Meredith Turney


One year into his term, Obama has the lowest approval rating of any president since pollsters began asking Americans. According to the Gallup poll, 47% of Americans disapprove of Obama’s actions thus far. In a way, such a number reflects Obama’s overall strategy: if you play big, you’ll either win big or lose big. And in the last year, the Obama administration has tackled a broad array of issues. But his overreaching is reflected in the disapproval by close to a majority of Americans.

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When historians look back on the Obama administration, they will observe that healthcare was the dominate issue of his first year in office. His ambitious plan to socialize the nation’s healthcare system was flatly rejected by his constituents. According to a recent Wall Street Journal poll, 46% of Americans disapprove of the president’s healthcare plan. But instead of conceding that Americans needed to be persuaded about healthcare and led towards his agenda, Obama and his cohorts in Congress bullishly forced healthcare reform on a resistant public.

The key to good leadership is learning from your mistakes and changing course when necessary. For an American president, it is crucial to lead a fiercely independent people by striking the right balance of humble observation and strong direction. It’s a balance that Barack Obama hasn’t achieved, as he continues to push his agenda, heedless of America’s unwillingness to follow his socialist path.

With the victory of Scott Brown in Massachusetts, political prognosticators are predicting another 1994-type victory for Republicans this November. Sixteen years ago, it was another ambitious young Democrat who swept into power and immediately began implementing his plan for nationalized healthcare. But President Bill Clinton, while a man who frequently indulged his ego, was at least wise enough to understand when he was chastened by the people for pushing his agenda too hard and quickly. The Clintons’ HillaryCare led to the historic Republican takeover of Congress, thus establishing some balance against an administration perceived as having too much leeway.

Meredith Turney
