I like to think of myself as a realist. A realist when it comes to a lot of facets of life. Also, I like to refer to myself as a moderate or centralist when it comes to politics. My views can tip either way depending on a subject and the degrees of that subject. So, when I hear critics of President Obama come on television and rant. Or they write an opinion editorial. Trust me, I do not think he is doing a perfect job. But really, who has?
Then, I came across an article by Paul Starobin in the Washington Post. When I saw the opinion article, my eyes opened real wide. I was not shocked by the subject, but surprised and happy at the same time that someone wrote such a piece. All I see is "what Obama is doing wrong". Or "how great Obama did this". Or people "Monday Morning Quarterbacking".
You hear people saying why can't the President stop the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico? Why he is not more assertive or less calm? Why are we still fighting two wars in the Middle East? Why can't he get the Israelis and Palestinians to coexist? Why is the climate debate not going anywhere? He needs to address the borders and illegal immigration. Why can't he work with Republicans? I can go on and on. Contrary to popular belief by what seems like an overwhelming majority of country: Barack Obama is not a super hero and cannot solve problems overnight or at the drop of a hat.
We have had many gifted minds occupy the White House and all struggled at times and had to deal with criticism. From Washington to Jefferson to Lincoln to FDR, all had pressing issues and over time were able to address them. Washington did not establish a federal government overnight. Jefferson did not expand our horizons to the west overnight. Lincoln did not maneuver and set up the end of the Civil War overnight. And FDR did not end the Great Depression in his first 24 hours. No matter how hard people might pray or hope for something to be solved right away; that is not practical. Especially the bigger the problem.
President Obama was swept into office in 2008 as the anti-Bush and man to solve "all our problems". Then when his first week ended and problems still existed people were confused. Then when that first year ended, many more people were confused and getting impatient despite the amount of work Obama and the Congress were doing. Yet, in a society of I want it now; people cannot comprehend what was taking so long. The hope bubble popped and now many are wondering what now.
Another thing that people tend to ignore or choose to ignore is history. You can learn a lot from history. For example, it took FDR nearly a decade to stop the bleeding of the Great Depression. Obama has only had a year to address this slightly lesser one. Or, Ronald Reagan attempted to obtain peace in Lebanon and failed. Not even the Great Communicator could solve that problem. FDR and Reagan can be seen as ideal figures from both sides of the aisle...that did not succeed in all endeavors.
We live in a different world than our parents or grandparents. That can be expanded further into the time of Jackson, Grant, or Theodore Roosevelt. Media is everywhere now a days. We have risen from a small nation to the most powerful country in the world. With that distinction, many have garnered up this non-realistic fantasy in their head. Some of it is partisan: he is not liberal enough/he is too liberal/he is a socialist, communist, etc. But most of it is childlike. When you were a kid, you expected so much. But as you got older you began to realize that everything does not go as you want. You can't have ice cream before dinner. You can't go party if you have an exam the next day. You can't punch someone just because you want to. You can't climb the ladder of success without hardwork and a little luck.
These are all things that much of American public has conveniently chosen to forget too. Lincoln has risen amongst many as this God like icon. However, when he was President; he was nothing near that. Know why? Because he was human too. I believe during the campaign then-candidate Obama made a reference to not having this magical wand to solve all our problems. He may have been facetious, but in actually his comment was very serious. Our presidents are captains of ships trying to steer them through storms and rough waters. The ride is not going to be smooth, but if he gets you back to land safe that is all that truly matters.
The problems Obama faces whether it be one of the two wars, the oil spill, a nuclear threat from Iran, a bad economy, or whom to appoint for a federal seat; each decision is not as simple as whether I should wear white socks or black socks. If he makes too quick of a decision and it is the wrong one; everyone will turn on him. If he takes his time to weight his options and picks the best one and if things work out good for the most part; then everyone will praise him. With either choice, there will always be opposition, but the most important thing is that his choice was best for the country.
As we have seen, not even what candidate Obama projected himself; he cannot solve everything at once. He was given so many problems and wanted to be a superhero for everyone and soon realized that no president can succeed that way. He then began to slow down and attack one issue at a time and we have seen slow success from health care to the stimulus to what looks like financial regulation on horizon.
But can we blame Obama for wanting to do so much. So many of his supporters and Americans today expected him to solve their problem or "that problem".
Thus, patience is the key. Allow the man to do his job and you might be surprised when results start happening...at a human pace.
As Mr. Starobin said and I echo: America, grow up!
Remember, you are not the one in that chair. How would you feel if the weight of the country's future was on your shoulders? President Obama is not Superman.
I leave you with the article. I recommend you read it and soak it in a little. I am beyond happy that someone finally wrote something that I have long thought. I implore many to give this "odd" thought approach a chance. Oh, and that thing called patience. You might not be so antsy or angry anymore.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/10/AR2010061002635.html?wpisrc=nl_opinions
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment