Despite Obama's Victory, He Is Placed At A Fork In The Road

As United States President Barack Obama’s economic stimulus has passed through the US Senate floor, the victory somewhat puts him in a fork in a road in which the path will be chosen for him.

It was Saturday night in which United States President Barack Obama’s economic stimulus bill had passed through the floor of the United States Senate. Obama should sign the newly slimmed $787 economic stimulus bill soon. Hours earlier before that, it passed through the US House of Representatives. Again, there was unanimous GOP opposition to the stimulus bill in the house. In the US Senate, Democrats got the support of three moderate GOP Senators. In a Saturday morning radio address, Obama said that the government alone will not be the sole source of the country’s prosperity. He explained that the economic stimulus is just a start. Obama’s administration said that instant miracles should not be expected. Aides to Obama have explained that relief to the economy will not magically happen overnight. He is expected to sign this into law on Tuesday in Denver, Colorado. According to David Axelrod, Obama’s senior adviser, things may get worse before things get better. “I don’t think there’s any doubt that we’ve seen this economy has gotten worse just in the last few months. The acceleration in job loss probably means that this economy is going to get worse before it gets better,” said Robert Gibbs, the White House Press Secretary. Gibbs was on CBS’ “Face the Nation” early today. However, this does put Obama’s head on the chopping block. This is a high-stakes gamble for Obama. If the stimulus fails, the political damage would be fatal. For those that have kept track of the stimulus bill, there has been much GOP opposition. So far, this could be compared to then President Bill Clinton’s economic plan. According to Democratic strategist Steve Elmendorf, if the stimulus works along with other things to boost the economy, it will be damaging to the Republican Party. If it fails, it will give Republicans unprecedented ammo to use against Obama. According to GOP strategist Scott Reed, the GOP needs to come up with alternatives to Obama’s policies. Pollster John Zogby explains it could be difficult for the GOP. Zogby cites that the Republicans have far less credibility than Obama has. Zobgy says the roles have been reversed. Still, this does put the country at a fork in the road. One path leads to economic success and the other path leads to economic failure. In this respect, the country will be pushed in one direction or the other. What will happen? We will have to wait and see.