Today's local paper contains an article by Maureen Dowd in which she rakes President Obama over the coals for losing control "of his own narrative". She praises "...the passion, lyricism, empathy and exquisite understanding of character and psychological context" that he shows in his memoir, Dreams From My Father, but then states that it is these very qualities that "...he has stubbornly resisted showing as president."
I am not completely happy myself with some of President Obama's behaviors as President - for example, his continuing efforts to placate and pander to Republican'ts who only want to obstruct, not to engage constructively in seeking solutions to the disastrous financial, military, ecological, legal, disasters ensuing from the Busheney years,
But given the number and ferocity of the many fires threatening our nation's very survival which he inherited, I believe is doing the very best that he can. His attempts to bind up the nations' overwhelming number of grievous wounds inflicted upon us by Busheney and the Stepford-wives-Republican'ts, deserve our appreciation and our gratitude.
In addition to all his many efforts to right the nation's Ship of State, President Obama is being subjected to nonstop personal attacks and criticism (just and unjust) from all sides. I admire his strength of character that permits him to get out of bed and go to work every day. It cannot be easy to live with such a constant barrage of innuendo, outright made-up lies, and snarky character assassination as he is subjected to on a daily basis.
It is easy to criticize; it is not easy to seek solutions to thorny problems that require real adults who actually care about helping solve America's problems more than they care about scoring political points. It is impossible to heal our broken government when there is no desire or willingness from the members of the minority political party to do anything other than obstruct, defame, and destroy.
Today's "Opposition Party" is just exactly that - not a "Loyal Opposition Party", but an obstructive oppositional ideologically driven unitary political party bent on destroying our President, the middle class, and our Constitution - so that they can complete their goal of establishing the corporatist theocratic kingdom they envision.
Really nicely done, Emily. I approve of your message.
ReplyDeleteHear, Hear. My thoughts exactly.
ReplyDeleteFrank Rich is appealing to Obama to reach down and grab onto his own inner Teddy Roosevelt:
ReplyDeleteThis all adds up to a Teddy Roosevelt pivot-point for Obama, who shares many of that president’s moral and intellectual convictions. But Obama can’t embrace his inner T.R. as long as he’s too in thrall to the supposed wisdom of the nation’s meritocracy, too willing to settle for incremental pragmatism as a goal, and too inhibited by the fine points of Washington policy debates to embrace bold words and bold action. If he is to wield the big stick of reform against BP and the other powerful interests that have ripped us off, he will have to tell the big story with no holds barred.
Emily... I hear you really clearly. I think, too, that most of the mess was inherited ... but I do not think the President has stepped up to it the best he might regarding the crisis in the Gulf. Just an opinion. And you know, how that goes. :-) About the 'loyal opposition' and destructive vitriol and rhetoric abound in the land via that source ... I agree with you, up to a point. I do think he should respond to it sometimes, like that brunch he attended after HCR. And,
ReplyDeletein the end
I think he can do better. But it's really high talk from someone with just 'an opinion'... I know.
well said Emily. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteMy advice to the President/Democrats in Congress is extremely simple. Three little words; MAKE THEM FILIBUSTER. Yes, actually make them get up there and do the whole Jimmy Stewart (replete, of course, with the great Jean Arthur, cheering them on) thing from "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington"......Then let the American people decide. And you know that we will.
ReplyDeleteYou can buy a can of Bud at a liquor store or you can buy a Bud at a nice club.
ReplyDeleteLiberals are drinking the same drink Bush served but are ecstatically happy cause they perceive a change in ambience.