Comments on: One-Term Obama: Should He Bow Out?

By: sharon

sharon — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 00:26:33 +0000

It would show strong character and leadership if he would pass the baton to Hillary and Bill.

By: huxley

huxley — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 20:33:36 +0000

Surely there is a third rationale (at least) that Obama and the Democratic leadership consistently pressed voters much further to the left than voters wanted. This wasn’t hard to read in the sagging polls, the surprise election of Scott Brown, the animosity towards Obamacare, the rise of the Tea Party, and so forth.

While the majority of voters were focused on the economy, jobs and the deficit, Obama was focused on healthcare, cap-and-trade, and reversing the Bush foreign policy.

No one forced Obama to do this. He came into office with high approval ratings, much hope and large majorities in the House and Senate. If he had gone about his agenda more moderately and with a clear successful commitment to the economy, Obama would be in a far stronger position today.

Instead Obama bulled on ahead of the voters in spite of their opposition and when the voters got a chance to push back so that he couldn’t avoid the message, they did. It’s not complicated or surprising. It’s how democracy works.

Blaming the Republican leadership is no use. The midterms were a referendum on Obama and the majority of voters rejected him. Blaming the voters for being misled or being too dumb to agree with Obama doesn’t help either. It just insults voters, which makes Obama’s problems worse.

By: mieke

mieke — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 23:45:14 +0000

The way I look at this as an outsider is that President Obama needs to stay true to himself.
He was and is a community builder and if he can manage to build a true interactive positive discussion between Republicans and Democrats, he has succeeded and the next President can and Must take advantage of THAT

Same is going on in my country.
It is all about balancing the forces in every aspect.

By: Dave

Dave — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 21:12:58 +0000

The rejection of Obama stems from the fact that JFK gave away the Social Security Trust to the federal government budget.. Jimmy Carter gave away Social Security dollars to illegals who did not contribute.. and Obama wants to tax those who chose not to be insured..Democrats were rejected for spending more than we had and giving away the farm to Unions, ACORN and politicians not willing to burden their constituents with Obamacare..

By: Jennifer

Jennifer — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 16:18:37 +0000

It saddens me when I hear Americans complain about a healthcare bill that was passed during a credit and housing crisis. A massive wave of medical bankruptcies help lead to the majority of home forclosures, yet the public has a narrow perception and a short term memory. Obama did the right thing, but he failed to push the senate in keeping the public option, and in that our senators failed us as well.

By: Elaine

Elaine — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 14:07:16 +0000

Hardly a “rout” – what about the 56 + millions who did not vote for President Obama. I thought he was too young and inexperienced as a leader. FDR he is not. He should have stayed in the senate and “earned” the presidency and run in his mid or late fifties. No man in his 40s can lead this country.
Too, he has done what he wants, not listening to the pulse of his countrymen and is trying to “educate” the world – while they are either laughing at or disgusted with us. Wall Street – well, “follow the money”! In may heart and soul I was happy he won the election even knowing the above. Are we in some sort of dialectic?

By: Paul

Paul — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 18:58:46 +0000

I think it was Bill Clinton who once said, “there is nothing wrong with America that cannot be fixed by what is right with America.” To me Obama continues to represent all of the best parts of the American people and their great potential. His detractors are loud, unruly, and unfair in their tactics. Unfortunately, they control the conversation. Sara Palin and her cohorts have somehow spiked the tea with a toxic elixir of anger, hatred, hypocrisy, and all of the worst parts of the American psyche.

The best part of America needs to reengage and reframe the conversation. We cannot let biased news agencies play Wizard of Oz and dictate the discussion, content, language, catch phrases, images, and context of our conversation. As long as we continue to do so, Obama can never win. The voices of moderate and sane people are all too often sidelined or silenced by the sheer volume and viciousness of these pastel clothed bullies and pundits. Moderates, by virtue of being so, are not fanatics, and are therefore less interested in engaging in this sort of behaviour.

I am not proposing that moderates join the fray and try to out scream professional hollering heads and paid political pundits. In fact, I am not proposing any kind of solution or magic bullet. I can only speak to my own experience and share it with you. I began my meditation practice just about 1 year ago today, and have been trying to meditate every day, and to grow from that experience. My response to people like Sarah Palin used to be one of anger and frustration, but this has dissipated over this time, and I now refuse to engage in that kind of violent thought. I am, however, still left with a burning desire to find a better way to participate in politics and leadership.

There is no single way to relate to the mind, the world, or any problem that we face, and taking a fixed attitude toward these problems will never bear fruit. We need creativity and fresh ideas more than ever before, and we need the courage to take that creativity out into the world and allow it to make a difference. We need to resuscitate the hope and optimism that Obama symbolized, in ourselves and in our communities. Be the change we want to see. As long as we are doing that, Obama will be the right president for the right time, and that time will be now.

By: Murph

Murph — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 18:56:34 +0000

Overall, a good analysis. Just because someone agrees with the “right” doesn’t make them a “bigot” though. Obama made his own bed when he appeared to ignore the economic issues in favor of health care. The whole country screamed HELP on the economy so Obama decided to fix health care. Big mistake that will likely lead to “rational 2”. The Carter comparison is right on.