Thursday, March 31, 2011
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Let's Stand Up For Something
I understand that there is a difference between what is said and done during a campaign and what is practically possible as a president. I understand the realities and difficulties that inherently come with leading a nation over over 300 million people with about 600 million different views. And don't get me wrong, I was and am a supporter of President Obama and I will be actively campaigning for him leading up to the 2012 election. But I do feel a little hamstrung and frustrated when looking back at the campaigner Obama and his principles and values, and his lack of standing up for those principles, in totality, over the last two years.
In America, both in politics and in everyday life, we must make the difficult choices and decide whether we want a better lives for ourselves and our nation, or if we want to take this path of least resistance, follow the popular media meme, and try to win according to those rules. The problem with this is that if you are truly a liberal and in favor of progressive policies, and you attempt to play with these rules you are going to get run over and run out of power because you are not following the principles of the values you say you adhere to. It is difficult to try to change the rules of the game, but it is not impossible and if we really want to advance the liberal policies which would undoubtedly change the country, each one of us must stand up, call for real change, and remind Obama what his campaign was about and what his presidency is supposed to be about.
Now I also have to say that often when I have heard Democrats criticize Obama for not doing enough, I have refuted their words and one only has to look at the long list of accomplishments to see how much he really has done (i.e. health care, gay rights, fair pay, etc). However, being one who believes in liberal values as a means of making a more equal and fair society for all of America's people, there are several things which continue to bother me in a real way. This video, that I saw on the Rachel Maddow Show really sums it up.
I am also not the sort of person who is surprised by any amount of compromise because I know there are real difficulties in sticking to principles when you have to work with others. But there are important issues which the president should stick to, especially because they are related to the advancement of the working, middle class. Sticking to these principles would not only help people on a basal level, but it would undoubtedly help him politically. According to a recent NBC/Wall Street Journal poll, liberal policies are markedly more popular than conservative ones, and people would much rather millionaires taxed at higher levels than cuts in infrastructure, education, and other investments that would make America a better place to live. But why don't Obama and the 'main stream' of the Democratic party push harder on these issues? It truly does not seem to make sense, and its frustrating that they too are playing into the easy story, what would be the path of least resistance.
In America, both in politics and in everyday life, we must make the difficult choices and decide whether we want a better lives for ourselves and our nation, or if we want to take this path of least resistance, follow the popular media meme, and try to win according to those rules. The problem with this is that if you are truly a liberal and in favor of progressive policies, and you attempt to play with these rules you are going to get run over and run out of power because you are not following the principles of the values you say you adhere to. It is difficult to try to change the rules of the game, but it is not impossible and if we really want to advance the liberal policies which would undoubtedly change the country, each one of us must stand up, call for real change, and remind Obama what his campaign was about and what his presidency is supposed to be about.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)