16 trillion dollars in the red

The 2012 Democratic National Convention closed just now in Charlotte, North Carolina. Barack Obama was nominated for reelection as president.

The speeches are flaming, and the spirits high.

Traditionally, such gatherings aim at gleaning another few percent votes among the undecided, and explain to the rest that it is the other party that is to blame for all the trouble in the nation.

However, this convention has yet another important mission: to convey to the disappointed that the incumbent president’s achievements are indeed achievements; and to remind that it is due to President Obama that today Osama bin Laden is dead, while General Motors lives – while it could have been the other way round.

This is the Democrats’ answer to the Republicans’ key question in this election campaign: are you, dear fellow citizens, better off today than four years ago?

The Democratic answer is a cautious “yes.” Because when the crisis struck in 2008, everything could have been much, much worse.

This is the incumbent president’s major achievement, say the Democrats. And no one will say that this achievement had to be cheap.

On Tuesday, the first full day of the Convention, the US Treasury published this figure: 16,015,769,788,215.80. This is the amount of dollars and cents which Americans will apparently have to pay back to the Chinese and other relentless creditors.

Under Obama, the sum of the debt has grown by five trillion. The rescue of the carmaker giant General Motors, and before it, of finance behemoths like AIG, the military expenditure in Iraq and Afghanistan, the road and bridge renovation projects, the prolongation of unemployment compensation up to two years, and manifold increase of the cost for food rations for the poor have all cost the federal government a pretty penny. Actually, a little over this five trillion, which America did not have back then and does not have now, either.

Americans, who generally do not care much for math, have been making a note of such sums recently. Mitt Romney’s Republican propagandists help them a lot here.

Quite recently my friend Fred confessed that he would like to live in a country like Australia.

As he was saying this, my imagination readily offered me beautiful beaches, kangaroos, koalas, and other local fauna, a warm climate without snow or any other winter inconveniences, friendly, openhearted people with a funny accent, vast, sun-scorched deserts, reddish mountains, crimson sunsets, urban landscapes, and suchlike pictures.

When I asked Fred, what he finds so attractive about Australia, he answered, “I hear they have a deficit-free budget there.”

***

Dozens of supporters took the floor to defend the hard decisions, which President Obama had made during his office. They had been carefully handpicked, so each had to strike a chord in the soul of each social, political, or gender group, which together make the core Democratic electorate in the upcoming election. Women, Latinos, trade unions, young people, Afro-Americans, and others became there target audiences.

The convention even passed a resolution which acknowledged Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, as a response to the criticism from Jews and the Republican supporters who claim that Obama’s Middle East policy alienates the US from its strategic ally in the region.

It looked as though each speech, each resolution, and each event at this gathering had its specific theme and goal. The bottom line is as follows: Obama is the president America needs.

After the Republican convention, opinion polls show that Romney has come abreast with Obama in terms of overall support, although he still comes second in the Electoral College vote, which will actually decide the outcome of the election. Each state has a certain number of electors, equal to the size of this state’s Congressional delegation. In order to win the election, a candidate has to win 270 electoral votes out of 538. In the US, it is states, rather than people, that elect president.

The Democrats will not relax, since they feel that they will not be able to summon as many young people in this election as they did four years ago. A lack of youth vote will play into Romney’s hands.

What should worry them even more is the fact that Romney has finally found an antidote to Obama’s reproach for his being a moneybag, who scarcely knows the needs of the middle class. Romney was able to shift the accents. Yes, he is a wealthy man, and might be not always aware of everything that is eating an ordinary Tom, Dick, or Harry. Yet he represents the makers, whereas Obama is one of the takers. If you doubt it, check out the budget deficit figures. This is where Obama draws funds to squander on his supporters, who would rather take than make.

Finally, during his presidential campaign Romney has found a statement which found a broad response among the majority of Americans. It is easy as ABC, and very timely. Everyone has heard of Greece and Iceland, the countries on the verge of bankruptcy or broken, which went too far with expenditure.

Americans do not want to become another Greece.

What they do not know is that they will never be able to become another Greece – unless there is a global economic Armageddon.

No one is going to tell them. Anyway, something has to be done with the debt, which is said to have grown scandalously big.

***

Ex-president Bill Clinton’s speech was particularly revealing in how Obama (with his hard and expensive solutions) is defended by his party. It shows how emotion is put on a par with appealing to intellect and critical thinking.

This is the irritant which can get to the young non-affiliated professionals (the so-called independent voters), who identify with neither Republicans nor Democrats. Maybe, some of them will look up their polling station on their way to work.

As Clinton explained, the Republican argument against the incumbent’s re-election is very simple. We left him a mess to face, he is not done cleaning it up, so let us elect a new president and bring us back to power.

Clinton is convinced, and not without a reason, that Obama inherited economic problems from the Republican Administration. Bush had made as much debt as Obama. But, despite the slow rebound, Obama has laid foundations for a better balanced and sustainable economy.

Clinton went on to explain to the audience that it would not be wise to expect more of Obama. And his opinion is quite trustworthy. Under the Clinton Administration, America had a good economy, with the longest development in history. He was the best suitable expert to say that the economy inherited by Obama was much weaker and more troubled, than the one Clinton inherited in his time. No president would have been able to put it to rights in only four years.

Clinton said that at this election most important question is: what kind of country do you want to live in? If you would rather have a country where you are left to your own devices, where the winner takes it all, then you should support the Republican. If you want a country where wealth is shared as is responsibility, a nation that shares a common fate, then vote for Obama.

The country’s federal debt will also be shared by all, though.

COMMENTARY

Oleh SHAMSHUR, former ambassador of Ukraine to the US:

“The Democratic Convention following the Republican gathering, the former clearly have a goal to take over the initiative, and draw public attention to their platform and views.

“Michelle Obama had a clear-cut mission, which took shape under the influence of Ann Romney’s successful speech. She managed to show the aspect of Romney’s life and character, which had been obscure for an ordinary American citizen. Likewise, Obama is perceived by many to be a rather cold, cerebral type, quite different form the warm Bill Clinton.

“At their convention, the Democrats wanted to show that their party is concerned about the middle class and its problems, whereas the Republicans are some moneybags. The Democrats appeal to women, and want to inspire the groups which brought them success in 2008: Obama’s young supporters and, of course, minorities. The convention had a remarkably assertive rhetoric, which was also meant to defend Obama’s presidential record.

“Clinton brought to the convention emotion and human touch, which Obama the speaker sadly lacks. Of course, Clinton is important for mobilizing the Democrats’ conventional electorate. His speech targeted the non-affiliated voters. On the other hand, it was a sign of Obama’s weakness, who is aware of his deficiency as a communicator, and thus resorted to Clinton.”