Disappointment With Obama?

(A re-post of another good one from Dave Girves.  You can always find Dave's blog in "Buster's Links".)     My disappointment with President Obama by davegirves E= MC2! Einstein said nothing could move faster than the speed of light. This always seemed to me to be so counter-intuitive that it couldn’t possibly be true. After all, I had seen Star Trek and knew in a few hundred years we would have Warp Drive allowing future pioneers to travel 8 – 10 times faster. Then someone explained it to me and I understood the logic of that limit. Well, I’ve never studied Political Science either, but I have watched all 7 seasons of The West Wing many times, so I figured I understood politics too. How hard could it really be? Certainly nothing compared to Quantum Physics or Rocket Science. During the health care reform debate I was disappointed when President Obama didn’t call for ‘single-payer/Medicare-for-all’ health care. I was even more disappointed when he agreed to drop the ‘public option.’ I knew that Hillary wouldn’t have put up with the Republican intransigence he faced. Surly she would have fought them every step of the way. Then I remembered that she had fought the Republicans for health care reform a decade and a half earlier and came up empty handed. When the Affordable Care Act, (ObamaCare), was signed into law I was disappointed that it didn’t go far enough. (And I’m sure President Obama was disappointed as well). But I also knew that when Social Security was first enacted it was far from perfect too. Women and other groups of workers weren’t even covered. But things get better. That’s when I first realized our President knew exactly what he was doing. He got major health care reform that no President in the past 70 years of trying was able to accomplish. And when I look back now at the recalcitrant Republican opposition he faced with every proposal he initiated, (even the proposals, of his, that had been initiated by Republicans), I am amazed that he got so much accomplished in his first term, especially considering that he walked into office with an economy on the brink. So you would think I had learned my lesson. But then came that first debate last Wednesday night and I was disappointed again. As Romney bullied, lied, and shape-shifted his way through that hour and a half I expected President Obama to be more feisty. I wanted him to take charge and to call out Romney on each and every lie. And, for the last few days, I’ve listened to the pundits and the experts on TV expound about how President Obama “lost” the debate. Then I read a political science essay suggesting that the President did exactly what the frontrunner should have done. “Don't say or do anything wild and crazy. You let your opponent jump up and down and make excitable noises.” Then it hit me. Though it would have been nice . . . though I would rather for Obama to have “won” . . . this isn’t about winning a debate, this is about winning an election. Obama has kept his focus where it should be. He knows what he is doing. I should have learned that two years ago. Yet I doubted him and listened to the pundits. I realize now I’m really disappointed with myself. Dave Girves