Political Rant! Honeymoon over? Grow up.
Want to know how I feel about this election cycle? I'm sick to death of hearing folks who were big Obama boosters three years ago are "disappointed". Really...I told a lot of people we didn't think he was REALLY the second coming. You're making a lier of me.
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> I hear ya. I've always voted for someone, but nearly always it's been the
> lesser of evils, not someone I could unconditionally support. I wish things
> were different.
If you want someone elected with whom you agree completely -- run.
Seriously. I'm sick and tired of R's that were outraged that wequestion the war or criticize the President when Bush was making hisspendy moves, but I'm even more sick and tired of folks who were verygung-ho Obama who are "disappointed".
Really. You're disappointed? We've got:
-- a flawed health reform bill that gives the self-employed a viable"group" to join when it kicks in and means that a child born with abirth defect like my son will never have to get public assistance forsurgery because Mom's private plan won't cover it
-- a significant drawdown in Iraq along with a stated policy shift,and some real improvements for vets' services
-- unprecedented movement on gay rights DADT and solid positivestatements from the office on gay issues (including participation inSavage's 'it gets better' campaign),
-- a RAFT of small-business incentives
-- real investment in green energy jobs
-- a lot less infrastructure improvement as stimulus than I'd like,but more than we had
-- an amazing shift in *message* from the White House. From an organic garden to a science fair, Go Obama! These are the things he can personally decide, and he's done a fabulous job of making the White House a welcoming and diverse icon for us all.
Those are the things that I've been personally following because theymatter to me. There's more... and a number of things on the tableincluding efforts to shift tax breaks for companies making overseasjobs to companies making local jobs.
That's in the first two years, with a Congress that's NOT unifiedDemocratic. Unlike the R's who with only a few exceptions (most ofthose folks not running again) have been lockstep even against theirOWN prior issues, the Dems are divided. The Blue Dogs are more akinto yesterdays Republicans, and I don't see that as a bad thing.Elected officials should not go to Washington and demonstrate "partyloyalty"! They should go and vote as their constituents expected themto. There are currently 54 Blue Dogs in the House. FIFTY-FOUR, andthey were founded specifically to be more fiscally conservative andNOT lock-step with the D's. The fact that NOBODY is talking aboutthat is both disingenuous and testament to the power of the two-partysolution.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Dog_Coalition
Go Blue Dogs -- I may be disappointed at some of the compromises(particularly in health care) their lack of 'loyalty' has led to, butI'd rather have a diversity of opinion and a moderate path than swingfrom one extreme to another as power shifts. I'm willing toCOMPROMISE.
> Tell me ... how's that "Hope and Change" working out for you?
There is one place I am utterly disappointed and angry. So far as Ican tell not one tiny bit of my constitutional protections werereturned, and despite all the gun-owner hysteria, it's not the secondamendment that's been eroded. It's precisely the same powers ofspying and such that Bush pursued -- Obama has utterly ignored hispromises on this count.
I'm really angry about that one.
But then are things that Jack does that really disappoint me, likebeing consistently 4+ hours late when he goes riding. But I'm quitehappy with our marriage because I never expected to get everything myway and in the grand scheme, the good far outweighs the bad. I grewout of expecting everything my way sometime in my twenties. Do votershave real beefs with some of our leaders? You bet. I looked throughthe slate of R's to see if there were any that were meeting the BlueDogs on familiar territory. Not so much -- the explicitly ChristianG-d was front and center for everyone but Rossi here. Socialconservatism is a one-issue topic for me, since it encompasses so manyother issues I care about. ;-)
Overall, I give Obama very high marks in his first two years.Pelosi...not so much. Maybe a Blue Dog will challenge her.
I voted the day after my ballot arrived. How about you?- Shasta
====================================================
> I hear ya. I've always voted for someone, but nearly always it's been the
> lesser of evils, not someone I could unconditionally support. I wish things
> were different.
If you want someone elected with whom you agree completely -- run.
Seriously. I'm sick and tired of R's that were outraged that wequestion the war or criticize the President when Bush was making hisspendy moves, but I'm even more sick and tired of folks who were verygung-ho Obama who are "disappointed".
Really. You're disappointed? We've got:
-- a flawed health reform bill that gives the self-employed a viable"group" to join when it kicks in and means that a child born with abirth defect like my son will never have to get public assistance forsurgery because Mom's private plan won't cover it
-- a significant drawdown in Iraq along with a stated policy shift,and some real improvements for vets' services
-- unprecedented movement on gay rights DADT and solid positivestatements from the office on gay issues (including participation inSavage's 'it gets better' campaign),
-- a RAFT of small-business incentives
-- real investment in green energy jobs
-- a lot less infrastructure improvement as stimulus than I'd like,but more than we had
-- an amazing shift in *message* from the White House. From an organic garden to a science fair, Go Obama! These are the things he can personally decide, and he's done a fabulous job of making the White House a welcoming and diverse icon for us all.
Those are the things that I've been personally following because theymatter to me. There's more... and a number of things on the tableincluding efforts to shift tax breaks for companies making overseasjobs to companies making local jobs.
That's in the first two years, with a Congress that's NOT unifiedDemocratic. Unlike the R's who with only a few exceptions (most ofthose folks not running again) have been lockstep even against theirOWN prior issues, the Dems are divided. The Blue Dogs are more akinto yesterdays Republicans, and I don't see that as a bad thing.Elected officials should not go to Washington and demonstrate "partyloyalty"! They should go and vote as their constituents expected themto. There are currently 54 Blue Dogs in the House. FIFTY-FOUR, andthey were founded specifically to be more fiscally conservative andNOT lock-step with the D's. The fact that NOBODY is talking aboutthat is both disingenuous and testament to the power of the two-partysolution.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Dog_Coalition
Go Blue Dogs -- I may be disappointed at some of the compromises(particularly in health care) their lack of 'loyalty' has led to, butI'd rather have a diversity of opinion and a moderate path than swingfrom one extreme to another as power shifts. I'm willing toCOMPROMISE.
> Tell me ... how's that "Hope and Change" working out for you?
There is one place I am utterly disappointed and angry. So far as Ican tell not one tiny bit of my constitutional protections werereturned, and despite all the gun-owner hysteria, it's not the secondamendment that's been eroded. It's precisely the same powers ofspying and such that Bush pursued -- Obama has utterly ignored hispromises on this count.
I'm really angry about that one.
But then are things that Jack does that really disappoint me, likebeing consistently 4+ hours late when he goes riding. But I'm quitehappy with our marriage because I never expected to get everything myway and in the grand scheme, the good far outweighs the bad. I grewout of expecting everything my way sometime in my twenties. Do votershave real beefs with some of our leaders? You bet. I looked throughthe slate of R's to see if there were any that were meeting the BlueDogs on familiar territory. Not so much -- the explicitly ChristianG-d was front and center for everyone but Rossi here. Socialconservatism is a one-issue topic for me, since it encompasses so manyother issues I care about. ;-)
Overall, I give Obama very high marks in his first two years.Pelosi...not so much. Maybe a Blue Dog will challenge her.
I voted the day after my ballot arrived. How about you?- Shasta