General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Obama is Finally Free [View all]DFW
(54,358 posts)Obama is by nature one who likes to operate with and within a consensus. He only acted as he did when he had given up all hope that he would ever get to make one step forward without acting on his own. It just flies in the face of how he wanted to get things done. As a constitutional scholar, taking initiatives with Congress, even if it meant painful compromises, was how he saw our form of government operating. It took an abandonment of all hope of Congress being willing to work with him on ANYTHING for him to get to this point.
It is said that hope dies last, but he wasn't going to wait for the funeral. In this, the Republicans miscalculated. They thought he'd remain inactive until his presidency was over, and they could call him the most ineffective president ever. They ignored his record up to now, which, though flawed, can hardly be called ineffective unless all you watch is Fox "News."
Guess what Republicans all watch? THAT'S why they are so bewildered at all he's up to now. They mistook his hope for unlimited patience and weakness, two traits that are indeed attributed to him, but in error.