Today, when I was at work, my manger came up to me and had me sign a tax form. She informed me that the federal government was giving tax credits to companies that hired workers in the last 6 months. This was such a small thing, not something newsworthy, not something that will be talked about on tv or radio. However, it made me realize that we actually have a presidential administration that is trying to better the lives of citizens of this great country, incrementally. After I signed the forms my mind drifted to a diary from yesterday by a prominent liberal, who basically advocated for progressives to sit out this upcoming election. Then I started to think about how after the whole Shirley Sherrod debacle, many of my fellow liberals placed the blame squarely on the White House, and not the right wing nuts who made this story blow up, and I became irrationally angry.
Criticizing the president these days seems to be sport for people both on the right and the left. I expect vicious attacks from teabaggers and conservatives because that is what they do. However, when I see it coming from our side it makes me uneasy. The president, obviously, is not above criticism. Those of us on the left have more of a right to criticize him than right-wingers because we were the ones who donated time, money, and energy to make sure he won the presidency. I am all for criticism when it is constructive. But lately, it really doesn't seem to be constructive. I am a cynic by nature, but compared to some of the diaries that have been published on DK and other liberal blogs I feel like freaking Pollyanna.
Here are a few choice comments from fellow progressives and liberals that I have cut and paste from an article about President Obama:
After Obama decided to continue (and accelerate) all Bush policies and crimes, I had to make a choice: Should I put a gun in my mouth and pull the trigger, or disengage utterly, hopelessly and resign myself to accepting the country and planet are totally F#&ked. Gun in the mouth was the more seductive of the two, but finally I chose resignation and apathy.
Hmm... So was it Bush's policy to try and fix a broken healthcare system? I must have slept during the time that Bush pushed for financial regulation. I also must have been asleep when Bush tried to get the ball rolling on ridding the world of nuclear weapons...
But my apathy is corrosive, like the self hatred that comes with bulimia. Obama's outright treachery again progressives is unforgivable. So I've decided to collectively punish all democrats, forever! My first thought was to vote republican. It doesn't matter anyway, I know the planet is totally F#&ked. I'm like Sarah Conner in Terminator with fore-knowledge of armageddon. "Your all dead, and you don't even know it." So yes, I can vote Republican for the rest of my life. But in the end, I don't want my protest vote mistaken. So I will vote green or peace and freedom. FOREVER!!!!!!!! Rahm, Obama -- Let's see if you take my vote for granted in the next 40 elections.
Yes, vote for republicans because they will pass climate change legislation, overhaul healthcare, and offer relief to the poorest among us.
After a year and a half of dithering I don't expect much for the rest of his presidency. I felt sorry for Obama in the beginning of his presidency because of the mess left behind by W but he didn't really deviate from the previous administration.
Dithering huh? Why does that word sound so familiar?
This progressive washed his hands of Obama a long time ago. The president has shown us over and over and over (and over!) again where his priorities are; his agenda is not the same as ours. At this point, only people who don't know what "progressive" means or who are in deep denial could believe that Barack Obama is even remotely sympathetic to the progressive cause.
That's the spirit, give up on President Obama. After all it has been a year and a half, and he has done absolutely nothing.
These are some of the tamer comments. It is halfway into his presidency and people are throwing in the towel already. Instead of getting credit for getting as much done as he has with those pesky blue dogs and obstructionist republicans putting up major road blocks at every turn, he is berated daily for not going far enough. He is weak because he will not use his bully pulpit to start a fight with Fox "News". Let's take a good look at all the "controversies" that President Obama has weathered these last couple of years: he went to a Madrassa in Indonesia, he sat in Rev. Wright's pew for 20 years, Michelle Obama is not proud of her country, Obama is friends with an unrepentant domestic terrorist. There is one common link between all of these things and it is that they originated on Fox News, and they have almost become a permanent fixture in anti-Obama rhetoric coming from the tea party types. To this very day there are people who believe that he is a Muslim. So, while the reaction to Sherrod's firing was unnecessary and disappointing, it is understandable that the administration did not want to wait for the story to become a distraction, on a day when the president should have been touting the new financial regulatory bill the Democrats passed.
I am by no means a historian, but would be willing to bet that there has never been a social movement that has been successful overnight. One of the most important social movements that took place in our country was, obviously, the Civil Rights Movement. The Civil Right's Movement lasted from 1955-1968. During this time 3 presidents came and went. Imagine, if the tireless advocates for civil rights gave up because things were just not coming along fast enough? Imagine what would have happened had Martin Luther King Jr. spent his time complaining about government officials instead of traveling around the country recruiting people to this important cause. What if on day 30 of the Montgomery Bus Boycott protestors gave up because they didn't get what they wanted in a timely fashion? I think it would be safe to say that our country would be worse off than it is today. As an American, and as a woman of color I am thankful that they kept on fighting even when there were times it seemed like it was all in vain.
Technology is fast, but fundamental change is slow. Make no mistake about it, the things that President Obama, Speaker Pelosi, and Senator Reid are advocating for would dramatically transform our country. The country that they (and most people on DK) envision is one where government attempts to level the playing field as best they can so that everyone has a shot at a decent life. But, unless there is popular support for these changes, they will not happen. Ultimately, the change that we seek will not come from Washington, rather it will come to Washington from the rest of the country. It will come from the people. It will come from the labor unions, community organizations, and concerned citizens. We are the ones that have to bring to light the inequalities of our nation and recruit people to our cause.
Let's remember that there was a time when half of the country was totally opposed to giving civil rights to people of color. There were many people who believed that women should not be allowed to vote. But thanks to the people, many who will remain nameless and faceless, who kept on fighting today it is hard for many of us to imagine that there was a time when skin color and gender were the biggest obstacles in the quest for a decent life.
Say what you want about the Democrats, but what is absolutely clear is that they are the only ones currently trying to get things done. They are the ones who are fighting to make a change.Yes, sometimes they compromise more than most of us would like. Yes, they are just as prone to being bought by corporations as the republicans are. Yes, they can be very timid and appear to be weak. But, let's not forget there is a party that is hell-bent on making sure Democrats lose every legislative battle. Nothing is off limits, not even health insurance for children. So compromise is necessary. Annoying, but necessary. So, please explain how sitting out this election, which will enable republicans to have more seats, will help advance our agenda? You know that the atmosphere in Washington is toxic when routine bills like employment insurance benefits gets filibustered, when the president can't even make appointments to fill important government positions, and when elected officials question whether or not the president is an American citizen.
When candidate Obama said throughout his presidential campaign that we would need to hold him accountable, I interpreted it as him acknowledging that he would not be able to get things done unless, we continue to advocate for the things he campaigned on and build public support, he would not be able to start making the changes our country needs. When I voted for Obama, I knew that I would be in it for the long haul. I knew there would be times when he would disappoint. I knew he would make some decisions that are just downright wrong (Afghanistan comes to mind). So let's criticize him, because blindly following any politician is never okay. When he gets things wrong he needs to be called out. But let's also give him, Nancy Pelosi, and Harry Reid credit when they get things done, because they are setting the foundation that future generations will build upon. So come election day, I will not be sitting at home. I will be voting for the party that I have supported ever since I cast my first vote ever for John Kerry for president, and voted for a little known man for the Illinois senate (named Barack Obama).