Obama and the Wimp Factor

Back in 1988 in the run-up to the election, Newsweek (or perhaps Time) ran a famous headline with a cover photo of George Bush that questioned whether he was tough enough and up for the job of president. As it turned out, Bush was no wimp, and in hindsight his presidency was adequate. You can never know how someone will perform as president until they get the job, there really is nothing that serves as a good tell in this regard as the job is so unique. All you can do is pick your horse and hope for the best, and judgments generally have to be reserved for after the race has been run for a bit.

Two years into the Obama era, and what has really been accomplished? Now before you start with the "did you really think things would change" and "you've got to give the guy time" responses, I will answer that yes I did think things would change or I wouldn't have bothered to vote for the guy, and if two years isn't enough time then what is? I'm not so naive as to think that things would happen overnight, and as a political science major and a longtime observer of politics, I am fully aware of the limited nature of the presidency. That said, Obama's first (and quite possibly only) term in office has been nothing short of disappointing.

I think that Barrack Obama is a swell guy, he seems to be a decent person, intelligent, and has the nation's best interest at heart. But to be honest, I always felt the same way about George W. Bush, as much as I disagreed strongly with his politics and most of his policies. Bush is a decent guy it seems, unlike many liberals I never doubted his intelligence, he may not be an intellectual but he was smart enough to get elected president twice (yes liberals, he won the 2000 election so quit crying already and let it go). And I have no doubt that in his heart he was doing what he thought was best for the country, even though it didn't or hasn't worked out that way so far. At least you can say this for old W, when he made up his mind he went all in, the guy sold his policies and didn't waver or defer to Congress, and he sure as hell didn't worry about pleasing liberals.

Obama came into office in a conciliatory manner, from inviting a bigoted homophobe to lead the prayers at the innauguration, to deferring to Congress on financial reform and then health care reform, and he still seems more bent on winning over right-wing conservatives than on pushing hard for policies that the liberals and progressives who put him into office expected when we cast our votes. The conservatives got their policies in for 8 years, their guy won and then he won again. But the voters spoke loud and clearly in 2008, and people like myself who not only voted but actually got fired up expected that it would be our turn to try our policies. What have we got in return for our support? Watered down reform bills that reek of Congressional weakness, a continuation of wars that most of us are opposed to, and as yet absolutely nada on energy policy, immigration reform, or education.

I told myself that despite my better instincts, I would give this whole electoral politics thing one last shot in '08 and vote for Obama, with the hope that my vote and having a president who I agreed with on most issues would make a positive difference for the country that I love. But if it turned out to be a mirage, then I was done with it all, that it really is a rigged game and you can deal me out. Granted that we are only two years into a four year term, and if our president decides to get tough and lead rather than continue to play both sides of the fence, my mind can be changed. But I won't be holding my breath in anticipation, and I don't expect to ask to be dealt back into the game anytime soon.