Again, the Politics of Fear By E. Faye Williams

Oct. 12, 2014

Again, the Politics of Fear
By E. Faye Williams

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If you’re paying attention to the news, you can again hear the bleating of hatred and fear emanating from the intemperate tongues of the haters our President. Since his first term, critical problems threaten the peace and prosperity of the U.S through no fault of his.

Breaking long-standing traditions of unanimity of purpose in our foreign policy, those wishing to denigrate the President have begun anew sowing seeds of uncertainty and distrust in his judgment and abilities.  His detractors are encouraging fear among Americans of an impending world-wide Ebola pandemic and of an intractable conflict of undetermined length with ISIS.

Although seriousness of the problems can’t be understated, we know these fear tactics are designed to eliminate any legislative leverage the President might realize and undermine his credibility in an election year. The greater intent is to obliterate the legacy of this effective President into little more than a footnote in history.

Don’t believe the distortions of the political right. The President has marshaled the resources of the U.S. to present a comprehensive response to the threat of an Ebola outbreak.  His initiatives include, but are not limited to:

·         Controlling the epidemic at its source in West Africa;

·         Blunting the economic, social, and political tolls in the region;

·         Engaging and coordinating with a broader global audience;

·         Fortifying global health security infrastructure in the region and in the U.S.

According to a recent White House press release, the U.S. has committed more than $350 million toward fighting the outbreak in West Africa, including more than $111 million in humanitarian aid.  DOD is prepared to devote more than $1 billion to the Ebola response effort.  The President’s deployed over 130 civilian medical, health care, and disaster response experts to West Africa. He’s increased the number of Ebola treatment units in the region, and has increased the number of safe burial teams.

Our public health officials have led the charge to prepare and fortify our own national health infrastructure to respond quickly and effectively to Ebola cases. This includes heightened screening capabilities at U.S. ports of entry and enhanced surveillance and lab testing capacity.  These aren’t the actions of an indecisive leader.

Although ISIS has demonstrated the depth of its terroristic fanaticism with gross beheadings and appears to be well-funded and capable of international reach, we’re well-served to remember that a significant amount of the animus now directed at the U.S. is in response to actions of others. Despite arrogant assertions to the contrary, President Obama has guided national foreign policy and military decisions in a manner that’s reduced exposure of U.S. troops to hostile action and forces.  While it’s too early to accurately assess how policies determined by the President will play out with regard to ISIS, I have faith that past successes of his judgment will be replicated.

In less than a month, as we go to our polling places to vote, we must not forget that President Obama:

  • Led the nation successfully through the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression.
  • Created 10 million new jobs over the last 54 months - the longest uninterrupted job growth in national history.
  • Gave us the Affordable Care Act, with a 26% decline in medically uninsured.
  • Brought us a record high national high school graduation rate with a decrease in our dropout rate.
  • Reduced the number of children living in poverty by 1.4 million - largest decline since 1966.
  • Caused the national crime and incarceration rates to fall nearly 10%.
  • Led the automobile industry from chaos and collapse to prosperity.

We can control how the President's legacy will be written.  We can elect legislators who’ll advance the President's agenda or with our apathy, we’ll allow those whose interests counter ours, and the President's, to triumph.  The choice is ours to make!

(Dr. Williams is President of the National Congress of Black Women. www.nationalcongressbw.org)