Political Courage

President Obama has shown political courage throughout his last 7 years in office despite the pressure to be reelected in 2012 and the pressure to be liked. He has shown courage in immigration reform, deals with Cuba, health care reform, and in foreign policy. The president has faced a republican congress for the majority of his time in office which has forced him to stand against his political colleagues to promote change and improve America (Project Vote Smart).

In 2013 Obama created an executive order to deal with the changing tides of immigration. He had been pushing for legislation to change immigration but after he felt that not enough had been done in response to his requests, he decided to take action (Dann, Carrie). The president incorporated three core elements in his executive actions: eliminating illegal immigration, change deportation, and additional background checks. the goal of this reform was to speed up the legal immigration system and help the American economy with new citizens(Immigration). For President Obama’s executive order he faced much criticism for his actions. This showed his courage and willingness to propose change despite the dislike he knew he would face.

The Affordable Care Act has caused controversy since its inception. Multiple other counties provide comprehensive healthcare for all citizens, but America had a unique, individual system where individuals had for figure out health care for themselves. Some employers would provide health care, but others, such as small businesses, did not have the means. Now more people have the opportunity to afford health care plans. This act has made health care easier and more affordable for everyone (Morris, Davis). Obama not only face criticism from republican opponents but also from fellow democrats. Congressman Barney Frank of Massachusetts said that the entire democratic party would suffer because of the change created by President Obama. He showed great political courage by going against his own party, standing against political colleagues, and laying the foundations of the act in his first term, possibly risking reelection.

In his time as president, Obama has challenged long held foreign policy regarding Cuba and Iran. Obama opened the Cuban embassy after nearly 50 years tension (Carruthers, Wanda). Many critics accused Obama because he allied himself with the questionable leadership of the country. Then, Obama created a deal with Iran to keep the country from getting control of nuclear weapons. During the republican debate, many candidates referenced the deal and how wasteful they thought the money spent was. they also made fun of his previous deals and implied that he ruined America. Obama Displayed courage by sticking to his principles even though he knew from the beginning that his decisions would be criticized by his political opponents.

In December, Paris hosted a climate change summit, which President Obama attended and spoke at. Recently the President has released some executive actions to combat the increasing climate change. He plans to cut carbon emissions and the impact of America on the continually changing global climate. For years, the president has been battling big business to increase renewable energy sources and to limit our dependency on foreign oils. Big business has fought him every step of the way. For example, the coal industry employs a large number of Americans that might not be able to get jobs in other industries. Also, oil companies and car makers do not profit as much from alternate energy sources as they do from oil sales. These industries have stood in the president’s path, slowing him down in his attempt to lead the world in climate awareness. The executive orders make progress by improving fuel efficiency standards, increase renewable energy, and lower carbon pollution.