A lack-luster performance by President Obama

October 4, 2012

By Saeed Qureshi

In his first presidential debate with Republican contender Mitt Romney, President Obama was dull, in low key and docile. He should have adopted an aggressive, stunning and attacking posture. By his lack luster response he has surely disappointed his well wishers, his enthusiastic supporters and his party members. From the start he appeared to be incoherent and missing the spicy and the hard hitting punch to rebut and disarm his opponent who in general reckoning was rated to be no match to an eloquent Obama.

It was not the Barrack Obama that we have seen all these four years disarming and dominating his interlocutors and political rivals in debates, eloquence or proffering the data and statistics that Romney did robustly and confidently.

He had been on the defensive to the extent that he ignored to debunk Romney for his erroneous and falsifying facts about such paramount issues as taxation, medicare and creation of jobs. He did not, even in passing, mention or criticize the offshore accounts of Mitt Romney, his Bain scandal, his tax evasion or less payment of taxes.

He forgot to draw a comparison between his four years’ brilliant presidency with the eight years dismal and ruinous performance of the Republican administration under G.W. Bush that wrought disastrous effects on the American economy as a result of which this country slipped under a staggering debt of 16 trillion dollars.

He did not outline his administration’s sterling achievements in rebuilding America from ashes, reinvigorating its battered economy, reviving the manufacturing sector revitalizing the debilitated auto industry and enlivening the sinking banking and financial systems.

He could explain his astounding Medicare plan that in effect is a boon for the poor, for the less privileged and those Americans with chronic diseases. He did not argue and emphasize his stupendous job creation record that was nothing short of an historic achievement given the fragile and ruined economy that he was handed over by his successor.

He mutely mentioned the recall of American forces from Afghanistan and Iraq that has not only saved billions of dollars but would be instrumental in sparing collateral human loss. Thousands of American troops have been killed or maimed in these futile wars besides putting an enormous strain and burden on the American economy.

He should have enumerated his phenomenal reforms benefiting the veterans and their families, legalizing the young immigrants, helping the students burdened with heavy loans, buoying up the housing sector, and eliminating many of the American enemies from among such bands as al-Qaida and others. The America’s prominent role in making the Arab spring succeed and democratic governments to be established in place of tyrants was also not taken up by president Obama.

How could he afford to skip all these glittering hallmarks of his regime that he achieved despite the glaring fact that when he assumed the presidency America was like a ship wrecked in stormy ocean of problems making this wonderful country as the most indebted nation?

As to why he was complacent and in dismissive mood can be one of the mysterious riddles hard to be untangled by his admirers and even by the antagonists. As to how his performance is going to be in the coming debates is a wistful speculation. One would wonder if it would be an assertive, lashing and robust Obama coming back or the same dispirited, submissive and fatigued Obama.

Would he in the next debates on which hinges his re-election, he would focus on  recounting  his accomplishments and highlight the glaring flaws, hypocrisy and propensity of the Republicans to benefit the special interest groups and big tycoons at the cost of the middle class, indigent sections and low income Americans? Let us wait and see.