However, we have to think about the current state of the nation. At the same time that he wins the Nobel Peace Prize, he sends thousands of more troops into Afghanistan. Is that called peace? He ran for a universal, single-payer system. Now he seems to be promoting whatever legislation will make the biggest profit for big insurance. He finally, almost a year later, found a place to move the Guantánamo detainees to, but that doesn't mean they're going free. They're still going to be held without charge or trial. We might as well call Illinois Guantánamo North. And let's not even get into a discussion about Bagram Air Base. What the hell is going on over there?
One of the reasons I was supportive of John Edwards during the campaign season, and later Obama, was because of their acknowledgment that our health care system is broken, and we need systemic, real change. "Change." That was Obama's word, wasn't it? He ran on that word, and got elected on that word. Have we seen any real change, though?
If you ask me now, I'd say that Obama is worse than Bush, and here's why: Everyone who had any presence of mind or sense of dignity for our nation knew that Bush was bad. And everyone knew that he wasn't really in charge, and that his advisors and Cheney were telling him what to do. Let's be honest, Bush was dumb, and we all knew it.
Obama, however, is smart. I saw him speak in 2006 at the Harkin Steak Fry in Indianola, Iowa, back when hardly anyone knew who he was. I liked him, although I always got this sense that he talked a lot, but said very little. Regardless of that, he has the charisma a president needs, and seems trustworthy, just like a president should be.
The real problem with Obama, though, is that he looks good. His election has created complacency amongst the democrats who fought so hard for "change" during the Bush era. Now that Obama is in office and we have a democratic majority in the Senate and House, they are convinced that whatever legislation gets passed will be in their favor and will be what Obama promised over a year ago. They've stopped looking at what he's actually doing, because they're too entranced by the nice-looking young guy with the bright white smile and firm handshake. He's shiny and new, and he looks nice. He's gotta be a good president then, right?
This is false. That word change? It didn't refer to what he'd do to the country. It referred to what the country would do to him.
It is my personal belief that in the short time that Obama has been in office, his high hopes for actually changing the state of our nation, of which I believe he legitimately did want to do and still does want to do, have been smashed by the people really in control of this nation. Once Obama got into office, he realized that "real change" is impossible because of the stranglehold that capitalism, big insurance, and big oil have on our politics and policies. Once he gained more information, he realized that the fight is over already--and that there never really was a fight. And that fighting, or telling what you've come to learn, would be deadly.
Obama knows. That's why he always looks so tired and stressed out. He knows the real truth of what's going on in our Oval Office, and he knows that he's powerless to change it, no matter how hard he tries. So, he succumbs to the pressures of money and influence, and tries to use his charisma to convince us that what little things he can change are good.
They're not. We deserve better, and everyone knows it.
For more info, check out this article:
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article24178.htm
Great Blog!
ReplyDeletemona
We have a government made up of three branches -- legislative, judicial, and executive. President Obama is in charge of only the executive branch. He is not in charge of the law making branch so he does not control the debate on health care. Even if we disapprove of what is happening, we have to remember that President Bush and President Obama are both good men trying to do what is best for America. Our current form of campaign finance and corporate lobbying has created so many problems for our senators and representatives that they are not able to act in the best interest of the average Americans. If we are going to clean up politics and return to a true democracy, then we need to reform campaign finance.
ReplyDeletewe can start by lobbying for Voter Owned Iowa Clean Elections and campaign contribution limits at the state level. We need to organize locally, first in our own homes, then our neighborhoods, then block by block, then the city, then the county, then the state, then the country!
ReplyDeletedg
WE can also start by telling people who feel sorry for Presidents and think that presidents are innocent bystanders in politics that they are full of crap.
ReplyDelete