I have never answered to a diary before and frankly was not planning on writing any diary tonight but, reading the responses to Joan Mar's diary, I realized my posting would end up being far too long.
I have to say that many have overlooked what was the essence of JoanMar's meaning by becoming distracted by both a sentence you did not like and by the ever present " we must disagree with the president so we are not seen as bots' rhetoric.
What is called for in the diary is some self reflection.
Also, While many feel they have the right to free speech and to criticize, then others have that same right to stand up for someone, like Obama, if they feel that the criticism is unwarrented.
And standing up for someone is not being a bot. That is just immature to call names because someone may see something you may not.
There is a huge difference in playing your cards close to your vest and manouvering your opponet as well as bidding your time and outright spinelessness.
I think far too many jump the gun and go into hyper angst at the drop of a rumor or gossip or maybe. Reading too much into a word, a sentence or the lack of one.
Quick to point the finger of betrayal and call out traitor and weakling or whatever else to describe the certainty that we have been thrown under a bus or sold out.
What JoanMar is trying to say is that instead of jumping on a rumor or gossip, instead of trashing the president at every turn maybe you need to reflect.
For one, how many times have you ended up eating crow for lunch because the usual rumor or gossip of the day that you jumped on and called the president a sell out over and tore your clothes off in your abject angst ended up being nothing more then rumor and not true? I'd think you'd be tired of crow and have learned to bide your time for a few days and let things come out as they usually do over the course of the week before pointing the finger.
Then, JoanMar is pointing out that those who say the president is not doing enough, there is no change and he lied, that he is just like Bush, blah blah, she is answering by reposting the list of things this man has already done. And let us not forget that Barack Obama is just one man.
Far too many forget that on top of trying to take care of what he has promised, he also stepped into things far worse then anyone could imagine and these are mostly emergencies that need attention right now.
And the level of incompetence, the depth of the mess and the scope in so many difference areas from major to minor that we don't even know about but, imagined a year ago, will take up alot of time and attention.
Not everything will be fixed overnight.
But, the list of things that Obama has accomplished is breathtaking when you actually look at the list.
One comment on JoanMar's diary is also worth pointing out in a diary. Far too many are quick to point fingers, blame and criticize Obama over when in fact it is congress's job. Much of what people want Obama to take care of and address are things that must be done by congress.
Why are you not holding congress accountable. Why are you blaming Obama for what is not his job. Why do you expect him to take care of it all, including congress's job?
I think Obama is trying to force congress to do their job, take back what was their terraine and was taken over by Bush but, is not part of the executive duties. He wants them to be co-equal again.
Obama does not want to be the imperial president.
Last, I do think many on here have never played poker or chess. Alot of what Obama is doing with the health care fight is keeping things close to his vest and manipulating the republicans. He will say things like the public option means nothing because he does not want them to have any ammo. To say things like it's important gives the republicans ammo, as they now have because of all the noise by our side about the public option.
You guys gotta learn to lay back sometimes during these fights. You give far too much away to the enemy by your noise about the public option and going crazy over any rumor and if a word was left out of a speech, ect.
In other words, chill.
I think JoanMar had some very important points that are getting lost and nitpicking on a sentence here or there and not seeing the full meaning is bad. Far too many are finding it too easy to just bitch about Obama and not enough of giving him credit for the job he's done.
Or that he has been working extremely hard for us and we repay it with petty behavior.
In closing I would point out that the night he won the presidency, Obama did warn us, and far too few have remembered or listened to these wise words in getting the job done and that it won't be overnight:
We may not get there in a year, or even in 4 years but, I promise, we will get there.