As well, I think Obama pulled a rope-a-dope; legislation being the ropes, right-leaning voters being the dopes and failed bills being the punishment he's endured throughout these first two years. Seems like everyone has been getting on him about what he HASN'T done versus his campaign promises. Granted, the man did pull off some landmark changes that if I were him I would have plastered on every flat surface in America (and beyond); and plastered alongside it would be everything I introduced that was voted down by the Galactic Oppression Pushers (aka the GOP) or better yet the most diabolical haters this side of the Mississippi. Instead, Obama has hit the campaign trail hopefully delivering a message that would be the final round knockout; a much-needed win too given the amount of time left and the bevy of seats at stake. Think Rocky II. Definitely NOT Rocky I.
That message is that it's the Republican's fault he hasn't solved the economic crises, granted true equality, introduced world peace, ended world hunger, walked on water, hooked you up with a new job and a supermodel or whatever other miracles the nation expected of him. Okay, no it isn't... but it should be. More so he is asking America if the Republicans are whom they really want in control. The same Republican party that's still calling for deregulation claiming the market will fix itself when it was deregulation that let the various economic crises begin starting with the mortgage meltdown. Meanwhile voters are like that car you see in traffic that keeps changing lanes every time they see rumblings of movement in the other lane. In effect, that car and driver wind up further back than those who stayed in their lane.
That's why America is probably better off sticking with Obama. I know I am. That and the fact that I can't align myself with any party that would accept Christine O'Donnell as perfectly rational. In fact, the whole Tea Party/Tea Party Express epidemic is seemingly spreading and a Tea Party America legitimately scares me. They follow Sarah Failin; how bright could they be? Plus they can't even resolve the whole Tea Party vs Tea Party Express rift. Why should I expect them to be able to lead the nation? Yeah… fail.
The Obama message should be harping on points like no matter what bill he presented the right-wing opposed him. Lowering taxes, they say "no". Health care, they removed the public option then still voted "no". Civil liberties, "no". Immigration reform, "no". For a brief moment the Obama team began calling the GOP the party of "No, we can't." Corny, yes, but in the right direction. No matter who was elected in 2008, the first three years of that President's term would be spent fixing the blunders suffered under the Bush administration. Thus the joke about the first Black man finally being elected President and he still has to play janitor and fix someone else's mess.
People talk about this man like he was a house guest that robbed them. Most Americans don't realize that our U.S. legislative system is specifically designed to stop one President from coming in and changing everything. I don't see Obama as the type to use executive orders to circumvent congress on any essential issues like immigration. That's why when I was growing up I never wanted to be President; I wanted to be a senator. No term limits, rarely assassinated, roll with Caesar, wear an awesome high-thread count robe… wait a minute. Scratch the robe. Anyway, for any piece of legislation to get passed it has to go through the House and it's manipulation until it can be agreed upon, then to the Senate so John Boehner can molest it until Pelosi and crew finally say screw the GOP and pass whatever is left of it, then it goes back to the House and Senate to be voted on in its new form then finally to the President. Imagine playing the game Telephone with a few hundred middle-aged people. Obama says "Let's give the people universal health care." After Boehner it's "unilateral health scare." By the time it's back on Obama's desk it's "arguably unfair". He's like "Ugh, you cronies suck. Does more good than harm, f*ck it." Everyone is impressed that he actually delivered change. New year; more cronies, more problems.
Thus when the man was talking about "change," he mainly meant from the politics of yesteryear. The ever-parting left and right, the pseudo-dictatorship that had been established with the Patriot Act, "emergency war powers" and the ramifications therein. So, Obama reaching out to both parties and trying to use the system to pass policies that benefit the majority of America is a stark difference between him and his predecessor thus the fundamental change but highly underwhelming if you thought the world would be brand new by 2009. In order for such a quick turnaround either Obama would have to act more like Bush and just blindly steam ahead with new policies passing claiming that to oppose him is to let the terrorists win OR we would need some massive election to switch out a large majority of the sitting legislators and replace them with individuals who are less divisive and want to move this nation forward rather than relive the Reagan era.
Conservatives don't have to be moderate or pander to the middle. They can just chant "cut-spending" and offer no other solutions and stand in the way of everything until the cows come home. It's unintentionally brilliant, it's like an elephant pulling the rest of us over a cliff. Conservatives vote as a block and no one votes outside the two parties so it doesn't really matter if they do what's best for all of us or their richest or most religious factions. Using their with us or against us tactics, they can (and to keep their size/power have no choice but to) keep getting crazier and crazier until Sarah Palin or some "straight-talking average American" is their candidate and they convince all the states between New York and California that this is best for the nation. I've always disagreed with that. Why would we want the average? I want the most elite doctor possible, not the average guy. I want the best lawyer possible, the expert mechanic, etc. In most facets of life, we aim for the best. That's the American way. So why would I want a President whom I'm smarter than? I don't want France, Germany, Russia, China, or Japan outwitting this guy or this average American embarrassing himself and thus the rest of us with his "straight-talk" and/or actions. Anyway, the GOP can go further and further right-wing, leaving the left to try and go further right to garner votes and those of us who are not conservative are left with no one substantial to represent us.
Then again, the summation of apathy, nonchalance and disillusionment will leave a number of moderately liberal and liberal voters home this election day. Mostly, because Obama didn't single-handedly heal the world. Not that I'm surprised people expect that of him; everybody wants someone to follow rather than leading themselves. But really? You draft the man to be quarterback, but then use the opposing team's offensive line for the last two quarters of the Superbowl. Good luck with that, America.
Can we really expect something better from the party whose very ideal is to NOT change anything? Root word of "conservative". Maybe America thinks things were going so well in 2007. Then again, even Reagan raised taxes.
