It is possible the vernal equinox has something to do with my mood today, but I am happy to report that the spark is back in my relationship with President Obama.
Might you still be trying to get excited about supporting and working in some way on the President’s bid for a second term, and to get Democrats back in control of the House? If you are just not feeling the love yet, and the idea of any one of the current GOP contenders occupying the Oval Office doesn’t fill you with enough motivational terror, I suggest you pick up a copy of David Corn’s new book, Showdown: The Inside Story of How Obama Fought Back Against Boehner, Canto, and the Tea Party.
Like most progressives, I’ve had my moments of feeling disappointed or jilted by Obama, and I suppose my lack of enthusiasm was further complicated by an extended illness and recovery, which happened to coincide with the period that started the day after Obama was elected, and in many respects lasted until this winter. At times early on when I did feel well enough to pay close attention, I became very disheartened by what I perceived as Obama’s lack of guts in fighting for the public option (at least!) in what ultimately became the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Later on, I admit to not having paid as close attention to the minutiae of the various budget, tax-cut and debt-ceiling battles as I would have, had I not been engaged in a more personal fight. I relied on mostly headlines and soundbites, and the odd longer piece of reporting through much of Obama’s first term.
Yes, I’m embarrassed to admit that, as I know the wonderful community here at DailyKos is heartily engaged in the details of how this country manages—and fails in many instances—to run itself. Of course, many Americans don’t have the time, inclination, passion or devotion to ideals that you possess, in order to dedicate the time or energy that even I spent. Many voters are only beginning to pay attention to this election cycle and are operating on and parroting conventional wisdom formed in Beltway circles, and liberal and conservative mindsets as the country moved through day-to-day, minute-by-minute coverage of what transpired.
The problem is, that first draft of our recent history, the one that paralyzed many of us with apathy, or pissed off the majority of voters only enough to keep seated and yelling at various screens, is just not a sufficient amount of knowledge on which to base informed opinions. It’s the duty of all citizens, but in particular activists, to read books like Showdown, which give insider and often corrected histories of what’s gone down.
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