President Obama is a good man

[tavalon]

He asked us to push him to be great. We've pushed and pushed and pushed. I think we must be doing it the wrong way, because while he is a good man, I really think he was meant to be a great man and thus far, he hasn't stepped into the part. He asked us to push him. What are we doing wrong?

[marshall]

1. Reference Julius Caesar?

It's the way politics is played, I guess.

[tavalon]

2. Et tu Brute?

[Bluenorthwest]

10. Not in our stars but in our selves

that is the quote that crossed my mind. The fault however is in the character of the principle player.

[tavalon]

12. Not in our stars but in our selves

You said very succinctly what I am coming around to. Or rather, Shakespeare did. He always did have a way with words, eh?

[rurallib]

3. May be the Peter's principal at work

He may be one step beyond where he should have been.
Myself, I believe he continues to delude himself with the belief that underneath it all, Republicans also want what is best for the country.
Time to give up on Republicans, Mr. President. They are simply greedy, nothing more.

[tavalon]

5. Obama is one of the smartest men ever to walk this earth,

but I guess even the smartest can be deluded. Still, I'm doubting he is actually still of the belief, if he ever was, that the Republicans want what's best for this country. If anything, I think he's found out that Democrats and Republicans alike serve different masters than he thought before he took the Oval Office. That may be my answer right there. The actual government doesn't care to have another FDR and he, just like every President before him, is finding that the biggest bully pulpit in the world isn't really that big after all.

[rurallib]

8. yep. I think you may have hit it.

[avaistheone1]

13. Puff piece.

No comment.


:puffpiece:

[tavalon]

16. ?

I don't get it.

[avaistheone1]

18. I don't either.

??

[tranche]

24. I don't believe anyone is qualified to step in and do the job of the President.

It's all Peter's principal at that level.

[babylonsister]

4. Sob! He's not doing your bidding fast enough?

I think, given all he's had to contend with, he's dancing as fast as he can. If you can think of anyone who could do better than he has, let me know, k?

[tavalon]

7. Was I really that unclear in what I said?

Actually, I think he might well be doing the best that he can. It's us who aren't doing what needs to be done and frankly, I don't personally know what needs to be done. If I did, I for damn sure would be out there doing it.

Oh, and if your next comment is going to include any discussion of ponies, I'm probably going to go off on you and totally derail what could be a very reasonable and reasoned discussion. Fair warning.

[saltpoint]

6. Some people feel that he has stepped into that part.

I'm one of them.

[tavalon]

9. I think that on an everyday basis, he is as good as President Clinton was on his best days

I think we needed better. But then, I'm also starting to believe that we need to stop looking to a leader to save us but that's really hard because then it means you and me and everyone else has a bigger part to play and I for one, feel like they forgot to give me my script. I wanted to be a foot soldier and I wanted Obama to be, I dunno, George Washington or something.

[saltpoint]

20. He may eclipse Washington for all we know.

I like the resume and the intent of his will to serve.

Agree wholly that we all have large parts to play.

Where there is detectable greatness, there is significant cause for affirmation and hope, if 'hope' has not become a dirty word in this country, Sarah Palin's snarky bullshit notwithstanding.

[phleshdef]

22. Some of us need to stop expecting "Liberal Superman", he/she doesn't exist.

[avaistheone1]

11. We have pushed Obama plenty.

And he just ignores us.

[tavalon]

14. I know but I wonder if we are just not doing it right

[avaistheone1]

17. We have called, and written the President and Congress.

We have organized in our communities. We have given the President the White House, and majorities in the House and Senate.
What more can we do? We are still ignored.

[mochajava666]

15. I hear you

That's a pretty good summary of where I am, too. Marches, petitions, calling your congressman, all don't seem to work anymore.

[lunatica]

19. The entire world is going to hell in a handbasket all around us

No man, great or not can fix the mess in a year and a half. I think judging him now is premature. Way premature. Presidents should be judged by their legacy. President Obama is actively dealing with George Bush's legacy which disaster was possible because Ronald Reagan set up the foundation 30 years ago. The erosion started back then. It isn't going to be fixed easily or soon.

And it helps if we realize that not everyone defines great in the same way nor should it be used to describe someone who just started a job.

[Colobo]

21. He's doing what he can so far, and I'm pleased with him.

[Jakes Progress]

25. Why did he want he job if he can't do it?

This "The president can't really do any thing about anything" crap just doesn't play. It smacks of historical ignorance. We have no idea what he could do because there is no evidence that he is really good at anything besides compromise. Compromise is a nice thing in many cases, but not when you always give up your side to the other and the other never compromises at all. He seems to be a good guy, but not the guy we needed.

[Phx_Dem]

23. Passive aggressive much?

:eyes:

[bvar22]

26. Obama is a very smooth "Player".

Brand Obama/Hope&Change was a very successful Corporate Marketing Campaign...nothing more.
A Uniquely American Solution....indeed.



"If we don't fight hard enough for the things we stand for,
at some point we have to recognize that we don't really stand for them."
--- Paul Wellstone

[Echo In Light]

27. Phony Rep Democracy

[polichick]

28. We're not doing anything wrong - that's an excuse for the cynical bullshit...

...this president has opted for instead of expecting the best of himself and LEADING!

[phleshdef]

29. We are an ideologically divided country and when you are President, you are getting pushed hard...

...by both sides. And its not the job of the President to only serve the Americans that voted for him. Aside from all that, its not realistic to believe that anyone could deliver on everything our side wants or deliver what does get delivered exactly like we want it.

If you look at everything thats actually been accomplished compared with what the state of everything was before President Obama took office, its actually pretty impressive, even with flaws taken into account.

Its very likely that all the people that have called President Obama a big government socialist or a corporatist or a weak leader will not have their point of review even remotely noted by history.