by brooklynbadboy
The recommended diary titled "Obama is President not the Champion of Progressives" is a defense of the President based on the idea that he should seek to govern all the people. While I agree with this idea in theory, it seems to be a rather weak line of defense.
I'd like to offer a better one. The one the President himself makes. The one that, to me, makes the most sense.
Here it is, in a nutshell:
The President said, during his news conference on March 24, 2009:
And what that tells me is that if you stick to it, if you are persistent, then -- then these problems can be dealt with.
That whole philosophy of persistence, by the way, is one that I'm going to be emphasizing again and again in the months and years to come, as long as I'm in this office. I'm a big believer in persistence. I think that when it comes to domestic affairs, if we keep on working at it, if we acknowledge that we make mistakes sometimes and that we don't always have the right answer and we're inheriting very knotty problems, that we can pass health care, we can find better solutions to our energy challenges, we can teach our children more effectively, we can deal with a very real budget crisis -- that is not fully dealt with in my budget at this point, but makes progress.
That's it. Work. Work. Work.
You see, I elected a president who wanted to take on the tough issues that face this country. From war, to healthcare, to the economy, to education, to the rule of law, to urban affairs...you name it. And I know it would have been easy to do what many many previous presidents have done during the conservative era: ignore them. The President could have easily rammed through a big tax cut for everyone and simply sit on his high approval numbers for giving everyone what they want.
Not Obama. He has taken on the thorniest, most complex, most difficult, complicated challenges of our new century. And he's done it a time where the 4th Estate has been compltely derelect in its duties. And for that, he should not only be commended, but supported.
I know that I have all the right answers, but I'm not president. But the main point is, FINALLY, we have a President who is willing to force us to examine just what it is we are doing in this country. You may not agree with his choices, but you certainly can't call him a coward.
Thats enough for me to stick with him. Progress wont come overnight, but as long as he is WORKING, I have the confidence that America will get it right and keep moving forward.
Thank you.
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