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Two major takeaways from Obama-era politics are a
heightened sense of polarity between party members; both at-large and in
office, and a mutual distrust across party lines. Whether or not you believe the systemic dysfunction
falls squarely on Barack Obama's shoulders, it is hard to ignore the divisive
results of his policy initiatives.
Campaigning on bipartisanship, Obama pledged to
cross the isle at every opportunity, crafting policy endorsed by Democrats and
Republicans alike. In practice, the
Commander In Chief has not lived up to many of the promises he made up-front,
including his assurances that he would be a President of unity, rather than the
polarizing figure he has become.
While spin plays a role in Presidential politics, no
matter who's in office, Obama's administration has taken accountability levels
to all-time lows. As a result, Americans
do not trust Obama policies.
Missteps Erode Public Trust
More than any past President, Barack Obama mobilized
populist support using charisma and lofty pledges of government
transparency. In doing so, he made
believers out of supporters expecting decisive action from his
administration. Unfortunately, Obama's
track record includes a laundry list of failures, disappointing even his most
devoted supporters.
Benghazi
- We don't know exactly what took place in Benghazi, in part because the Obama
administration has put forth inconsistent information about the fatal attack on
Ambassador Chris Stevens and others.
Worse yet are clear attempts by the Obama administration to spin its own
involvement and response to the attack, including Hillary Clinton's now famous
outburst before Congress: "What does it matter".
The problem for Americans is misinformation leaked
immediately after the attack, crediting a protest in the area for spurring the
killings. The administration toed the
line, sending its representatives to press pools with a carefully crafted
explanation, but their assertions about a protest have been fully debunked. A
timely Senate report, issued in 2014 shows that attackers were linked to Al
Qaeda groups and that the Obama administration failed to respond to ample
warnings pointing to increased terrorist activities in the region. One such alert, issued by Ambassador Stevens
himself, came less than one month before he was killed in the attack.
The amount of credibility lost by the Obama
administration over Benghazi alone is enough to make most Americans distrustful
of the President.
IRS
Scandal - Further undermining Obama's pledge for
bipartisanship and populist policies; reports show the country's most powerful
bureaucracy used as a political device.
The IRS apparently used its heavyweight status to knock down
administration opponents, targeting conservative groups for harassment and
undue scrutiny. True to form,
administration response involved distancing the President from the wrongdoing,
despite it unfolding under his own watch.
The President's failure to keep powerful Government agencies in-line is
another example of loose leadership, prompting mistrust among Americans.
Obamacare
- The Obama administration's sweeping health reform, promising increased
coverage for Americans; without sacrifices, has been another lesson in
deception for informed citizens. One by
one, as the plan rolled out in late 2013, Obama's promises were broken. For example, Obama made ironclad assurances
when he was selling the legislation to Americans, promising they would always
be able to keep the plans and doctors of their choosing. However, immediately
following the launch of the unsustainable government program, millions of
Americans were forced out of their existing insurance plans.
Perhaps more than any single inconsistency offered
by Obama, this high-profile fib cements Americans' mistrust of his
administration's policies.
This is a guest post by Sarah Brooks from Freepeoplesearch.org.
She is a Houston based freelance writer and blogger. Questions and comments can
be sent to brooks.sarah23 @ gmail.com