The Tea Party – Has it made things too hot for Obama?

The Tea Party – Has it made things too hot for Obama?

‘’The American People have sent a message to Obama’’ cried John Boehner after he was re-elected to his seat in the U.S Mid-Terms on a wave of Republican successes. He looks likely now to become the Speaker of the House of Representatives which has a Republican majority.  Are we seeing the rebirth of the extreme right? Is the Obama administration doomed to impotence?

A Republican Victory?

Firstly, this is not a complete victory for the Republicans. They may have won back the House of Representatives, but have failed to deal with what can only be described as the virus growing within: the ever increasingly popular ‘Tea Party’. This continues to infiltrate the Republican Party, replacing moderates with more extreme candidates and taking the Republican Party further to the right.  Led by popular figures such Sarah Palin and Glenn Beck, the Tea Party seems to be a force to stop the Democrats taking the Country in a what it terms a non-American direction, one that has  Big Government and intends to pass socialist  reforms like health care for all.

A Set-back for Obama?

How serious is the set-back for Obama?  He has brought many new ideas to American politics. He won the presidency on a mandate for change, which in America , a predominantly conservative and increasingly Evangelical Christian country was always going to be difficult. Unfortunately for the President, the beginning of his Term coincided with the greatest recession since the Great Depression of the 1930s. His conservative opponents do not want reforms which bring welfare to the poorest members of society through high taxes while they are struggling themselves. Having a Black president as the face of the government no doubt also plays a part in angering the Tea Party (which is mostly a white movement) but it is still a force to be reckoned with.

The beginning of the end?

Is this beginning of the end for Obama, who only recently seemed he could do no wrong? Perhaps not! Some of the most popular Presidents such as Clinton or Reagan suffered in their first Mid-Terms.  For Obama it was almost inevitable that he would not be able to implement all of his promises in the middle of a recession. David Cameron and especially Nick Clegg are lucky that there are no Mid-Terms in the UK as results here would bring the same problem which Obama faces. However, the Democrats will recover and the Tea Party movement may well fizzle out over time as the US public begin to realise how incompetent Tea- Baggers really are. And of course the splits in the Republican Party offer opportunities for Democrats. Obama is far from being a spent force.

Chris Booth, Second Year Undergraduate (BA International Politics)

What do you think?