One of the emerging trends that I’ve been seeing in the news, on the internet, and on TV is a variation on the theme of “When is President Obama going to get to…” and I’m here to tell everyone: Calm Down. It hasn’t even been a month.
This week’s LA Times featured an article describing how liberals are growing impatient with the President as they deal with his incremental approach. Ta-Nehisi Coates over at The Atlantic focused on one particular part of the story, stem-cell research, and said he was “worried” over the President’s inaction. Then, yesterdays’ New York Times featured an editorial calling for more stringent food standards by saying, “Congress and the Obama administration must finally make food safety a serious priority.”
While the various causes that TNC, the NYT, and others are championing are certainly important ones, I received my first paycheck of 2009 on Inauguration Day and I haven’t received my second yet. My point is, it’s early. I know, I know. We were all anxious for the Bush years to be over, and they are. But reversing eight years of damage is going to take more than a month. The extended election cycle combined with the anticipation of the new administration has created an inaccurate perception that President Obama has been at this for a while. I realize that the idea of raising our voices is to ensure that when the President has the time, he’ll pay attention to our issues, and if we’re a year into this thing and we haven’t made enough progress on health care, stem-cell research, alternative energy, and even food safety, you’ll hear me calling for attention to those issues every day. But for the time being, I’m staying calm, and so should you.
Cross-posted at http://filibusted.net