(Μερικά από) τα προβλήματα του Obama

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Οι παρακάτω απόψεις του Bob Reich μου φαίνονται εξαιρετικά εύστοχες.
Θεωρώ επίσης ότι είναι εξαιρετικά χρήσιμες για την επόμενη μέρα στην Ελλάδα.

A large Obama victory, combined with larger Democratic majorities in both Houses of Congress, and the deepening economic crisis, should provide him a strong mandate for change. America and the world are surely ready for it.

But as we roll up our shirtsleeves, it's important to be aware of the challenges ahead.

First is the ever-larger and more powerful army of Washington lobbyists. Pharmaceutical companies, insurers, and giant hospital chains will seek control over any health-care initiative. Producers of coal, ethanol, and nuclear power will try to dominate the energy and environmental agenda. Military contractors will want to maintain defense spending. And Wall Street will want ever more control over its massive bailout.

Then there's the ballooning budget deficit brought on my slower growth and the Wall Street bailout. As a result, fiscal conservatives – including a newly-enlarged group of “blue-dog” Democrats – will be reluctant to support any major new spending.

And don't forget all the business groups, Republicans, libertarians, talk-radio hosts, and yell-television personalities who will fulminate over anything resembling a tax hike on the rich or big corporations.

Obama’s agenda can survive all this, but only if he continues to mobilize and energize the public behind it. That means creating a new politics -- utilizing his vast campaign network of volunteers, grass-roots activists, and Internet participants, and turning it into a movement to take back our democracy from the lobbyists, naysayers, pork peddlers, and moneyed interests that normally run things in Washington.

In other words, the real contest is just beginning.