I never saw Barrack Obama as a savior, some Black Messiah. What I did see was a dynamic, dedicated, educated, hip young guy of mixed race, willing to take on the ENORMOUS task of slowing, if not reversing the downward trend America found itself in. The 8 years of the Bush administration had taken a huge toll on the economy and the international standing of America itself. One had only to travel abroad during this period to experience the shock and sadness Europeans (and others) had at the state of affairs in the U.S. Our hearts were struck by 9/11 and we rallied briefly as a nation. But this triggered a series of devastating missteps. WMD's proved to be a bald faced lie. Osama Bin Laden escaped. The war dragged on, and hundreds of thousands died. The administration pursued a housing policy that proved disastrous. Morale was waning.
On FaceBook, I was told that, claiming these were the obstacles that the new administration was struggling with to overcome, "was the coward's approach". After calling her out on this most personal attack, I recognized what I was dealing with. This comment came less than 6 months into the Obama Administration! I realized that, to a surprising, and disturbingly large, percentage of this population, Barrack Obama would never make things right. And people HATE him for it.
And, this, in my opinion, is the cornerstone of what became the Tea Party philosophy. They channel fear, anger, and discontent, always looking for the negative. They were NEVER willing to work with the new guy! This left me wondering "why"? Only a fool could not see that, after Bush, the country was in dire straights. For chrissake, at one point his approval rating dropped to 17%! Holy shit, how much more do you need. Yet, from the very beginning, Tea Partiers looked for every tiny bit of information that would bolster their claim that Obama was some commie-pinko-fag! Again, I ask "why"? Just for shits and grins, wouldn't you want to give a new guy a chance?!
They claim they gave him a chance and he fucked it up. I say BULLSHIT! They never gave this guy a chance and they never will. They hated him from the very beginning. The questions still begs "why"? Taking into account the virulence with which they attack him, and have from the very beginning, I say it smacks of RACISM. The Secret Service has stated that death threats against the President are at an all-time high. It seems to stick in their craws that a black man (mostly) is running the country. They would counter by saying, "yeah, running it into the ground"! But how can you say that when you have never given this administration one iota of assistance or support. You are working hard to doom it to failure. The Tea Party message is one based on fear, discontent, and misinformation. And, if you read between the lines, their fire is stoked by the flames of racism. It can be subtle, but it's there.
There are the ridiculous allegations that Obama was not born in the U.S. They claim he is a Muslim, like that should even matter to those who call themselves TRUE Americans! When he tried to prop up the economy, he was socialist. When he tried to reform the health car system, he was a communist. When he tried to end an illegal war, he was a pussy. When he tried to reform education he was an elitist. Give me a freakin' break! If you say NO to everything then there is no chance of moving forward. There's a big difference when, disagreeing in a discussion, one says, "well, I don't think that I agree" and "no, no, no"! The Tea Party is saying NO, NO, NO.
To me, it's a logical conclusion to make: they want him to fail because they just plain hate him. And, why? Because he is black. It's so deep and so subtle, many don't even realize that's the reason they don't like him. Sad, but that's the way it still is in this country.
Look I'm dissatisfied, too, Obama has been far from perfect. He's made his share of mistakes and, perhaps, has not yet realized his true potential. But we are still fairly early in the game and I remain hopeful that he will continue to grow and our country with him. I am still willing to support him, especially since the Tea Party has not offered me a viable alternative. When they can come to me with a candidate with the mental acumen, political savvy, the "right pedigree", the toughness, the vision, and who is not INSANE, call me. At least I'll listen.
photo: F. LoBuono Caption: Obama supporters Invesco Field, Denver
The first and only real smart thing Bush has done was to remain undercover during this time so people won't be reminded of who got us into this mess.
ReplyDeleteMixed gender? haha? The president a hermaphrodite? Interesting!
ReplyDeleteFrank, you're eloquent, thoughtful, and sincere. I question, though, whether saying "no" to more government is the same as not having solutions. Maybe it's another way of expressing faith that Americans, with our vibrant businesses, flourishing churches, synagogues and mosques, and fundamentally charitable hearts, are perfectly capable of solving our problems without adding another couple trillion dollars to the deficit...and the election polls would indicate that a lot more people feel that way than just a bunch of T partiers.
ReplyDeleteThanks for pointing out that typo K51773. That's pretty embarrassing! But at least you're paying attention! I'll fix that ASAP!!
ReplyDeletePs: I have to do my own editing!
Jay: I hope that you are right. There are many things wrong and need be addressed. I just don't see saying a resounding NO to everything will get us where we need to go. We need to elect responsible, intelligent leaders. Unfortunately, to me, the alternatives are all but totally INSANE!