Sunday Mail Column - Obama must not disappoint

The challenge facing US President - Elect Barack Obama to deliver on his promises.

On Tuesday 20^th of January Barack Obama will be sworn in as President of a United States.

He rode to power by invigorating not just the traditional Democratic base, but through inspiring millions of Americans to vote for the first time. He convinced those millions of people that he really did represent change they could believe in.

President-elect Obama's problem is that he did so at a time when America's economy was struggling under the pressure of the sub-prime mortgage crisis, which has subsequently plunged into a full blown recession, and has begun to engulf the world with its consequences.

He did so at a time that there is a $10.5 trillion, ($10,500,000,000,000) mortgage on the US economy. In December 2008 the United States had 7.2% unemployment, which has jumped almost 3% since January that year. Reports suggest over 11 million Americans are unemployed.

This is a once-in-a-generation economic crisis. The challenges he has to face are tremendous and immediate.

It is worth noting how Australia stands out in contrast. After a decade of prudent financial management by the Coalition, the new Labor Government inherited a robust economy. Imagine if we were facing a global financial crisis with the Keating government's $96 billion debt hanging over our heads!

Instead that debt has been repaid and our economy has been in surplus.

It was thanks to the prudent management of the previous eleven years that Mr Rudd was in a position to be able to spend $10.4 billion of the budget surplus in a couple of weeks before Christmas. Unfortunately his attempt to stimulate the Australian economy appears on first indications to have failed given the rise in unemployment, particularly amongst full-time employees, leaving 44,000 Australians out of full-time employment in one month.

President-elect Obama has also promised a stimulus package of $188 billion over two years in an attempt to create new jobs and turn around what many commentators are already calling a recession.

Mr Obama's other combined promises are estimated to cost as much as $280 billion in his first year in office. He has claimed he would be able to raise the money through budgetary cuts and savings.

Obama's biggest political challenge, which has also been Kevin Rudd's biggest struggle, is to match campaign rhetoric with tangible results.

People are beginning to notice that Mr Rudd's summits, meetings, reviews and committees promise much and make great headlines, but aren't actually achieving measurable results. The much hackneyed phrase, “”all talk, no action”” springs to mind.

As time begins to run out for the Labor Government to act on all these big ideas before the next election cycle, Mr Obama is beginning his term having built up the expectations of the United States, and the world. He does so with more interest in his administration than any other United States President that I can recall in my lifetime.

The most popular President in the world can lose the next election if people feel they've been sold a pup. Just ask George Bush Senior – riding high with record approval ratings of 89% in 1991, he lost an election the following year after breaking his election commitment not to introduce any new taxes.

The voluntary voting system in the United States guarantees that while an inspired populace might come and support a candidate on polling day, a supporter who feels disheartened might have better things to do.

Barack Obama promised so much in his many electrifying speeches. He raised expectations that he could not only fix the economy, improve healthcare and fix schools. He promised to change society and change the world.

His promises included changing how Washington operates, particularly the predominance of lobbyists and nepotism, closing the pay gap between the sexes, ending the war in Iraq and he has promised to restore America's moral standing in the world.

It would be a shame if we find ourselves looking back on these promises with the same disappointment as we did at Bob Hawke's ‘No child shall live in poverty' promise, with profound consequences for America and the world.

But on the other hand if President Obama's term in office matches his election rhetoric, especially in the current economic circumstances, he will be responsible for instilling faith in the political system in millions of Americans, and instilling faith in America in millions around the world.