The Presidency can be bought, but at what price? Does it cost hundreds of millions of dollars, a few more gray hairs, and enough blame for an entire country? Or does it cost more than that? Does winning the Presidency require one to sell one's soul to the devil? To compromise one's integrity in the pursuit of power? Pres. Obama has taken on the mantle of the Presidency, with both good and bad impacts on himself, politics, and the country. Mitt Romney seems likely to win the Republican nomination now, but he is in for a rude awakening as he prepares for the general election or, for that matter, the Presidency. I know, I know, I wanted to keep things simple this year, but look at this hand-generated list (with links!) of problems confronting the U.S.:
Structural problems:
2. The trade deficit and dependence on foreign creditors, especially with China
3. A ballooning federal budget deficit and national debt of over $15 trillion
4. Long-term inequality and strains on the middle class
Economic problems:
5. Real estate markets that are severely underwater in several cities and the resulting loss of construction jobs
6. Outsourcing of jobs by US companies to foreign countries
7. Long-term unemployment, underemployment, and a lack of good-paying jobs with benefits
8. Government sector employees being laid off, especially at the state and local levels
International problems:
9. Supporting Israel against Arab opposition
10. Terror threats and bellicose rhetoric from Iran
11. Maintaining an effective military presence in Asia
12. Eurozone instability creating uncertainty for US investors and multinational corporations
Domestic problems:
13. Defending against terrorism at home
14. A fraying social safety net -- social security, Medicare, and Medicaid all face substantial problems
15. More difficult choices for families with rising food and gas prices
16. Waste in government contracts, inefficiency in the federal government's bureaucracy, and some strange decisions about how best to spend the people's money.
Political problems:
17. The inability of people to agree on a direction and accomplish things generally and politically
18. The influence of campaign contributions on politics
19. The influence of lobbyists on policy, in which corporations and Congressional "fat cats" get better treatment than the average citizen
20. A general sense of American decline, in which the country begins to believe that the dream of a better life is out of reach and that our position relative to the rest of the world is slipping
And the list could go on even further. Anyone who wants to take on these challenges is either a) delusional (as in delusions of grandeur) or b) unaware of just what a mess he's getting himself or herself into. More on this topic later. Phew!
(sorry if any of the links in this post are outdated)
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