Obama's lessons from the midterm election

As predicted, the Democrats lost Senate control in the midterm election for the first time since 2006. President Obama's lackluster performance is the main reason for the Democrats' failure in the election, which will mean more troublefor Obama governing at home and from a diplomatic standpoint around the world, says an article in the 21st?Century Business Herald. Here are excerpts:

Yet, this is not because of him personally. The difficulties in his work are what a president will always meet, one who cannot do anything at all to solve increasing social unfairness after the 2008 election. The financial crisis that year dealt a heavy blow to the Republicans, and laid a solid foundation for Obama's election to the presidency. But the Democrats he led have not won more support than their counterparts by solving the issues of the crisis.??

Obama does not have the political capacity and resources to solve the issues. He showed his sympathy with the protesters in the Wall Street. But he has not touched even a finger to the rich on Wall Street. He is powerless to solve the structural problems in the United States.

Obama has not helped his country secure more global resources with its strong national power. Contrarily, the country led by him is experiencing the pains of a dwindling hegemony. The Bush administration's legacies in Iraq and Afghanistan became burdens for him. Both countries are descending into a quagmire after the US withdrew troops. Obama's efforts to contain China and Russia are also thwarted and meeting mounting resistance.

His "pivot Asia" strategies did not bend China, but accelerated China's transformation and awakened its potential. China has a different system from the US, as well as different approaches to respond to troubles created by the US. Compared with the US' return to Asia, China's foreign investment, infrastructure construction plans and establishment of new international banks are more popular in the international community. The US did not return to Asia, but China goes to the world with concrete steps.

Were it not for Obama's containment policies to China and Russia, the latter two powers might not have cooperated so closely with each other. Obama may not accomplish any outstanding achievements in his remaining two years in office because he chose the wrong strategies from the very beginning of his tenure.