presidency, that does not speak for the youth of this country will not speak to the future of this country. These are the issues that should rekindle the hype of '08 and make voters get to the polls.