Like a lot of Americans, I voted for Barack Obama thinking that he was serious when he spoke about “Change you can believe in.” I thought that he meant it when he talked about doing things differently. What I never expected was that President Obama would reveal himself to be little more than a moderate Republican (a Democrat In Name Only) who gives great speeches, but lacks the balls to stand up for what he professes to believe in. In reality, what we got was a President who leads a party that had NO idea how to govern as the majority party. Democrats had the White House, and majorities in both Houses of Congress…and yet they acted as if they were terrified of upsetting Republicans (“You won’t like them when they’re angry!”). Instead of using their majority to enact the policy initiatives they campaigned on, they caved to Republicans at every available opportunity. In a misguided desire for “consensus”, Democrats ceded the moral high ground as well as any advantage that being in the majority gave them.
The reality is that Republicans never intended to negotiate or compromise. They knew that Democrats lacked the cojones to stand up for themselves and their agenda. They knew that Democrats were terrified of them. They also knew that by gaming the system, they could effective gum up Congress, ensuring that nothing of value was accomplished. In effect, Republicans held power, even though they’re the minority party. They have to power to do nothing and ensure nothing happens…and Democrats have stood mutely by as Republicans have exercised this power to the extreme. Something about fiddling while Rome burns around them….
Now Barack Obama says that Occupy Wall Street is the reason he ran for President in the first place? Please….
If there was a credible (and truly) Liberal alternative to Obama, I’d have long since gotten behind that person. The problem, of course, is that a Liberal alternative doesn’t exist, and the likelihood of Obama being primaried by any Liberal Democrat is about the same of me being elected Queen of England. When you look at the moral midgets in the GOP field…and besides, I’d sooner have a frontal lobotomy sans anesthetic than vote for a Republican, the choice really (and sadly) is a no-brainer. I’ll be voting or Obama…but only because whatever Republican alternative is presented will be completely unworthy and unacceptable.
How’s that for “Change you can believe in”?
