I enjoyed the 33 comment dialogue Katherine started on Facebook yesterday with her comment about Ron Paul and the people who somehow manage to support him. The dialogue started with most of us agreeing that Paul was a dangerous nutjob and that Libertarianism is at best an incomplete way of approaching governance; it ended with a kind of referendum on Obama vis a vis some of his recent bill signings--some would say cave-ins--over SOPA and NDAA.
The comment I've been stewing over the most belongs to Ashley, my beloved daughter-in-law. She said that Obama's signings of SOPA and NDAA were "deal breakers." She would probably end up voting for Obama anyway, but only because the alternatives are unthinkable.
It is the"deal breaker" phrase that has given me pause. I never heard anything about a deal. If we vote for him he has to decide every issue as we would decide. Is that the deal?
When I voted for Obama, I voted for a smart, articulate, inexperienced pragmatist who seemed to believe the right things. I have to say that Obama has turned out exactly as I expected. The only "deal" I heard him make was that he was going to try and change the culture in Washington. He has valiantly made that bipartisan attempt and gotten bashed from both sides for it. It is a noble fight and I hope he keeps fighting it. As far as I can see, there is no one else out there of any political persuasion who has the courage to wage this battle.
When I considered my vote, I never deluded myself that all those Hope and Change promises would come to pass. Clear out Gitmo? Come on! Get all provisions of Health Care passed? Please! (Do Paul supporters really believe he will abolish four Departments, eliminate the income tax and the IRS, over turn health care, and cut 20% of the government work force in the first week as he has promised?)
I get frustrated when Obama seems to be willing to meet Republicans more than half way and to no avail. I would like to see more examples of toughness like his out of session appointment made just today. But in all those instances where he "caved," what would be the current state of the country if he held firm and waited for the Republicans to compromise?
In Obama I got what I bargained for. There are things he does that I don't like--almost anything he has to say about Education, for example--but "deal breakers?"
I don't think so.
