President Obama Is Not Our Savior

[sheshe2]

August 23, 2014 Reign Of April




I have been a President Obama supporter since he declared his candidacy on that cold February day in 2007. He hasn’t always done things the way I would have preferred, nor as quickly as I would like, but my support has never wavered. With that being said, you may be surprised by my next sentence. President Obama is not our savior. There, I said it. He’s just not. He never was. Those of you who voted for him in 2008 because you thought he was may be disillusioned now. But that’s your fault, not his. He showed you who he was from the beginning. Reasoned, even-tempered, scholarly, purposeful. But there were no miracles. No walking on Lake Michigan. No healing of the sick (although Obamacare… just kidding). He promised us change, not resolution. Change we have seen, though it will never be enough for some. But ask the gay soldier whether things are better now that Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell is no more. Ask the cancer patient if she sleeps a bit better now that the Affordable Care Act is in place. You get the idea.

With the shooting death of Mike Brown, an unarmed Black man, by a white Ferguson, Missouri police officer, the country has once again been forced to acknowledge its racist history and the fact that, despite having a Black president, some things still haven’t changed enough. There were calls for President Obama to speak about the death of Mike Brown. He did; and it wasn’t enough for some. I was one who hoped that he didn’t speak at all, or at least not early on. After Trayvon Martin was killed, President Obama spoke and said that if he had a son, he would look like Trayvon. He experienced considerable backlash from that statement and it wasn’t clear what good it achieved. The same is true when President Obama spoke about the treatment of renowned scholar Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. But President Obama spoke about Ferguson and even I, as a supporter, found his delivery lacking. In fact, after reading a transcript later of the statement I watched him give live, it seemed to me that it read better than it sounded. But there were some who said his words, whether read or spoken, were still not enough.



President Obama has always let his actions speak for him. This is no less true with respect to Ferguson. The day after Mike Brown’s death, Attorney General Eric Holder announced that the Department of Justice would be investigating the shooting. From where does one think that decision originated? I also note that Holder’s statement took a much stronger tone than President Obama’s. It was almost as if President Obama took a page from Teddy Roosevelt’s “speak softly and carry a big stick” playbook, wielding Eric Holder as the mightiest of redwoods. There really is a method to the madness of politics. President Obama seems to have learned this method; beltway pundits and some Black academics have spent the last six years in the back of the class eating paste.

MORE!: http://www.reignofapril.com/president-obama-is-not-our-savior/

You want a savior? Not going to happen. One man or woman can not do it all. We need, with the help of a sane Government to do it ourselves. Our voices and Our votes. Yes Our votes. I hear many say they won't vote unless they have a true progressive to vote for. This is a country for all the people not some narrow view. Vote for a party that can make the change we need and then we can build from there.If you plan to sit it out then we all lose.

Vote in 2014. Your life and the lives of your children depend on it! Vote! Do it!

[LloydS of New London]

1. Of course not!

Did anybody here think he was?

[sheshe2]

3. Sadly, they did.

He was suppose to cure all ills. Many here believe that he betrayed them. Others think he is a POS!

[LloydS of New London]

4. He's a Politician

A good one! I have no regrets about voting for him twice. But he is mortal, just like you and I.

[sheshe2]

8. Yes he is...

and LloydS of New London, welcome to DU.

Sadly some here say they are Democrats yet believe the President is a POS. A piece of shit. Ya. It's true.

[LloydS of New London]

12. Ideological Purity

Never a good idea. Look what it's doing to the GOP!

[calimary]

41. Great point, LloydS of New London! And a great thread, sheshe2!

[Martin Eden]

59. GOP Ideological Purity is whatever their Corporate Masters say it is.

Sure, there's a few nutcases who believe the overblown rhetoric that comes out of their mouths, but most Republicans (and not a few Democrats, sadly) are the servants of those who paid for their election campaigns.

[Union Scribe]

17. No, no one did that.

Show me a post from anyone here who said Obama was their savior and was going to "cure all ills"--otherwise that's just a pile of straw in your OP that doesn't represent any of his critics' arguments whatsoever.

[Union Scribe]

40. ...still waiting...nt

[chervilant]

53. Don't hold your breath.

I suspect that any criticism of Obama can qualify as his 'fall from grace.'

[woo me with science]

2. Oh for pete's sake.

The only hagiography I've seen around here has come from the Third Way.

[sheshe2]

5. Ooookay~

Got it wooooooo~

[woo me with science]

9. Ah, the mocking of my screenname.

Exactly the level of discourse we have come to expect...

Enjoy your thread, such as it is.

[sheshe2]

13. Got it!

"Exactly the level of discourse we have come to expect..."

You got that right...I always expect the same from you. Trash the president. Trash the president.Trash the president. Trash the president.

That is indeed your level of discourse we expect from you, woo me with science!

You are funny~ Keep on keeping on!

And thank you for your permission to enjoy my thread. Such as it is. Snort! You are so very silly.

[Major Hogwash]

34. Hahahaha!!!!

Excellent retort!

I love it when people like him say "we" this or "we" that, as if they speak for a whole group of people.

Someday, he will learn to regret whining about Obama so much, but sadly, it may take years.

[sheshe2]

35. Major Hogwash!

Damn I love you! Well said~

[Union Scribe]

39. An error in your logic.

I love it when people like him say "we" this or "we" that, as if they speak for a whole group of people.

When you say "people like him" and then "they" you are obviously thinking of multiple people. And so it is, in fact, a whole group of people. And the post in which they use the word "we" does, in fact, speak for many of us "people like him." At least insofar as "we" are accustomed to disingenuous left-baiting silliness.

[sibelian]

52. I've come to expect it from him as well.

For which I am eternally grateful, particularly in exchanges with people like you.

[grasswire]

7. I saw a post a couple of weeks ago..

....by an Obama supporter who said that he/she makes up stories about him and they are like prayers. I wouldn't be able to find that post again, but isn't that a bit like considering him a savior?

[sheshe2]

20. You did!? Wow good for you....

Welllllll....we were not the ones that thought he could save the world on his own. LOL that would be you guys. We voted for him and have supported him, ya'll dropped him. He won office and you ran away. it's his job, I voted for him, he betrayed me...mememememem!

[grasswire]

64. He dropped us.

I voted for him twice. Bait and switch, it was.

[Kath1]

6. Damn right and well-said!

Our lives DO depend on it! If you believe in a woman's right to control her OWN BODY you will work to GOTV!!!!

[sheshe2]

10. I found the link on

TOD...The Obama Diary!

For us Kath!

[Kath1]

14. Lives DO depend on this election!

If you don't want women dying in back alley abortions you will VOTE!

[Luminous Animal]

18. I've been voting democrat since 1982. Has not once secured a woman's right to an abortion.

In fact, the Democratic party embraces politicians who are against abortion.

[Kath1]

22. Glad you have been voting Democratic!

But that has not been my take on it or my experience. Here in MD, our Senator, Barbara Mikulski, has been one of the most vocal and steadfast voices for reproductive rights in the Senate. Overall, I think the Democratic Party is far more in favor of the right to choose than the Repubicans.

[Luminous Animal]

26. Really. Where has the party been over the decades where access to abortion has

decreased drastically. I've driven to Utah to do clinic defense. Mikulki advocates in comfort.

[Kath1]

32. She may advocate in comfort from the blue state of Maryand

but she advocates on a national level. Regardless of what you think of them, Obama, Hillary Clinton, Elizabeth Warren, Joe Biden and most of the major players in the Democratic Party are very much in favor of a woman's right to choose. Republicans, not so much. Choice has been a major part of the Democratic Party's platform nationally for years.

Thank you for doing clinic defense. I've done so, myself. Not in Utah, though.

[sheshe2]

24. What are you saying!?

GFC!

Democratic party embraces politicians who are against abortion.

I asume you have a link to that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!?????????????????????????????/

[Luminous Animal]

28. Democrats For Life

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democrats_for_Life_of_America

Pro Life Democrats in Recent Elections.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democrats_for_Life_of_America#Pro-life_Democrats_in_recent_elections

[SunSeeker]

38. "Democrats for Life" are not the Democratic Party.

As your Wiki link states:

Democrats for Life of America's position on abortion is in opposition to the current platform of the Democratic Party, which supports legal access to abortion.

The Republican party, on the other hand, has an anti-choice platform.

Of course there are anti-choice Dems, but they are not representative of the Democratic Party.

[freshwest]

80. People need to read the DNC platform. It's an eye opener to the difference between the 2 parties.

[sheshe2]

55. ...

Democrats for Life of America (DFLA) is an American political advocacy nonprofit organization that seeks to elect pro-life Democrats and to promote the pro-life position within the Democratic Party regarding euthanasia, capital punishment and abortion. Democrats for Life of America's position on abortion is in opposition to the current platform of the Democratic Party, which supports legal access to abortion.

[rogerashton]

50. Senator Casey from PA

A good Democrat and labor supporter in every other way. Ran against Santorum. How would you vote in that race?

[Thinkingabout]

11. No, he is not our savior but when I think about those he ran against for the Presidency, I feel

quiet blessed. He is compassionate but firm, he is cool in times of crisis. I may not agree with his every move but know he is doing what he expects.

[Kath1]

15. Yes, she.

This 56 year old white woman is shocked, appalled and sickened by that incident. I am far left, feminist and anti-war in my own beliefs but I think any American, regardless of beliefs, who is not outraged should be ashamed. I will do all I can to demand justice.

[Luminous Animal]

16. Indeed. I feel sad for those who look for a savior. Or those who elevate a politician to give us

hope. I will never ever again expect a politician who campaigns on a better world to actually do the hard work to deliver it..

[freshwest]

19. The disillusionment talk shows they didn't listen to him in 2007. I did. He made it clear that we

have a very long haul to undo whatever we can of the last thirty years and more of well orchestrated destruction.

Everything most people took for granted has been stripped away by wars and low taxes on the grifters. He is trying to build a future and only has broken infrastructure and a brainwashed populace with no long term vision or critical thinking skills to work with. Even worse, a very sour and maliciously lazy mindset that is carefully constructed to make all he is working on fail.

He really was serious on the campaign trail about how many of us would not be getting what we used to have as we fight to recover. He presented the data of just how deep a hole we are in. And some acted like he was going to do it alone and they could sit back and watch.

I no longer have patience for this foolishness. It's not up to him, it's up to us and if he fails it was because of too much self absorption by the voters and arrogance by those who expect to be courted like brides for their votes.

It's our lives and country to save and people act like pointing the finger changes things. Maybe we deserve what the Koch brothers have planned. And most don't even know what the hell that agenda is and how close they are to getting it all through.

So they point at the guy working his ass off and blame him. Those who can't or won't do the work, sit on their duffs and criticize.

[tblue37]

36. +1. nt

[msanthrope]

45. Greenwald/Hamsher/Snowden types who are 'disillusioned' because they

projected their ideas of what the first Black president would be onto Barack Obama abound.

Truly...you see the Far Left purity progressives upset because this president has failed to act as they think he 'ought' to. It never occurs to them that their racism has blinded them to the fact that:

1) It was racist to expect PBO to act a particular way because of his color, and

2) They didn't listen to him in 2008.

He is the smartest person in the room...smart enough to know the limits of his power.

[sheshe2]

65. Exactly freshwest, I too was listening in 2007.

The disillusionment talk shows they didn't listen to him in 2007. I did. He made it clear that we

have a very long haul to undo whatever we can of the last thirty years and more of well orchestrated destruction.

Sorry it took me so long to get back too you, finally had to sleep then worked again today.

He never promised ponies, not once, yet many expected them. He has always been in it for the long haul.

[Cha]

23. Well Done, Reign of April and Mahalo to the Obama Diary for

Posting it as well.

April @ReignOfApril
Follow
Please read and share my new blog post: President Obama Is NOT Our Savior: http://www.reignofapril.com/president-obama-is-not-our-savior/ …
11:20 AM - 23 Aug 2014 99 Retweets 44 favorites

http://theobamadiary.com/2014/08/23/ferguson-walking-the-walk/

Thank you, she, for bringing it to DU~ Unfortunately, the link isn't working for me right now. I can go to her page but then it's frozen.. it won't scroll down. I've tried it several ways.. from your link, from the Obama Diary, and from Google. I will keep trying because I really want to read the rest of it from April's blog. Maybe if I restart when I have a minute.

Anyway, April is Magnificent~

[sheshe2]

66. I hope you were able to read it from the source, Cha!

April@ReignOfApril . Magnificent indeed.

[Cha]

71. No, it's still frozen today.. :( Strange.

[sheshe2]

74. Weird...

And as you see from my comment below, I sent this comment three times and kept getting an error message. It finally showed up. Hmmm.

Cha~

[MannyGoldstein]

25. Yes, he is.

Absolutely.

Sincerely yours,

America's Bankers

P.S. You owe us money, #%^*ers. Now.

[sheshe2]

30. Hey Manny~

Take a break.

You are making lots of money...you said so. YOU HAVE POSTED THAT! You are a 1% er.
Please do not make fun of those in the lost middle class and the working poor. Do not disrespect us Manny.

OMG! They owe you more?

"America's Bankers

P.S. You owe us money, #%^*ers. Now."

Shame on you!

[MannyGoldstein]

31. FDR should not have wanted to help the 99%

Because he was wealthy?

Does that make sense to you?

BTW, I'm not a 1%er, not that it matters much.

[sheshe2]

33. You posted to ProSense that you were just shy of 1%, Manny.

I have posted this to you before, you never denied it. Manny admit it, you are not the disappearing middle class, please do not pretend that you are.

[msanthrope]

46. Manny...did I miss your take on Ferguson this week? nt

[The Traveler]

27. That was a hit, dead center on target

We call that "firing for effect" where I come from.

The President and I differ on many topics. But who could have served us better in these screwed up times? With Obama, we've made some important steps forward. Let's resolve to keep driving on. Let's get out the vote, and take not one step back.

Trav

[BlueJazz]

29. I was royally pissed at him for the lack of force regarding the Tax cuts for the rich thing.

But....I got over it. I like the man.

[jtuck004]

37. Prayers to him get answered about as well as by the magical One, so you are probably right.

Yet it doesn't stop people from believing in this one either

[Cha]

42. ..

[Cha]

43. .

[Cha]

44. .

[sheshe2]

67. Thanks Cha...

Weird. I tried to post to your first comment on April and it didn't go through. I agree April is magnificent.

[Cali_Democrat]

47. When it comes to Obama, unfortunately the right wing was right about one thing

Back in 2008 the right wing would mockingly refer to Obama as the messiah. They were essentially making fun of Obama supporters as people who thought Obama could walk on water.

At the time I thought that was silly and utterly ridiculous. Anyone who knows how our government works knows that the President is no dictator. But as time goes on, it does appear that many folks on the left were looking for a messiah. Someone who could wave a magic wand and make it all better.

Unfortunately the right wingers did indeed have some folks on the left pegged perfectly.

Sad.

[GiveEmEnoughRope]

49. Why, if we hadn't elected Obama

Why, if we hadn't elected Obama we might have had a president who refused to roll back taxes on the wealthy, who refused to establish a windfall profits tax on oil companies, who refused to investigate activities carried out by telecom companies who illegally helped the government tap our phones, and who continued to tap phones without a warrant, who would have turned his back on Miranda, who would refuse to investigate any of the Bush Admin. lies, incompetence, corruption or torture, who would support anti-democratic, murderous coup regimes in Central America, who might refuse to restore Habeas Corpus, who would have left Guantanamo open indefinitely and maintain that its inmates had no rights at all, who might have continued extraordinary rendition and torture, who might have fought to keep Dick Cheney's remarks to Plame investigators secret, who would have done nothing of substance to rein in Wall St., who would have continued to issue signing statements, who might have continued to delay investigations of CIA torture and even investigate those who protest that torture, who would have traded away the Public Option even while saying he was in favor of it, who would have expanded the war in Afghanistan, who would have opened "vast expanses" of Atlantic seaboard, Gulf of Mexico and Alaska to oil and natural gas drilling, who would have 'put politics before science' and at first minimized the BP oil spill and then might have claimed that there was practically no oil left and that "the microbes ate it!", who might have continually filed briefs in favor of large corporate polluters, who might have even been in favor of whale hunting, who might have used cluster bombs on civilians in Yemen, who might have refused to investigate Bush's political firings of US Attorneys, why we might even have a president who would appoint a bunch of right wing psychopaths to the Commission of Fiscal Responsibility and try to balance the budget on the backs of the poor and middle class while allowing Wall St. Banks, the filthy rich and military corporations to continue plundering our economy, or who might try to institute policies which would effectively shut down the internet.

But wait…no. That's what Obama actually did do.
http://www.ccrider27.com/Home.html

[mcar]

57. Paragraphs are your friend

Makes your screed easier to read.

There are several links around DU that list all of Obama's accomplishments, just in case you wanted to get a fuller picture.

Like the OP said, I haven't agreed with everything the president has done. But then, I never expected to. It makes no sense to ignore his many accomplishments and just focus on the things you don't like.

[GiveEmEnoughRope]

62. Well the things he did not do are far more important then what he has done.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

73. Welcome to DU

Hope it's going to be a long stay but my gut tells me it won't.

[freshwest]

81. Didn't make it through the week. MIRT took him out the next day.

[gwheezie]

51. He's done better than I expected

I voted for him twice, glad I did. I can't imagine where we would be with the alternative.
I listened to him when he ran the 1st time. He has done what I expected him to do. The right was organizing against him before he took office. Between the assault from the right and the blue dog dems I didn't think he'd get this much done. He never said he would govern as a liberal. He is left center and his style is thoughtful and deliberate. He was that way before we elected him.
Would I like a liberal president? Of course. But I doubt one could get elected.

[arthritisR_US]

54. +100 hell yes! nt

[jwirr]

56. Thank you - well said. I have always wondered why more of us do not understand that he has faced

obstruction from day one. I am actually surprised that he got the things (like Obamacare) passed at all. I think a lot of us would do well to take some classes in how bills get passed.

[Oilwellian]

58. It's good to see Obama's most ardent supporters come to their senses n/t

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

60. He's just another politician who made the big time in showbiz.

[raouldukelives]

61. I'm not a banker or torturer. So no, he ain't. nt

[truedelphi]

63. He's not only not our Savior -

I doubt he's even a Democrat.

[ucrdem]

68. Ha, ha!

That drawing is classic. But for once I'm inclined to disagree with your title, sheshe -- we elected Obama to save our bacon, and that's exactly what he's done, repeatedly!

[sheshe2]

69. Yes he has ucrdem~

[ucrdem]

70. TARP, Katrina, Gulf War II, the Pentagon budget, even the NSA

We'll never hear it from CNN, FOX, or the UK Guardian but he's pulled our *** out of the fire more times than I think any of us will ever know!

p.s. and let's not forget ACA, Iran, and Nov. 2012 when he saved us from Joker-Riddler-Mittler-Bane . . .

[TheKentuckian]

72. Yup, that means some folks can take him down from that cross they keep putting him on

like right now for instance.

[napkinz]

75. the Republicans invoke his name more than they do Jesus ... I thought this guy was the Messiah --->

[sheshe2]

76. Yikes, that first graphic...

scared me, napkinz.

[napkinz]

78. I hope this will make you feel better ...

https://www.facebook.com/FirebrandProgressives/photos/a.137385896451971.1073741828.136398559884038/265760703614489/?type=1&theater

[sheshe2]

79. Aaaaaaaaaah...sweeeet~

Yes it does, napkinz.