The Dog Days of Summer Getting You Down?
My friend, I have heard you’re a little under the weather and feeling discouraged. I’m told it’s gotten to the point where you’ve basically given up on President Obama. As I understand it, you can’t quite put your finger on it, but he just doesn’t seem to be a leader. Maybe you were hoping for a little more tough love for Israel. Maybe you wished Barack would channel Sen. Warren a little more, but mostly you’re tired of nothing getting done. Sure the Republicans are blocking everything, but shouldn’t we expect a real leader could break through somehow?
I hope I can help you to feel a little better but before we get to the gravamen of your complaint maybe we should take a moment to look at the bigger picture. So bear with me if I seem to go a little far a field. I will soon return to the winter of our discontent, I promise. (Notice how I not only mix the metaphors, I mix the seasons. Nothing like the thought of snow and slush to take the sting out of a hot day.)
What do we need from a political champion? What can we reasonably expect?
First he or she must be able to get elected and get reelected. Without that there are no gains or gains are quickly lost. How does Obama stack up against other Democrats? Since America has had two real parties with the victory of the Whigs in 1841 there have only been 2 Democrats to win 2 successive terms with a majority of the popular vote: Franklin D. Roosevelt and Barack Obama. That’s a rate of 1 per hundred years. So let’s grant that this guy is one of the best campaigners we have ever had. (Or maybe Rusbo has convinced you that being black was an advantage afterall.)
Did he face big problems when he came to office? Well, Lincoln faced worse. Maybe Roosevelt, but he didn’t face two wars and the county was already drowning in debt. I would argue Obama faced a least as tough a row as Roosevelt, so maybe that earns him something? (Remember the Onion headline in 2008, "Black Man Given Nation's Worst Job")
Next, a true leader must articulate a program and pursue it with persistence, prudence and determination. When Obama sought the presidency he promised the big four: health care reform, restore the economy, keep our nation safe, and help protect the weaker among us. Beyond the policy promises it is worth noting that also he promised to try and restore bipartisanship to Washington.
Well he certainly has not succeeded at that. In fact many of us blame him for trying too hard. Sometimes it seems like he’s too much of a gentleman. But to be fair, its hard to get down on a politician for doing what he promised and although I’d love to see someone call these Republican haters out for what they really are, I guess I don’t think it would advance any cause I’m interested in.
As for his substantive record, you’ve got to go back to Kennedy/Johnson to equal it.
I won’t try to take it all apart. You’re smart, you know most of it. But let me just shine the light on a couple of things. First comes Obama Care. Many of us would have been happier if Medicare had been made available to all. Obama and his people decided the votes weren’t there and when we look back at how close it was we have to say maybe they were right. But here is something to feel good about. In one sense it doesn’t matter and this gets to the heart of a blind spot many of us liberal have. Getting halfway to a goal does not slow the day we get all the way. Maybe in some mythological world built on pure logic it might seem this way, but all our history indicates that each step makes the next easier.
By the way if you doubt what I am saying take a close look at the Republicans. Does it look to you like their saying thank God the Democrats passed this insurance company based approach because now we don’t have to worry about them expanding Medicare in the future?
What about the fight for our vulnerable neighbors, the battle which more than anything is what makes us Democrats. Yes I wish Obama could pass sweeping immigration reform in the House. But I honestly find it hard you see how anyone could motivate these people who respond to children knocking on our door and asking for asylum by increasing the number of border guards. Could anyone move this group to do the right thing? About this time I expect someone might be saying LBJ. Really? LBJ’s great progress was made in the wake of Kennedy’s death and with a huge Congressional majority in both houses of Congress. After he lost some of that edge in the 1966 midterms, he was Clark Kent, not Superman.
But I’ve taken us far afield. Let’s get back to your general malaise. I promised medicine. Let me offer this to chew on. While many of us have often been frustrated with the care and deliberation which characterizes so much of what President Obama does, it has resulted in reliable progress without successful push backs. As an example, consider gays in the military. Clinton had a good heart on this issue and he rushed ahead with an Executive Order and before we were done he was signing Don’t Ask Don’t Tell. Obama moved with care and deliberation and there has been no push back.
But if none of this has helped brighten your outlook let me offer this. Everyday the people this President has appointed are doing good things, most of which get little attention in the press. This week its the Labor Board looking for ways to pierce the franchise facade and hold McDonalds responsible for how employees are treated at their burger stands. These decisions are being made by the folks the Republican Senators were blocking until the filibuster rule got changed.
But I must talk about the elephant in the room, the most sickening daily news: foreign affairs. It’s enough to make us all put our heads under the pillow. But Obama is not responsible for these woes any more than Roosevelt was responsible for the Nazis. And to be honest I think we’re all a little guilty of taking for granted the comfort we have from knowing that we have a rational, careful and determined man calling the shots for America, It hasn’t always been and won't always be the case, but before getting lost in all the details maybe we should ask just two questions.
1. Am we happier with our government negotiating with Iran than we would be at war with Iran?
2. Would the situation in the Ukraine be safer if we were pouring in weapons and forward deploying our own forces?
Hopefully your answer to these two questions will be like the ghost of George Patton slapping you in the face and you’ll jump out of bed, man the ramparts, stand at Armageddon and battle beside a good and proven leader who deserves a much better than the hand he has been dealt.
I hope I can help you to feel a little better but before we get to the gravamen of your complaint maybe we should take a moment to look at the bigger picture. So bear with me if I seem to go a little far a field. I will soon return to the winter of our discontent, I promise. (Notice how I not only mix the metaphors, I mix the seasons. Nothing like the thought of snow and slush to take the sting out of a hot day.)
What do we need from a political champion? What can we reasonably expect?
First he or she must be able to get elected and get reelected. Without that there are no gains or gains are quickly lost. How does Obama stack up against other Democrats? Since America has had two real parties with the victory of the Whigs in 1841 there have only been 2 Democrats to win 2 successive terms with a majority of the popular vote: Franklin D. Roosevelt and Barack Obama. That’s a rate of 1 per hundred years. So let’s grant that this guy is one of the best campaigners we have ever had. (Or maybe Rusbo has convinced you that being black was an advantage afterall.)
Did he face big problems when he came to office? Well, Lincoln faced worse. Maybe Roosevelt, but he didn’t face two wars and the county was already drowning in debt. I would argue Obama faced a least as tough a row as Roosevelt, so maybe that earns him something? (Remember the Onion headline in 2008, "Black Man Given Nation's Worst Job")
Next, a true leader must articulate a program and pursue it with persistence, prudence and determination. When Obama sought the presidency he promised the big four: health care reform, restore the economy, keep our nation safe, and help protect the weaker among us. Beyond the policy promises it is worth noting that also he promised to try and restore bipartisanship to Washington.
Well he certainly has not succeeded at that. In fact many of us blame him for trying too hard. Sometimes it seems like he’s too much of a gentleman. But to be fair, its hard to get down on a politician for doing what he promised and although I’d love to see someone call these Republican haters out for what they really are, I guess I don’t think it would advance any cause I’m interested in.
As for his substantive record, you’ve got to go back to Kennedy/Johnson to equal it.
I won’t try to take it all apart. You’re smart, you know most of it. But let me just shine the light on a couple of things. First comes Obama Care. Many of us would have been happier if Medicare had been made available to all. Obama and his people decided the votes weren’t there and when we look back at how close it was we have to say maybe they were right. But here is something to feel good about. In one sense it doesn’t matter and this gets to the heart of a blind spot many of us liberal have. Getting halfway to a goal does not slow the day we get all the way. Maybe in some mythological world built on pure logic it might seem this way, but all our history indicates that each step makes the next easier.
By the way if you doubt what I am saying take a close look at the Republicans. Does it look to you like their saying thank God the Democrats passed this insurance company based approach because now we don’t have to worry about them expanding Medicare in the future?
What about the fight for our vulnerable neighbors, the battle which more than anything is what makes us Democrats. Yes I wish Obama could pass sweeping immigration reform in the House. But I honestly find it hard you see how anyone could motivate these people who respond to children knocking on our door and asking for asylum by increasing the number of border guards. Could anyone move this group to do the right thing? About this time I expect someone might be saying LBJ. Really? LBJ’s great progress was made in the wake of Kennedy’s death and with a huge Congressional majority in both houses of Congress. After he lost some of that edge in the 1966 midterms, he was Clark Kent, not Superman.
But I’ve taken us far afield. Let’s get back to your general malaise. I promised medicine. Let me offer this to chew on. While many of us have often been frustrated with the care and deliberation which characterizes so much of what President Obama does, it has resulted in reliable progress without successful push backs. As an example, consider gays in the military. Clinton had a good heart on this issue and he rushed ahead with an Executive Order and before we were done he was signing Don’t Ask Don’t Tell. Obama moved with care and deliberation and there has been no push back.
But if none of this has helped brighten your outlook let me offer this. Everyday the people this President has appointed are doing good things, most of which get little attention in the press. This week its the Labor Board looking for ways to pierce the franchise facade and hold McDonalds responsible for how employees are treated at their burger stands. These decisions are being made by the folks the Republican Senators were blocking until the filibuster rule got changed.
But I must talk about the elephant in the room, the most sickening daily news: foreign affairs. It’s enough to make us all put our heads under the pillow. But Obama is not responsible for these woes any more than Roosevelt was responsible for the Nazis. And to be honest I think we’re all a little guilty of taking for granted the comfort we have from knowing that we have a rational, careful and determined man calling the shots for America, It hasn’t always been and won't always be the case, but before getting lost in all the details maybe we should ask just two questions.
1. Am we happier with our government negotiating with Iran than we would be at war with Iran?
2. Would the situation in the Ukraine be safer if we were pouring in weapons and forward deploying our own forces?
Hopefully your answer to these two questions will be like the ghost of George Patton slapping you in the face and you’ll jump out of bed, man the ramparts, stand at Armageddon and battle beside a good and proven leader who deserves a much better than the hand he has been dealt.