Opinion Out of my Mind: Charisma is not enough

How has this happened? Obama was hailed as a miracle when he won in 2008. A million plus came to Washington DC for the inauguration; not just black people, but the full diversity of America. There was an atmosphere of hope despite the collapse of Lehman Brothers and the deep recession America and the world were entering into at the time. Indeed, it seemed to promise another New Deal .

There was a bonus. The newly-elected president was black, or at least of mixed race parentage. He had a Muslim middle name, a Kenyan father and a mother who had spent a lot of time in Indonesia. Perhaps he’s the first global American to be president. He was smart, an articulate law professor, had a glamorous wife and beautiful daughters.

To confirm America’s judgment, the Nobel Committee awarded him the Nobel Peace Prize before he had done anything of significance.
As I wrote at the time, he got the Nobel Prize for being black. Also perhaps for not being George W Bush, with whom Europeans were fed up. Wherever he went — Berlin, Oslo and Cairo — he seemed to give dramatic, path-breaking speeches.

Then one thing followed another and people began to see that Obama promised a lot but could not deliver. He was going to shut Guantanamo Bay, but was thwarted. His reflation programme did not quite do the job. Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke had to pull several trillion dollars worth of rabbits out of his central banker’s hat to revive the economy. The Congress was divided. There was a policy logjam. The Republicans in the House were very angry about Obamacare, perhaps the one thing he did which may outlast his presidency. The Tea Party adherents loathed him with a racist fervour that had disappeared from American politics for a while.

He came to office criticising Iraq war but got entangled in Afghansitan, making the double mistake of lingering for long and then pulling out before anything had settled. Despite his inspiring Cairo speech which promised to open a new chapter in US engagement with Muslims, he has done nothing to improve the lot of Palestinians. All he can claim is that Osama bin Laden got killed under his watch.

Even so, he won a second term. His campaign in 2012, as in 2008, was the real eye opener. He raised money by crowdfunding, using social media and thousands of volunteers. He could enthuse, move and charm crowds. His victory the second time around demoralised the Republican Party for a while. But suddenly, come this election, especially without having to carry a presidential candidate who could be a liability as Mitt Romney was, the tables were turned.

The only explanation seems to be that while Obama could campaign to win, he had no idea about implementing policies. This requires give and take in the American system. John Kennedy had the glamour, but could not do much with Congress. Lyndon Johnson knew how to get results. Jimmy Carter was an honest man, but a hopeless president. Carter had no Washington experience and did not know how things got done. Kennedy had a short experience as a senator, but no executive experience.

Winning elections is one thing. Getting results as a ruler is quite another.