All This, We Will Do

It is hard to believe that it has been just over a year since President Obama was sworn into office. The feeling of the nation then was hopeful. American voters had just torn down the nation’s final color barrier, and the youthful, eloquent, and charismatic president-elect offered a welcome promise of change. “All this we can do. All this, we will do” the President declared on that bitter-cold January day, in reference to a lengthy list of dire issues facing the nation. Obama vowed to tackle the nation’s toughest problems with strong leadership and resolve. But months away from that hopeful place and time, many Americans have started to lose faith in not just Obama but the basic functionality of the U.S. government. I still have faith and so should the American people.

Today, the mood is anxious and impatient. Pundits on Fox News—often with a little too much glee—consistently attempt to portray the year-old presidency as an irredeemable failure. Sean Hannity has a special gift for making just about anything seem morally outrageous. Commentators from more liberal outlets as well have become somewhat pessimistic, upset by the slow pace of change.

Obama’s first year has certainly not, despite the claims of many, been void of important successes. Economists overwhelmingly agree that stimulus measures helped to stem the hemorrhage of jobs, and now even Republican governors are speaking to its effectiveness in bolstering state economies and preventing mass layoffs. The president has been stunningly effective in reversing the decline of foreign opinion of the U.S. President Obama has drawn the American automobile industry back from the brink, protected equal pay for women, launched innovative education reforms, expanded health-care to four million children, begun the decommissioning of Guantanamo Bay and ending of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” and put the first Hispanic on the Supreme Court. Iraq is stable, and the troops will be on their way home, and additionally, Afghanistan has become the rightful focus of the U.S. military. I could go on.

Though the president’s sweeping attempt at health-care reform has struck upon rocky terrain, there is still a good chance of breaking through the gridlock and passing a bill that will help millions of Americans—he has come farther on the issue than any president in history. Obama’s recent health-care summit was promising enough to make even the oft-cynical Jon Stewart genuinely impressed. And, in the face of some of the strictest congressional partisanship in recent memory, 13 Republicans joined with the Democratic Caucus last week to pass the Senate’s jobs bill.

But if we look for failure, that is undoubtedly what we will find. Failure makes for a powerful media narrative, and this is especially true in the culture of instant gratification created by the 24-hour news cycle. We analyze every minute of Obama’s presidency, expecting constant action and consistent progress. American government has never worked at high speeds, and frankly, it was not necessarily meant to do so. Obama has had a busy first year moving the nation forward whether or not Americans take the time to notice. Perhaps the most poignant critique of the president, in fact, is that he has tried to do too much.

So, while it may have become fashionable to bemoan Obama’s perceived inaction or complain that things are not changing fast enough, the American people should have faith. President Obama understands the magnitude of the challenges facing the country, and he has been acting on them since day one. There still much work to be done, but there is also great progress to be built upon. I am as hopeful today as I was just over a year ago, freezing-cold on the Washington Mall.

Jacob J. Cedarbaum, a Crimson editorial writer, is a History and History of Art and Architecture concentrator in Currier House.