Why I Can't Bring Myself to Hate Obama
My family and the one conservative friend I have seethe with fury over Obama. And their reasons are sound. His spending is off the charts. He immediately re-commenced funding stem cell research even though there are strong indications of its imminent irrelevancy to science. He went to Europe and kissed so much ass that he gave "first black president" a whole new meaning, and for people who are dedicated to hating the United States no matter what it does or how many people it feeds and protects across the world. The only way he is like Bush is in his shared disregard for the most basic of human rights for Guantanamo Bay detainees and willingness to preserve unchecked wiretapping privileges.
Yet I like him.
It's true. I like the guy. I like his pretty speeches. I like the appearance of absolute confidence, even when he makes mistakes. I like it when he calls for cooperation and seems to mean it. I like it when he tells people in Washington that they're going to have to tighten their belts.
"But Jim, it's just talk! He spent 800 billion dollars then trimmed less than 1% of the budget!"
I'm aware of that. I'm completely aware that Obama is full of rhetoric that has little to no connection with his actions. What I've learned, however, is that his words nevertheless have power. Words matter.
Words matter because they set a tone. They matter because they inspire action. They matter because they define the ethics of what the words are about. But perhaps most importantly, they create confidence. An effective leader engenders a sense of comfort in the organization he leads. When Obama talks, America looks good.
And how can you not like that?
Yet I like him.
It's true. I like the guy. I like his pretty speeches. I like the appearance of absolute confidence, even when he makes mistakes. I like it when he calls for cooperation and seems to mean it. I like it when he tells people in Washington that they're going to have to tighten their belts.
"But Jim, it's just talk! He spent 800 billion dollars then trimmed less than 1% of the budget!"
I'm aware of that. I'm completely aware that Obama is full of rhetoric that has little to no connection with his actions. What I've learned, however, is that his words nevertheless have power. Words matter.
Words matter because they set a tone. They matter because they inspire action. They matter because they define the ethics of what the words are about. But perhaps most importantly, they create confidence. An effective leader engenders a sense of comfort in the organization he leads. When Obama talks, America looks good.
And how can you not like that?