I have sometimes in the past posted diaries which criticized the President and his staff for timidity, lack of spine, and having the habit of caving in to the crazies on the Reich. My points were made not as a critic of the president from the right, but rather, a pragmatic view that giving in to the GOP would only strengthen their position.
The Tax Cut fiasco probably set back our recovery and worsened our economy for several years, yet the President didn't even try to fight the issue. Instead of standing and pointing fingers, the Debt Ceiling fight was anything but. It didn't just make him look weak, it actually weakened his presidency.
ACA, or ObamaCare as the MSM calls it, was a prime example of using the ancient art of "Caving In" as a negotiating tactic. Single payer? Hah.
When senators and congressmen were being attacked in Town Hall meetings, and were begging the White House to come out and explain, or set guidelines, or even support them, Obama sat cravenly in the Oval Office, refusing to lift a finger. As a result, the picture painted about death panels, doctor shortages, even forced abortions and euthanasia crowded out any possible rational discussion.
Even to this day, the bad taste left in Joe 6-Pack's mouth about the ACA was due to Obama's inaction and failure to fight the lies in public. Despite its tepid successes, all the problems related to ACA, its bad rap, and the failure of congress to fix its many flaws is due to GOP intransigence - made worse, even magnified by how the President acted (or failed to act) in the past.
On too many issues, Obama kept in place Bush era mistakes and compounded them. National security, domestic spying, drone attacks, economic decisions, social issues, even austerity economics, Obama showed his preference to cave rather than to fight.
In fact, the last six years are filled with examples of Obama and his team jumping the gun, adopting the most right wing proposals in a painfully obvious effort to cut a deal, any deal.
One new example came out today, although the signs were pretty clear that the White House was and is suffering from several spineless, scared, reactionary fools. That example? Shirley Sherrod.
A 2010 e-mail from Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack says his department was “waiting for the go-ahead” from the White House before accepting the resignation of Shirley Sherrod, according to newly released documents, despite Obama administration assertions that her ouster was Vilsack’s decision alone.
The e-mail, which was made public Friday in an ongoing federal court case over the matter, shed more light on the evening of July 19, 2010, when the USDA hastily asked Sherrod to resign after a video showing her making supposed racist remarks surfaced on a conservative Web site. Her dismissal turned into a racial firestorm after it became clear that the video had been edited and her remarks were meant to tell a story of reconciliation.
Both the White House and Vilsack have repeatedly said that the agriculture secretary made the decision to ask for Sherrod’s resignation without White House input. The e-mails, along with earlier e-mails obtained by the Associated Press under the Freedom of Information Act in 2010 and 2012, make it apparent that Vilsack wanted Sherrod to leave the department and ordered her resignation. But a newly released e-mail sent by Vilsack himself suggests that he was awaiting a decision from White House officials on how to proceed.
Washington Post
As upsetting as this was to Ms. Sherrod, who was castigated, unfairly abused, and literally screamed at on Talk Radio, Fox News, even other news and political shows, imagine how Vilsack felt. Not only did he NOT fire her without basis, he waited for instructions from the White House, which subsequently covered up its role. Pointed fingers from 1600 led directly to Vilsack. That just makes their position even worse. It was bad enough to fire her without reason, based on a smear campaign from a lying liar who lies for the GOP. But to cover up their own responsibility and blame an underlying for their own failure - that just plain sucks, Mr. President. Shame on you, doubly so.
Given the many times that the White House has shown no spine, or was unwilling to admit its mistakes, just where does that leave us? Especially on election day?
If the senate falls, as so many on the air seem to be predicting, then will this president suddenly find a spine, find the veto pen in his desk, and in a move that will shock and surprise the GOP (as he did only two times before) stand up to them and tell them "no?"
I hope, I really really really hope that we keep a senate majority. Otherwise, the risk we face from a compromising president bent on caving in just to get a deal, any deal, bodes very badly for nation's future. Especially for the next two years. The damage they can create could be monstrous. Think austerity on steroids, food stamp cuts, unemployment cuts, roll backs on environmental rules, food, traffic, and drug safety, think of banks being able to steal you blind - AGAIN - and think of Cruz, Walker, Christie, and others infecting the rest of the nation with their piss poor ideas and plans.
The good news is that the GOP is populated by idiots. The upcoming fights between Tea Bagger pols and other GOPers in office will be a bloody, nasty, self-destructive mess. And that may be the only thing that saves our nation from doom.