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One of the prevailing themes of this mid-term election was the ballooning federal debt and the reckless spending by the Obama administration. The question now is how will the newly energized Republican majority in the House, and newly elected Senate Republicans tackle defense spending?
To get any deficit reduction you will have to tackle defense spending and entitlement reform. Unfortunately, both have been unpopular in the past, and this trend doesn't look likely to change in the future.
Secretary of Defense, Robert Gates, wants to trim or curb defense spending, which would include overhauling acquisitions for starters, but the most controversial is reforming military health care costs.
If any reduction to the deficit are to be realized, you are going to have to tackle both defense spending and entitlement reform. Without reforms in both areas there is no way to substantially reduce the national debt.
Last night Republicans, captured the House and made significant gains in the Senate after losing the Congress to the Democrats after their takeover of Congress in 2006. This election was a direct result of the public's repeated concern over the direction of government and a stagnate U.S. economy.
With Republican control of the House, and Democrats tenuous control of the Senate, how does this change U.S. national security? Last night's results witnessed Congressman Ike Skelton, Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, lose bid for re-election. Four other top Democrats on the committee have either lost re-election, or hold on to slim leads.
The economy dominated the election, but other pressing foreign policy issues were relegated to second tier status, or never even mentioned. Each has great effect on domestic politics which create jobs in this country. Trade deals with other countries need to be renegotiated, as President Obama let them lapse to cater to his labor allies. Trade issues with China have been contentious over the past two years, especially China's keeping its currency at an artificial level, which makes their imports to the U.S. cheaper while U.S. imports are more expensive. This prevents America from expanding jobs in the U.S.
The ballooning defense budget will have to be addressed, but politicians don't like to cut defense, as it affects jobs in their states and districts. The election is over-now the hard work begins.
Tomorrow the nation heads to the polls to vote in the nations mid-term election, but how many of us really will take the time to vote? You hear how frustrated Americans are and how they believe there voices are not being heard, well now is their chance to have those voices heard.
To often people state my vote doesn't count well if you don't vote then you have nothing to complain about as you are part of the problem. This is your chance to have your vote heard; so get out and vote!
As the race for the mid-term election reaches its pinnacle point on November 2nd, the focal point of this election has been on one singular issue; the economy. The economy has dominated the coverage, with each candidate running for U.S. Congress and the Senate stating what he or she will do to revive the stagnant U.S. economy.
The publics overriding concern this election has been the economy and unemployment. Afghanistan and terrorism have ranked near the bottom of concern for most people. The economy is foremost in people’s minds and they want Washington to solve this now!
Left completely out of the debate is any mention of Afghanistan, Iraq, or what should our policy be toward China. Considering that China artificially keeps its currency at a lower level against western currency, therefore making its imports in to the U.S. cheaper, but more expensive for U.S. imports. This equates to job losses for U.S. citizens, and guess what - not even mentioned in any campaign.
In 2011, international trade deals will need to be re-negotiated with Latin America, Korea and other nations. Other nations such as China are moving in to fill the gap left by the U.S., preventing the creation of jobs in the U.S. and again - no mention of it in any campaign.
Immigration gets a mention only in campaign commercials, but no serious discussion on solutions of what Mexico’s responsibility should be?
“Has there been a serious exchange between any candidates—Tea Party, Republican, Vegetarian, Libertarian, Democrat, Bureaucrat—about what we should be doing with Iran?” asks Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham South Carolina (who is not up for reelection this year). He said, “Have you seen one commercial about whether our Afghan strategy is good or bad? We’re within days, literally, of a major shift in power in Washington,” Graham told an audience in the capital recently, “and you would never know that this nation is involved in two wars, and looming threats face us all that could change the course of humanity and mankind.”
In December, the White House will conduct its planned Afghanistan strategy review to provide an assessment of the counterinsurgency strategy begun by General Stanley McChrystal, and now overseen by General David Petraeus. This after the president committed an additional 30,000 troops as part of his planned surge strategy articulated in December 2009. Items barely mentioned by either candidate or even the president.
Failure to focus on foreign policy has haunted the United States in the past. At the end of World War I the U.S. rejected the League of Nations and retreated inward and allowed a resurrected Germany to threaten world peace. At the end of the Cold War, and the stunning victory in the Gulf War, the U.S. moved to focus on internal domestic matters.
American leadership is pivotal in world politics, even President Obama campaigned on building global leadership, partnering with allies and reaching out to America’s enemies. The president has failed to convey to the public the need for active involvement in world affairs. Rarely has the president spoken on Iraq, Afghanistan, or any foreign issues except when it reaches a crisis point. The president then pivots to other topics, leaving the situation to simmer, turning a blind eye to the heated climate, until the situation escalates to a boiling point.
After removing itself from its bloody intervention in Somalia, and having forced the Russians out of Afghanistan, the U.S. retreated back to focusing on domestic issues. Without U.S. leadership, the Taliban was able to take over and allow Al Qaeda to rise, and before September 11th terrorism was seen as a minor issue to Americans and U.S. policy makers.
The U.S. needs to force candidates running for U.S. Congress and the Senate to address how they would deal with these pressing issues. If the president is not addressing them, then how can we expect anyone else to?
Sometimes it takes an event to wake America up to the dangers around us.
Foreign Policy and the 2010 Midterms Elections
Next week Americans vote in the mid-term elections, where the economy and other domestic issues have dominated the headline’s. Almost scant attention has been paid to the war in Afghanistan. Polls have repeatedly shown that an increasing number of Americans are more concerned with jobs and the economy than some far distant war, with which most Americans have little or no connection.
Democrats, who overwhelmingly oppose the war, are reluctant to criticize the president for escalating the conflict. Republicans support the war, criticize the troop deadline, but don’t want to be on record of supporting the president.
Whatever happens on Tuesday, the war in Afghanistan and other foreign policy issues will dominate the headlines. In December, the Afghan strategy review will be released. Next year, most of the military’s senior generals on the Joint Chiefs of staff will be retiring, along with Secretary of Defense Robert Gates.
The president will be making major foreign policy decisions, but with a substantially reduced majority in the Senate. The president has not really focused on foreign policy issues, and when he does, its only when he is forced to. Next year will be a very crucial year in how the president deals with all these foreign challenges, and each has bearing on domestic policies.
2011 will be a crucial year!
With the mid-term election just a week away, the public is concerned with only one thing- the economy; so why do we continually stifle the growth of small business?
Across the country, politics enacted by Washington, state, and local government, make it extremely difficult for small businesses to operate and to be established. This election candidates continually strive to state how many jobs they have saved or created, but how much is rhetoric, and how much is fact.
Elected officials in both political parties need to understand that small businesses account for 80% of all jobs in America, but all too often politicians grovel at the feet of major corporations and leave small business in the cold.
If this country wants a revived economy; then help small business!
The mid-term elections are days away. The public is currently bombarded by an onslaught of campaign commercials which oftentimes paint a distorted caricature of the candidates and their positions.
Both political parties say the other party is too extreme. Democrats blame the Republicans for the current economic mess while Republicans charge Democrats for out-of-control government spending and a skyrocketing national debt.
The real culprit for the economic stagnation and high unemployment is both Democrats and Republicans. Each party is equally at fault for the financial mess we are in. In other words, this economic meltdown is the result of both Democrats and Republicans caring more for their own constituencies then for the American people.
The country is facing enormous challenges with persistent unemployment and record debt. The U.S. need only look across the ocean toward Europe and witness the calamity of their out-of-control government spending on entitlement programs. For decades European nations had generous benefits of entitlement programs which guaranteed them a cradle-to-grave benefit plan.
Unfortunately, the U.S. is currently heading down the same misguided path as the Europeans, spending lavishly on earmarks and entitlements without an established payment plan. The cancer of deficit spending has spread to states and local governments across the country. How can the U.S. ever expect to recover economically when some of its largest states are virtually broke and show no signs of improvement?
California is one of those states that is virtually broke. It boasts a $1.8 trillion economy and 13 percent of the U.S. economic output, but it’s penniless. Why!
This fiscal malaise is not only affecting the Not-So Golden State but also Nevada, New York, and others as well. All are broke and they're showing no signs of getting better. Why!
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 214,000 new jobs were created in the United States from August 2009 to August 2010. However, Texas created 119,000 jobs during the same period. Instead of treating businesses like they the enemy, Texas actually made it viable for businesses to grow. And they didn't do with new taxes and more regulations, either.
President Obama came into office on the mantra of “Change We Can Believe In.” Yet, the only change we have seen thus far is increased unemployment, more regulations and a health care reform bill that is weighed down in costs.
Let's hope by next week the new crop of legislative leaders will quit pointing the finger at each other and get to work in fixing this economic mess.
