Is President Obama on the Gorbachev Path?

Mikhail Gorbachev was a victim of his own reform movement. Though praised internationally for his bold vision, Gorbachev’s popularity dipped dramatically in the erstwhile U.S.S.R. The vision and rhetoric of reform is more appealing than actual reform process. Is President Obama treading the Gorbachev path? Or is it still too early to decide? I must confess that the comparison here is not about the impact of reform policies on the political system but more specifically on the political future of the two leaders.
President Obama’s approach and policies in four particular areas can be referred to as ‘reformatory’ if not revolutionary: narratives on race in the country, foreign relations of the U.S., health care in America and issues of fiscal responsibility. This four part analysis will deal with each aspect in detail. The objective is to review the kind of reform that President Obama is aspiring for and the emerging response to it. Such analysis would equip us to determine whether or not President Obama is heading down the Gorbachev path. 
The election of Barak Obama to the Presidency was bound to impact the way in which ‘race’ was viewed in the U.S. Brent Staples is right when he says that , “The American obsession with people who are said to transcend race began long before Barack Obama moved into the White House — long before he even thought about running for president.” But the election of an African-American to the highest office of the nation was bound to have a greater impact. Now the question is, how can this development be viewed as a ‘reform’ credited to President Obama? It certainly can be. If we happen to analyze the multitude of success stories of African-Americans over the past decades, a common theme is evident. These are stories of self-will and determination; stories of how the African-Americans fought against all odds to achieve excellence in respective fields. But somewhere these stories had put the onus of under-achievement among the African-Americans on their lack of will and fortitude. It was made to appear that the vast numbers of African-Americans were suffering because they were not trying hard enough to succeed. President Obama’s speeches have contributed the element of objectivity to the narrative by acknowledging the persistence of racial prejudice in the American society. Public acceptance of this fact by the President is significant. In a speech delivered at the NAACP Centennial Convention on July 17, President Obama observed, “And yet, even as we celebrate the remarkable achievements of the past 100 years; even as we inherit extraordinary progress that cannot be denied; even as we marvel at the courage and determination of so many plain folk — we know that too many barriers still remain.” The President minted no words in accepting that whether it was the economic crisis or the high costs of health care; whether it was the numbers with regard to HIV/AID patients or prison inmates, the African-American community is more widely and severely impacted than their other American counterparts. President Obama has put it better than anyone else: “I understand there may be a temptation among some to think that discrimination is no longer a problem in 2009. And I believe that overall, there probably has never been less discrimination in America than there is today. I think we can say that. But make no mistake: The pain of discrimination is still felt in America. By African American women paid less for doing the same work as colleagues of a different color and a different gender. By Latinos made to feel unwelcome in their own country….”
The acceptance that discrimination persists has allowed President Obama to reform the official approach for helping the disadvantaged sections of the African-Americans. The White House Office on Urban Affairs is promoting the Promise Neighborhoods Program on lines of Geoffrey Canada’s Harlem Children’s Zone. Innovative approaches like the Bard High School Early College and Medgar Evers College Preparatory School that challenge students to complete high school and earn a free associate’s degree or college credit in just four years are being promoted. States promoting the Early Learning Programs and undertaking requisite reforms are made eligible for financial grants for continuing and improving the program. The point here is not to list the specific measures but to highlight that the focus of attention has now shifted from ‘countering personal prejudice’ to ‘correcting structural deficiencies’ with regard to the African-American community. Racial discrimination is no longer approached through anthropological arguments but through affirmative socio-political policies. The PBS series Rise and Fall of Jim Crow has a caption that epitomizes the current problem: Emancipation ended slavery, but not its legacy.
That Barack Obama got elected president with 43 percent of the white vote is a testament to his ability to cultivate a cross-racial appeal. Some even referred to Presidential candidate Barack Obama as ‘not black enough’. His views on the issue of race were expressed during a Presidential campaign speech at Philadelphia - the famous Perfect Union Speech. According to the President, his cross-cultural and cross-racial heritage uniquely equipped him to understand and address issues of race. But those who say that President Obama ignored the issue of race during the Presidential Campaign and is furthering his agenda of assisting the Afro-American community after assuming the Office are mistaken.  The sentiment of the NAACP Centennial Convention was evident in the Perfect Union Speech as well. Here is an excerpt of the latter speech: In the white community, the path to a more perfect union means acknowledging that what ails the African-American community does not just exist in the minds of black people; that the legacy of discrimination - and current incidents of discrimination, while less overt than in the past - are real and must be addressed. Hence President Obama’s stand on the issue of race has been consistent, but the public opinion has recently shifted.�
The Henry Louis Gates incident has greatly impacted the American public opinion with regard to President Obama’s approach on issues of ‘race’. For many Americans President Obama was a ‘race neutral’ person; his election campaign had not made use of the race card and he was widely seen as debating on issues of ‘American’ interests rather than ‘Afro-American’ interests. But the remarks that Cambridge Mass. Police Department “acted stupidly” in arresting Prof. Gates has dented the President’s credibility. Many consider that the President made a hasty comment based on ‘race linkage’ without delving into the details of the case. The Police Department is “deeply pained” even as President Obama fails to comprehend the reason for handcuffing Prof. Gates. Sgt. James Crowley is an expert on racial profiling and has taught a class on the subject or five years at the Lowell Police Academy. Irrespective of who was at fault, the incident will continue to remain a factor in future discussion about President Obama’s views on ‘race. I will not be surprised if the nomination of Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court will now be interpreted in a different light by the populace. Even the President’s attempt to address the uproar by accepting his unfortunate choice of words will not erase the impressions of the incident from the public psyche.
This incident combined with the attempt to correct structural deficiencies is creating a fear of ‘reserve discrimination’ among the Americans. Will President Obama’s efforts to closely integrate the Afro-American community in the national mainstream create further divisions? Will President Obama’s indented and unintended reforms on ‘race issues’ turn against him?  Will President Obama’s neutrality as the country’s political leader come under the scanner? Have other President’s in the past being ‘race neutral’? Is President Obama being scrutinized too closely for being an African-American? If these questions are answered in the affirmative, then President Obama is surely headed on the Gorbachev path. But if the American people are able to comprehend the wider vision, President Obama is on his way to re-script the Gorbachev episode in the history of political leadership.