In the two hours of trading that followed Obama’s address to the nation, a speech timed to calm the markets, the DOW dropped a further 200+ points. The President rightfully blamed the wrangling and legislative gridlock in Congress, but I was no longer listening. In my personal diary of U.S history, today’s address becomes the bookmark I confirm the failure of the first term of his presidency. In front of the camera and behind the lectern, he looked small and plaintive. But most of all he didn’t look presidential, and when the aura that comes with holding the world’s highest office evaporates, it is never regained. Just ask Grover Cleveland. Kidding. Ask Jimmy Carter.
Obviously, the market had made its mind to accelerate into free fall long before Obama spoke to the nation. He was never going to successfully catch a falling knife. And certainly, this is a Tea Party downgrade – the S&P report cites the GOP’s unwillingness to raise taxes as the flaw in the debt ceiling deal – but his failure to lead; his seemingly unwillingness to lead should trouble us all. In fact, he has followed the dialogue created by the radical right, rather than squashed it with the creation of his own narrative. That Americans cared about the deficit was a Tea Party narrative, not an American one. Americans want growth and jobs, not political grandstanding. According to polls, 4 out of 5 Americans wanted a compromised balanced approach, but the 1 out of 5 defeated him without him mentioning the 1 by name. In fact, Obama has mentioned the Tea Party by name only two times during his term. In other words, he doesn’t even have the courage to call extremists out. Sadly, I’m starting to believe the only thing he’s good at is delivering an eloquent speech and shooting bad guys in the face. But when it comes to standing up to the really bad guys within the nation’s own borders, the political far right; the terrorists with a capital Tea; and the thuggish rhetoric of Speaker John Boehner, he cowers like a frightened kitten.
Now I understand vacillating and deliberating are trademarks of his personality, but there comes a time to lead. There comes a time to stand up to bullies who hold the economy hostage. There comes a time to stand up for what is the right thing to do, which is defending the downtrodden who lost their jobs and homes as a result of the decisions made by the rich who broke the system in the first place. But Obama has shown a proclivity to preserve the status quo no matter the moral cost, as exemplified by his failure to indict any persons whose recklessness wrecked the economy. As a matter of fact, he reinstated them!
Unfortunately, I don’t believe he is as smart as his soaring rhetoric leads us to believe. Also, I doubt his predecessor was as dumb as his jumbled, folksy butchering of the King’s English convinced us – and autobiographies of those who worked in or around Bush during his presidency do not question his intelligence or lack thereof. Possibly, the current president lulled us with his grandiose teleprompted delivered oratory, his voice a quiet comfort to the contrasting shrillness of John McCain and Hillary Clinton, and just maybe his rhetoric sandpapered over the cracks in his resume. The cracks being his lack of experience, having never run a business or a state; that his one term as Senator of Illinois shows a voting record of someone unwilling to lead on difficult issues.
It is right about now Hillary Clinton’s Democratic primary campaign ad against him returns hauntingly to mind. You remember the one? The 3am phone call. An ad that hurt ultimately did more damage than good to her campaign, but now seems ironically prophetic. The main theme being the presidency does not come with training wheels.
Unfortunately, whenever his leadership credentials have been questioned, he has capitulated. Like he did in accepting a stimulus bill that didn’t go far enough; like he did in the protracted healthcare debate when the Democrats held all three branches of government; like he did in not repealing the Bush tax cuts; like he did in signing a deal that favors the richest 400 Americans and not the bottom 300 million.
Drew Westen, ‘The Political Brain’, phrased it as such: “when faced with the greatest economic crisis, the greatest levels of economic inequality, and the greatest levels of corporate influence on politics since the Depression, Barack Obama stared into the eyes of history and chose to avert his gaze.”
So where to from here? Well, unfortunately there’s no alternative other than hoping he finds his chutzpah in his second term. The Republicans have proven they are unfit to govern; a majority of their 2012 candidates reach out to the small group of Americans who do not represent what most Americans want; and a Democratic challenger would surely hand the victory to a radical like Rick Perry or a Michelle Bachmann, given that no incumbent forced to ward off a primary challenge has gone on to win reelection. Ford and Carter being the most recent victims.
So what must Obama do to find his mojo? Well, he has to let us know where he stands, because on virtually every issue I have no clue. Most of us might have disagreed with Bush’s positions or his doctrine, but we knew what he stood for – the rich, big corporations, and faith-based initiatives – whereas with the Obama, he seems to flip-flop depending on the populist position, but then waivers when faced with confrontation. Honestly, where can you say Obama really stands on gay marriage, the environment, rights of the poor, fiscal policy, the war in Afghanistan, or big corporations? You can’t! And that’s not leadership. He told us he was a reformer who would clean up the system, here’s hoping a second term will finally reveal this promise, or history will be crueller with his legacy than that of his predecessor.
CJ Werleman
Author ‘God Hates You. Hate Him Back‘ and ‘Koran Curious’
Found this interesting
Right, because if Obama had just shown some LEADERSHIP and gone up to the bully pulpit on his magic pony instead of CAPITULATING, Nelson and Leiberman would have voted through Single Payer and a bigger stimulus.
Not enough mojo, that’ll be it.
Is it a lack of leadership? Or the fact that a significant percentage of our congressman (and the men behind the curtain) want to see him fail so much that they will do anything to see that happen… even if it means further damaging our economy?
I truly have to believe that Obama never was cutout to lead the greatest and most powerful nation in the World. NO DAMN BALLS OR EXPERIENCE! I’m sure as hell not talking about bringing Billary into the arena. A leader with vision, goals and true belief in themself. Come on start making some big decisions while using your backbone simultaneously. Start with the damned economy and taking care of our Military folks out there. They are making the ultimate sacrifice daily, Capital hill could start earning their self inflated paychecks. All that I can some up from the facts is… NEXT! This is not an OJT environment.
Problem is, Obama Apologists, Bush didn’t have all three branches in his corner either for large parts of his War Criminal Regime – but he still managed to destroy Our Precious Civil Liberties, plunge us into endless war, and wreck the economy just fine, thank you. That’s because one thing he did have was the Will To Act – wrongly in every case, but to act nonetheless.
Timothy, getting Democrats from slightly conservative-leaning districts to vote for a war and an attack on civil liberties after 9/11 is a rather easier proposition than getting Republicans from slightly liberal districts to vote for progressive economic and social policies.
It’s not enough to have the Will To Act. You also need to have the votes.
This might be a bit clearer if people saying this stuff would tell us the exact strategy they think he could have used to get the votes, at a minimum, of Nelson and Leiberman. (Note that WIll To Act Guy’s strategy also has to be able to somehow get Specter to defect, as well as keeping Leiberman on board.)
edmund – that’s just an excuse to cover Obama’s unwillingness to act decisively. Bush initially didn’t have the votes, either – but he somehow managed just the same, didn’t he? Extra-legally in most cases – but nobody’s perp-walked the slimy little deserter and traitor yet, have they?
If Obama had actually stood for something, his own party would have either had to stand in open rebellion of its own leader – or support him. I’m sure LIE-berman would have broken ranks, the two-faced little slime – which is why he should have been marginalized as soon as he broke w/the Democratic Party, and continually marginalized until he behaved himself…or shrivelled up and died.
It’s the same strategy “Follow the Leader or Be Shunned” the Far Right has used at least since Nixon – and as you can see, it works pretty well, really.
We on the Left Need A Man of Steel to humble, to crush, and ultimately to DESTROY the Right as they deserve – no more, no less.
Selah.
So specifically Timothy, you think Obama should have marginalized Leiberman, who would then have joined the Republicans in filibustering everything, then enacted healthcare legislation and a bigger stimulus by ignoring the constitution.
I suspect this strategy would have been less successful than you think.
Edmund – maybe you were too busy watching Reagan’s “Morning in America” propaganda to notice, but LIE-berman voted with the Republicans anyway in just about every instance anyway (health care, the economy, raising taxes and punishing the Corporate Wealthy and Right Wing!). The only “liberal” issue he voted for is Gays in the Military – which Obama gives as little support as he can while still hanging on to some part of the Gay Vote.
I’ve since given up supporting any non-genuine Progressive – if Obama can’t see that “representing all Americans” includes supporting the Left, then he doesn’t want my support and I don’t want to give it to him.
Obama’s economy is a failure to those who are not in his camp. Republicans are saying he is a big failure. When I suggested that Bush’s war, the hunt for WMDs and other things were a sign of his impotence as a leader –Republicans blamed congress and the house.
Now that the Republicans in the House of Representatives are legitimately trying to make Obama fail…everyone is blaming Obama.
BUT BLAMING OBAMA IS NOT THE WRONG THING TO DO. Even if most people do it for the wrong reason, I think CJ is right in pointing out that Obama is simply not cut out for the job. He seems to be way too concerned with being liked. Hitchens said, “people will not ultimately like you if that is, in fact, all you wish of them.” (slight paraphrase)
By the way, the upcoming book Atmosfear has been retitled Preacher Boy and it is the inexplicably true story of a fanatically right wing, homeschooled, Liberty University-educated, Falwell-quoting 22 year old father who became enamored with Atheism through reading the End of Faith and Letter to a Christian nation…it’s my story. Sorry to plug it here but please be mindful it WILL be available for download on this and other fine websites before long!!!!
Is Obama trying to be liked, or is he experimenting with constitutional theory? It seems like he is genuinely trying to get the representatives of the people to represent the will of the people, instead of imposing his own (which, I would prefer, frankly), or that of his specific party. I’m not apologizing for Obama, but perhaps his personal interpretation of the job included wrangling with adults. He’s still under the impression that adults will somehow appear. They aren’t going to. The administration is not a total loss, but he’s going to have to take some chances if he wants a second ride. http://whattheheckhasobamadonesofar.com/
kmbrplays – Obama’s accomplished some stuff, true, but he’s too busy trying to out Neville Chamberlain Neville Chamberlain when what this country desperately needs right now is a Man Of Steel unafraid to give the Right a much-deserved beatdown, and when they whine call them “wimps” and beat them some more…until they acknowledge their willingness to compromise by whining “Please don’t hurt me any more, Sir…”
Harsh? Yes – but the Right called us on the Left “Traitors” and “Anti-American”, which make them the real traitors…and they’ve deserved to be treated as such ever since. Instead, they’re coddled so they become more bullying – when the only way to scare a bully…is to be a BIGGER bully.