I am 37 years old and Obama has been the best president of my lifetime. In my opinion he has done his job fantastic. From keeping the country from going off of an economic cliff and saving the US auto industry to ending the war in Iraq, ending DADT, ending pre-existing conditions and ending Osama Bin Ladin. I hoped for a good President when I voted for him in 2008 and I have been happily surprised to experience having a great President for the last 3 years.
Being President means making the hardest decisions that there are to make and while I don't agree with every decision that he has made, I can see that he has made the best decisions he believes that he could make all things considered.
There are plenty here who do not share my opinion of the job President Obama has done these last few years. I respect most of them. Even those who say hyperbolic things like "Obama is more conservative than Reagan". I think that's just ridiculous to say but at least they aren't like the people here who compare Obama to Mussolini and Hitler. Like the one who called me a brown shirt the other day and wrote 'Heil Obama!' because I wouldn't condemn Obama for signing the defense authorization bill. Those people are just... I don't know... not right.
But I have concluded that arguing with people about Obama on Daily Kos is a waste of time and a stress that I don't need, so, as of 11:19pm on Jan 1st, 2012 I am going to respond to negative comments about Obama with positive comments and if they call me an idiot or a bad person then I am just going to walk away from the discussion with them.
I am proud of President Obama. I am not going to pretend that I am not. How could I be proud of Obama when many here are so dissapointed in him? Maybe because instead of comparing Obama to an ideal President in my head I compare him to all the Presidents who have come before him and to all of the rest of the people in the world and how good they would be doing on the whole if they were President. I compare Obama to past Presidents like Clinton and Reagan and Bush and people like Markos and Greenwald and Krugman. Using that criteria Obama is the best president in my lifetime and I am excited to vote for him again this year! And I am not going to hide that fact! Life is too short to worry about the disapproval of strangers on the internet.
And you know what else? I am excited for Elizabeth Warren running for Senate in MA this year and I am hoping that if she wins that she runs for President in 2016!!
1:16 PM PT: I guess I am not the only one here who is excited to vote for Obama this year. Awesome!
2:10 PM PT: For a very respectful alternative opinion please follow this link to Mike Stark's diary http://www.dailykos.com/...
Thanks for disagreeing with me with respect, Mike Stark. Let the first disagreeing rec diaries of 2012 be respectful. A great precedent!