DC, Day One
Dónal F. Kennedy’s Presidential Election 2012
This week, I find myself in Washington, DC – America’s capital city, and arguably the political epicentre of the Western world.
As diverse as the country it governs, DC is a patchwork quilt of neighbourhoods which cover the spectrum from tough ghettoes and bohemian boulevards to breathtaking monuments and, of course, the gleaming houses of government.
With the presidential election a mere day away, the atmosphere in town in subdued, but determined. Campaigners on both sides are digging in their heels in neighbouring Virginia – a critical swing state – meaning the normally bustling streets of Georgetown University’s eponymous district are noticeably empty.
How do DC’s residents feel about the election? It would seem the President is in favour with most of the capital’s young people, with the majority I’ve met either voting, or already having voted, for the incumbent. One international student put it this way: “basically everyone agrees with his social policy”. This, it would seem, represents the backbone of much of Obama’s support.
Although issues such as taxation, social security and welfare are areas in which a large proportion of Americans agree with the Republican platform – lower taxes, smaller federal government and more personal responsibility – it is on social issues that the GOP lose many voters. In addition to the almost obvious aversion gay and minority (black/latino) Americans have to the Republican Party, it has recently presented itself as an enemy of women’s reproductive rights.
Mitt Romney has personally pledged to remove all funding for Planned Parenthood, a nationwide organisation which provides information, contraception, cancer screenings and, yes, abortions to women who would otherwise not have access to them. Several red states have seen legislation passed which severely restricts the availability of abortions, even requiring those seeking them to unnecessary invasive ultrasounds before being allowed undergo a termination.
Clearly, all of this flies in the face of the Supreme Court’s decision on Roe V. Wade, the 1973 case which established legal abortion in the US. Given the reins of power, it is likely Romney would appoint Supreme Court judges who would overturn this decision.
A lot is at stake tomorrow. As the USA go to polls they have to grapple with all the rhetoric that has been flying around these past four years, try to separate the vilification from the legitimate criticism and ultimately decide whether they believe Barack Obama deserves another term to complete the work he has started.
Mitt Romney’s constant and well-articulated attacks on the President’s economic performance during the debates certainly won him points with the public, but were they altogether fair?
It is well known that Obama inherited a catastrophic recession from George W. Bush, one which we are all still reeling from.
Sure, his stimulus package, Wall Street reform and moderate-to-right-wing tax policies didn’t quite bring unemployment figures and average income back to pre-2008 levels. What he did do, however, was reverse the crash and return the economy to growth; the real work, the President contends, begins now.
Romney is adamant that four more years of Democratic leadership will send the nation’s finances reeling, but this doesn’t really square with the facts. While Obama is campaigning on a budget with moderate tax increases for millionaires, increased education and infrastructure spending and savings through across-the-board cuts and military funding, Romney’s plan is much more nebulous – and therein lies the danger.
$8 trillion dollars in tax cuts, with the slack being taken up by closing unspecified “loopholes” sounds a lot easier to swallow on paper, despite its disconnect with reality. Short of closing up shop in DC and issuing the states with a blank cheque, it is unclear as to how the arithmetic of Romeny’s budget could ever rein in the deficit. As Obama wisely put it, the Republicans “drove the car into the ditch” and now Mitt Romney “wants the keys back”. If today’s polls are to be believed, a majority of American’s are saying, “No, ya can’t drive!”.
Much as I’d love to sit here and wax presidential all evening, but fading daylight is making my stroll to the White House a bigger priority. I’ll be sure to keep you updated tomorrow as the election kicks into gear and Americans cast their ballots. For now, take care and keep it political.
