Friday 26 October 2012

A 'different' Obama for the second term!

George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Franklin Roosevelt are, perhaps, the greatest ever Presidents of United States. John Kennedy, in my view, is also a worthy addition to this list for his ability to inspire a nation and the world.
The Barack Obama of 2008 seemed to be on a path of similar greatness – a man who beat all odds to become the first black President, a leader of deep character who fought his election on real issues, a human being who seemed authentic and grounded.
Four years on, it is true that Obama’s legacy is nowhere close to that of Lincoln, Roosevelt or Kennedy. Lincoln, against tremendous odds, preserved the Union and abolished slavery. Roosevelt seemed just the right man to deal with the great depression. Kennedy, in his short term, inspired a generation to dream for a better future like few other leaders in modern times. Obama, in contrast, has not been able to either solve the biggest issue that an average American is facing, unemployment, or sustain the platform of hope that was so central to his election in 2008.
At best, Obama’s first terms can be termed as average, perhaps even disappointing.
Yet, Obama still has the makings of a great President who can, if he steers his Presidency differently, have a second term that can be historic. Remember that he had no executive experience when he first took office. He over-estimated his ability as a transformational figure to be able to deal with complex American politics. While that cannot be termed as an excuse for his mediocre performance thus far but, he is a learner, someone who builds on his past experience and there should be no doubt that he will strive for a second term that is very different than the first.
Importantly, Obama’s first term offers insights into the character of a man who possesses the right world view and inherently has what it takes to get the job done:
·         Moral integrity and depth of character: Obama is a man with very high standards of ‘moral ethics’. One only has to look at his life history to understand that his sole purpose has not been to hold high office, but that he holds high office to deliver on a larger cause. As a Harvard graduate, he could have easily built a future very different than what he pursued, that of a community organizer, law Professor, State Senator. He ran his campaign on a very high moral ground, focusing on issues rather than individuals. The ‘intent’ to close Guantanamo bay, the passing of the health care bill (irrespective of the contents of the bill, one can’t doubt the intent of Obama to provide affordable health care to all), the repeal of ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ are strong pointers of a man whose belief system guides him to ‘do the right thing’.
·         A tremendous sense of duty: Obama can be faulted for poor execution, but not faulty intent. He means well and, while that might not be adequate, in the modern era of politics is not an easily found trait.
·         A balanced approach to difficult decisions: Obama’s approach during the decision making process for increasing troops in Afghanistan in 2009 is testimony to his profound sense of duty to American people. Obama was criticized for being very slow in his decision making to send more troops to Afghanistan, yet few people gave him credit for the balanced process he followed to arrive at that decision – careful deliberations over many months, given the American lives at stake, to arrive at what he thought was the best decision.
·         Decisiveness when the situation demands so: Obama gets little credit for his efforts against major terrorist groups and for Osama Bin Laden’s death. Ending the war in Iraq, a clear path to end the war in Afghanistan speak well of Obama’s approach to complex issues. These actions might not sound heroic, but they are right and portray a man who is ‘measured’ and not rash in his approach.

Obama ‘has’ the DNA of a great leader. However, in order to inspire a country of many jobless people and to get the job done of resurrecting the economy he will need to make some fundamental changes to how he approaches his second term. Obama’s first term was similar to his first debate against Romney – technically correct on all fronts, but not bold and certainly not inspiring. Obama’s second term can and, I believe, will be similar to his performance in the second debate - courageous and tough when required, and inspiring. Specifically, Obama must consider the following changes to how he approaches his second term:
·         A narrative, a vision that is inspiring in tough times: The most ironic part of Obama’s first term is that he did not have a single rallying cry for the American people. That is surprising because ‘change’ and ‘hope’ were such powerful slogans of his election campaign. Obama needs to have a clear vision of ‘how’ he will get jobs back for American people and he needs to communicate this vision to them.
·         A leadership style that, too, is inspiring: Obama is an honest, unpretentious leader who seems like a handsome and elegant man next door. However, often citizens look for more in their leader specially in tough times. They look for a certain style, a personality that the leader should possess, not just content. Obama in the first debate against Romney had the content, but what swung it for him in the second debate was ‘how’ he articulated it in a more inspiring and decisive manner.
·         Leadership by consensus is not the right recipe for tough times: Obama’s main weakness, and this stems from his background of being a community organizer, is that he often strives for consensus when the same is either not possible, or painstakingly slow. Politics is a very different ball game than community organizing and one hopes that Obama has realized this in the four years he’s spent in Washington.
·         An extraordinary team: Except for Hillary Clinton and, despite his regular gaffes, an experienced hand in Joe Biden, Obama’s key leaders are good but not extraordinary. Obama has an opportunity to change this as many of his key cabinet members plan to leave at the end of this term.

Obama is at his best when his back is against the wall. On such occasions, he seems to get a deep inner strength that bring out immense focus, tenacity, a level of intellect, a sense of character that takes him to a league of leaders that is very similar to that of Lincoln or Kennedy. Perhaps, the two occasions that demonstrate this most are the ones that almost derailed his ascendency to his first and second term – Rev Jeremiah Wright controversy in his first campaign, which was followed by his remarkable speech on race, and the first Presidential debate in his second campaign, post which he gave a classic performance in the next debate. But, these occasions have been fleeting and not a consistent feature. There is no doubt that Obama ‘has’ the ability and, hopefully, an intent to change this in his second term. If he exercises that option, he will forever be looked upon as one of the greatest leaders of modern times. The choice is entirely his!