I have a very close friend from India. He is a sea captain and was the master of the first container ship I took a cruise on. Right now, he is anchored off of Dubai.
My friend is very well educated and intellectual. During our 42-day cruise six years ago, we had many discussions ranging over all sorts of subjects, including world affairs. I just received an e-mail from him in which he made a number of comments on how, as an outsider, he sees Obama and our current political climate.
Here are the comments he made:.
I read in a newspaper that the opinion polls show that Obama's popularity has dropped a bit and that Republicans are attacking him over his proposed health insurance plans, that in Afghanistan he doesn't have a exit policy, in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict time is running out, etc.
To me, as an outsider, Obama seems like a Gandhian figure given his firm belief in the goodness of human beings. He is doing his best for the American people and the world at large. I think this recession could not have bottomed out so rapidly but for his radical action. This is a brilliant man. and what's more, I can tell you he is restoring America's image abroad, which the Bush-Cheney-Rumsfeld team had tried hard to bruise and succeeded.
So what is the reason for his so-called drop in approval ratings? If I recall correctly, even Bill Clinton had a terrible drop barely 6 months into the job at the start of his first term.
Are we simply getting less & less tolerant these days? Our opinion is so fickle...? What is the reality?
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Here is how I replied to my friend:
Yes, his popularity has dropped for a variety of reasons. First and foremost is the belief among many Americans - Republicans, Independents and conservative Democrats - that our government is getting too big and that we are spending ourselves into bankruptcy. Many of us are alarmed at the influence that far-left Democrats have with him.
The opposition to his health care is fuelled somewhat by lies and scare tactics of the far-right. But many of us are truly concerned about the cost of the plans making their way through Congress. Seniors like myself are particularly concerned about losing some of our Medicare benefits. Obama wants to help pay for the health care reforms by eliminating $500 billion dollars of waste and fraud from Medicare and Medicaid. There is no way he can cut Medicare spending by the billions without cutting some of the benefits we are now receiving.
The majority of Americans are no longer supporting the war in Afghanistan because of the mounting casualties being suffered by our troops. Many fear that we will get bogged down there like we did in Viet Nam. Or worse yet, others fear we will end up getting our asses whipped like the Russians did.
As for the Palestinian situation, I have a strong personal interest in that. I predicted long before the election that if Obama became President, he would take a sharp turn away from Israel towards the Palestinians, and that is exactly what has happened. During the election campaign all of his foreign policy advisors were long-time critics of Israel and supporters of Palestinian causes. His tilting towards the Palestinians is designed to woo the Muslim world. If you browse through my blogs you will see why I believe Obama and Jimmy Carter are competing to be Israel's Public Enemy No. 1.
As for the economy, Obama has, for the most part, carried out the steps initiated by the Bush administration. I will admit though, that much of the blame for this mess lies with the Bush administration.
You see Obama as a modern day Gandhi. That's not the way I see him. I am puzzled as to how you see him as believing in the "goodness of human beings" and as doing his best for the "world at large." Yes, the rest of the world, particularly Europe, seems to love Obama, thus restoring the image of the U.S. that tanked during the Bush administration. He is reaching out to the Muslim world when Islam wants to destroy the Western world (read my recent blog with Geert Wilders' speech). Your country and your Hindu religion has suffered many attacks from the Muslims that Obama is reaching out to.
Are we becoming less tolerant? I don't think so. What is different is that we now have the internet which enables everyone to be informed instantly, albeit, with a lot of false information being circulated through the blogosphere. So, a lot of people get riled up quicker than in the past when it took a lot longer for news to circulate among the people.
Personally, I don't think Obama is the demon that many people paint him as. And I don't think he is going to change this country into a socialist one as many Americans fear, although he is moving somewhat in that direction. I did not vote for him and I do not like his far-left policies. And I certainly do not like his wooing of the Muslim world at the expense of Israel. That's why I hope he will only be a one-term president.
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And here is the captain’s response to my comments:
I enjoyed every bit of your reply. It gave me an insight into the current debate in U.S. society and helped me fit the pieces of a puzzle in my own mind. I discuss these issues with my wife and children whenever I can in order to keep them informed about what's going on.
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