The undoing of the United States Part II

Another Economic Crisis

The global economic crisis of 2008 caused many citizens to conclude that the financial elite callously manipulated markets for its own profit, that big banks were bailed out at the expense of the little guy, that the tax code was written by the wealthy, and that equal opportunity for all no longer existed.

Barack Obama ran on the platform of helping the little guy by stopping the flow of jobs abroad. His slogan “Change we can believe in” followed by the chant “Yes We Can” charged up voters to believe that the government could be turned in favor of ordinary citizens.

Many Latino voters knew “Yes We Can” in the Spanish form, Si Se Puede, since it was the motto of the United Farm Workers of America created by Dolores Huerta during César Chávez’s 25-day fast in Phoenix, Arizona, in 1972.

Obama’s great command of English and his rhetorical skills acquired from studying the speeches of Abraham Lincoln convinced skeptical voters that the ship of state could be turned in their favor. He inspired hope and defeated John McCain with well over 69 million votes and 365 electoral votes compared to McCain’s 173. 

Obama’s greatest achievement as president was the passing of Obamacare. Given the present-day turmoil in medical delivery in America, it is difficult to assess the success of Obamacare. However, we do know that he could not stop the flow of jobs abroad.

In February 2011, at a dinner for Silicon Valley’s movers and shakers, Obama asked Steve Jobs what it would take to move the manufacture of the iPhone to the United States. Apple’s founder bluntly replied, “Those jobs aren’t coming back.”