Obama in hock to conservative interests in US
- Source: Global Times
- [21:18 January 10 2010]
- Comments
In 2009, US President Barack Obama took office, holding high the banner of reform and braving the global recession. His campaign slogan of changing the US and changing the world shaked his country and the world. However, as he is struggling for change, he himself is changed, too.
Although Obama has made changes to his predecessor's policies, especially diplomatic ones, his decision to send more soldiers to Afghanistan, the record unemployment rate, and the healthcare reform, which helps the poor but sacrifices middle-class interests, are meeting with opposition from different groups.
Obama attempted to curb the recession by printing money and adopting trade protectionism, but such measures are very likely to worsen the financial crisis. Moreover, the quagmire of Afghanistan is also eroding Obama's confidence in promoting reforms.
Now, Obama is caught between two fires. Republicans denounced Obama's reforms as false, while Democrats and Obama's supporters censured him for betraying the reform.
This is because Obama does not have any powerful backers himself, and he damaged the conservative camp's vested interests. He has to make compromises. Sending more troops to Afghanistan and the changes to healthcare reform are just such compromises, and he has to make more.
It's obvious that Obama has been changed by conservative American interests, including financial capital groups, oil capital groups and arms firms. Further, as he is losing credit with his supporters, it's highly possible that he will be totally changed at last.
Since World War II, the US's national interests are actually the interests of its conservative camp. The world should have a clear understanding of this.
Hong Kong Commercial Daily
