In a way, Hillary is lucky.

[cali]

At least that's the way I see it. I don't know that it's possible to right the ship of state. In fact, I doubt it. The next president is just going to have to keep us limping along. 8 years of malicious damage by bushco isn't going to be reversed in 4 years, by anyone. Does that doom Obama to a single term should he be elected? I don't know. It's surely possible. But Americans are in for a world of pain over the next few years, and it's going to take someone of the caliber of FDR to even begin to improve things. Is Obama up to the job? Only time will tell.

[Tim4319]

1. I look at it this way!

As long as he surrounds himself with qualified people to handle the many different duties, he can't be worse than what we have in office now.

[40ozDonkey]

2. Think of it like a cavity.

$40 to get a filling today.
$400+ to get a root canal and crown if you neglect it for four years.

[H2O Man]

3. Right.

No single person, including the President of the United States, can repair the damage done to our country by George W. Bush and Dick Cheney. In fact, the damage to both the social fabric and the erosion of the foundation of our Constitutional democracy pre-dates Bush & Cheney -- indeed, their rule would have been impossible without the previous damage.

It will take at least 20 years of coordinated efforts between the three branches of the federal government, states, and city/community leaders to repair this country. More importantly, it will take the tireless efforts of citizens at the grass roots level over a generation's time.

That said, it is not just Hillary Clinton who is lucky: we are lucky that the democratic party has leadership at high levels including Obama and Clinton. Compare what the republican's have, and the differences are stark.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

6. that's about right. 20 yrs, with no

time off for good behavior.

AND we cannot afford even the hint of neoconManism ever rearing its ugly mug again. We need a sharpened stake big enough for each and every one of them. Maybe a small tactical nuclear device at the Heritage and AEI would help, too.

[terrya]

4. I have all my best wishes for Obama.

I know it doesn't seem like it, but I do. I will give him my full support in this campaign and will do so if he's elected.

But my God. We're deep in a recession, drowning in red ink, we're mired in a war in Iraq, out of control gas prices, the Constitution practically ripped to shreds.

In my lifetime, I've never seen the country as worse off as it is today. Never.

We have to believe that Obama will be up to the task.

[NotThisTime]

11. Agree with your assessment completely.... He has an enormous task, and those that succeed him will

as well... what has happened over the last 7+ years is so damn criminal, CRIMINAL. As a country we are in very deep trouble.... It will take 20 years to right this ship, improve our image, pay our debts, stop unnecessary wars, the tasks are endless....

If anyone ever doubted the Fierce Urgency of Now, TAKE A LOOK AROUND... my god :(

[Window]

15. Not to mention, it's a thankless job, IMO.

[SwampG8r]

25. welcome and glad to have you aboard

the reason i support him is that he doesnt think he can do it either
he thinks WE can do it
american history bears him out
america has always brought forward the right people in the right place at the right time

[JohnnyLib2]

5. Tough, tough job.

Between what you listed, the "surprises" that will turn up re: hidden costs of the quagmire, and inflated expectations, he'll have an almighty challenge. I think the FDR comparison is valid; changing the course will require great leadership and necessary, but not popular, changes.

[Heather MC]

7. That's why his is so awesome!

he knows this and yet he chose to run anyway, that's courage.

look it's time to face facts, the Housing market was bound to crash, the prices kept going up but people's incomes stayed the same, their was not way this was going to last. Add in the fact that most companies were selling houses people could not afford with jacked up interest only loans, it was a clear recipe for disaster. If you can't afford your house with a fixed rate loan, YOU CAN"T AFFORD IT period!

I hope that they pass the law allowing people to get into loans that will allow them keep their homes and maintain the digity. but you can forget making any money back off your home it you recently bought it in the last 3 years at the elevated rates. We will not see prices like that for years to come!

I think we need a stock Market Crash to force everything to be reset and start all over from scratch. Beware of October the Market always crashes in October. I am not hoping for a crash, but I don't see their being a gradual drop and it being ok.

But if you know history after each crash and the pain of that, comes a great period of economic growth. So if we crash, run to the stock market and start buying up stock like crazy and just be patient. It will be like the crash of 1986, not 1929
Read the book the Roaring 2000, all of this was predicted, it will rise again but not for years

[Yael]

8. He will make decisions that infuriate both the right and the left for different reasons

It is a tightrope that he has to walk.

I trust that he will pick the most competent people to advise him through this -- his campaign showed us that it is one of his greatest strengths. Being humble enough to rely on others (as opposed to our current "Decider").

I don't envy him one iota, but I stand 110% behind him, even if he makes decisions that I think are too compromising.

Clearing the lobbyist influence out of Washington would be a HUGE first step. IF it can be done.

[Window]

16. Exactly.

[genna]

9. If you listen to Obama carefully (I'm so glad he is introverted), he's said similar things

It has said it will take 8 years with ALL of us working together to get out of this trap we've been spiraling down into.

He said it will take one America...not to win the election but to govern.

I think the best thing about his rhetorical flourishes are if you think about this seriously, he is right but not it the high flung way. Republicans dug us in this ditch and they are in this ditch with us. They have to be willing to help to get us out.

The media ain't covering the ditch and what the solutions look like. They are covering the superficial crap that won't make a difference in whether we get out of the ditch. Fortitude and singular focus in dramatic circumstances, conveying peace in the midst of the storm and building confidence that even when you in over your head...you will come to the best solution possible.

None of us know what tomorrow is going to bring this country, but I sure as hell want someone who will see the structural outlines of a solution a long ways off before it is upon us. McCain's minute by minute changes bother me when I compare it to Obama's cooler head planning out a primary no one thought he'd win.

[shadowknows69]

10. If he is wise he will direct the "shared sacrifice" speeches at the older electorate

Those that have been there and done that. Why are we at war and the government hasn't ordered any rationing, control over industry and a call to help from the citizenry? I'm too young to have experienced my grandparents working in factories for the war effort or victory gardens, or war bonds, but I learned about them. The populace today needs an education. There are several reasons gas is at 4-5 bucks a gallon and there are many ways we could have prevented it. Now everybody suffers involuntarily.

[Marrah_G]

12. I think almost anyone taking over right now would have a tough time

There are very few people that I think could do it. Neither Clinton or Obama fit that spot in my mind. I hope I am wrong and Obama turns out to be an amazing leader who really turns us around. I think we need to start really focusing on the house and senate races to ensure we build a veto proof majority.

[Bjorn Against]

13. I have been thinking about this a lot lately, and I feel sorry for Obama.

The next President will likely enter office with a bigger challenge on his hands than any other President has faced in our nation's history. Yes, FDR had quite a mess to deal with as well when he entered office as well but I don't think even he had to deal with as many problems as Obama will. Obama will enter office with a recession and gas prices that are threatening to create a major energy crisis. He will also have to deal with global warming, depletion of natural resources including water, and surely some as yet unknown crisis that the Bush Administration has been hiding from us. When you follow the most secretive administration in American history you are sure to find some nasty surprises. Obama is in for a tough time, and even if he is a far superior President to even the likes of FDR he is unlikely to be able to fix all the major problems that he will face. He just needs to do the best he can and hope Americans are able to realize that the President can only do so much. I wish him the best, but his job will be tough.

[Benhurst]

14. None of the major problems facing the United States can be fixed

as long as obscene amounts of money are spent propping up the World's Only Superpower's military/industrial complex. And any president who challenges the war machine will be destroyed by the corporate media.

I would like to think Obama will at least restore the Constitution and the Bill of Rights; but given his vote for the renewal of the so-called "Patriot" Act, I won't be holding my breath.

[Phillycat]

17. Just noticing it's a tough road, eh?

Yeah, some of us figured that out a while ago. But don't let me stop you - it's a good idea to start lowering expectations right away.

[iconicgnom]

20. You joke? OP is not "just noticing" the devasted caused to the US over the past 8 yrs.

OP is saying Obama, as any Dem POTUS who seeks to stop and reverse the negative momentum of the US, has a long and tough row to hoe. In particular, Obama depends on grassroots support, 1.5+ million donors, a strong activist base - and the lobbyist $ and political establishment will put up the strongest resistance - so OP is encouraging Obama's base to dig in for the long haul.

I can't see why a Dem would want to disparage that message or the observational powers of someone who sends it.
I guess the taste of sour grapes can unhinge some people.
But sour grapes aside, fortunately Obama is partnering with other Dem heavyweights to help carry that burden - I'm thinking of the partnership with Elizabeth Edwards, in particular.

[Phillycat]

22. No, I don't joke.

I wish we would have ended up with a candidate who was prepared for what's ahead.

[SwampG8r]

28. biden dropped out way too early

is this what you mean?

[SwampG8r]

26. america thanks you for your concern

[LanternWaste]

29. posting a concern is not neccesarily synonymous...

I don't think that Cali only now realized this-- merely posting a real concern at a quite relevant time (post primaries). Nor do I think that posting a concern is synonymous with a lowering of expectations-- rather the opposite, it's a metaphorical call to us that we'll need to roll up our sleeves, sweat a little and bleed a little simply to undo the shit-pile that the past eight years have engendered.

May I just say that Democratic Unity can more easily begin with us... or not. We each have the opportunity to begin to heal the divide... or not.

[Bucky]

18. I think you underestimate the power of political healing

The problems won't go away, but the mood of a country can radically alter if you have a leadership able to tap into Americans' innate optimism. The New Deal barely put a dent in the worst statistics in the Great Depression, but the mood of the country changed radically one we had a president and Congress selling the message that we were all in the boat together rather than just all by ourselves and needing to weather in the storm alone.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

19. Don't gloss over the problem, that only makes it worse, harder to fix, and

removes the culpability of the criminals that we currently have in office.

let's just take the DOJ for an example.

You have to replace each of the top US attorneys, then take a close look at their top staffers, replace most of them, THEN, hire and promote, and possibly rehire all that talent that was pushed out or fired.

Just going through the open files is bad enough. Add to that, possible lawbreaking by the US attorneys, and others in any of the DOJ departments and agencies, and you are talking a decade of work.
Simply fixing the problems at the FBI will take years, and I am not even talking about the structural and computer problems that have nagged at them for decades. Going after the politicization will take even longer.

When you apply that same approach to
NASA, EPA, HHS, INS, CIA, DIA, DOD, SSN, FEC, FCC, FAA, FEMA
and so many other entities broken or ruined, or simply politicized by Bushistas, you begin to realize just how huge this problem is. a coat of white washed paint won't fix it.
hell, just removing religion from all of the above agencies will take years.

[PBS Poll-435]

21. This primary season is working out very well for her

--Barbara Bush

[scheming daemons]

23. I disagree.... the only direction to go is UP

When Clinton took over in '92, the DOW was at 3,300 and gas was $1.25


When he left in 2000, the DOW was at 11,500 and gas was at $1.50


When Bush leaves office, the DOW will be at about 12,000 and gas will be at $5.00.




Bush is an easy act to follow. You never want to follow a SUCCESSFUL President... you can only fuck things up and your legacy is non-existent.... anything good that happens will not be credited to you, and everything bad that happens will be blamed on you.



Reagan was extremely fortunate to become President when he did. The country was stuck in a gas crisis and stagflation..... there was nowhere to go but UP.

When the country rebounded...as it ALWAYS does.... Reagan got the credit... and the GOP was able to use the "Carter years" against Dems for the next 25 years.



This country has nowhere to go but up. It WILL rebound... it ALWAYS does. Obama will get the credit.


And we'll be able to beat the GOP over the head with Dubya for a generation. Every GOP candidate in the next several cycles, we'll be able to play the "do you want to return to the Bush years?" card on 'em.



Out of bad times comes great and successful presidencies. Roosevelt. Lincoln.


Stepping in during BAD times creates great opportunities for the new President.... and little ability to "make things worse".


Bush's presidency was/is a failure. it is even more so because of the presidency that it followed.

[ecstatic]

24. Yep. I don't envy his position at all

But I think we can make progress very fast especially if we have clear majorities in all branches of government.

[scheming daemons]

27. You guys are not thinking logically... you NEVER want to follow a "successful" presidency...

You'll only suffer in comparison. Your best will never be good enough.



Those that follow horrendous presidencies usually come out looking good.


Lincoln

Roosevelt

Reagan (yes... Reagan. The Carter years WERE bad for our country, not Carter's fault... but his legacy nonetheless. Reagan benefited by being President when the nation rebounded. He got the credit.)

[Robeson]

30. The Fierce Urgency of Now...

...yes, it may take generations to reverse the damage of the Bush cabal. But, I can't think of a better time to start applying the brakes.