Saturday, June 19, 2010

Blame Time - Yet Again

Will Obama ever stop blaming Republicans for "obstructing" progress?  Now he's saying that Republicans are hurting the unemployed by their filibuster of a broad economic bill that would bloat the deficit even more. 

Someone should point out to the president that Democrats currently enjoy a majority in the Senate and House, so the "obstruction" is not coming from Republicans alone.  Perhaps if Obama were more skillful in negotiating with the opposition, he could get more things done.  There have been many presidents who worked with a Congress dominated by the opposite party, yet they managed to negotiate and compromise to make progress in solving problems.  This president seems to lack the flexibility and/or the "know-how" to do this. 

Obama's devotion to his political ideology and his habit of falling into the same pattern over and over are hurting him politically.  Is he smart?  I don't think so, but one thing is certain:  wise he is not. 
Posted by at 11:43 AM
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3 comments:

  1. Hi! I imagine you have good intentions but, right off the bat, from a marketing-your-blog standpoint, if you are going to identify yourself a right-wing extremist, you might want to change the name of your blog. My guess is you are a sane guy, although I don´t agree with your opinions. Extremists are far from sane. The very definition excludes sanity.

    I am 48. I´ve lived a lot. To me a return to sanity would involve people letting go of extremism of any kind (political, religious, etc). I´m lucky to have good friends, most of whom I´ve known over 30 plus years. They fall as most of the polls in this country do, about 50/50 conservative/liberal. The reasons they are my friends is they are all extraordinarily good people, no matter their differing political philosophies. Politics and religion are belief systems that are as personal and individual as each of us. I remember a time when I was young when people could discuss or debate. This meant that one was allowed to complete a thought and let it be digested before someone answered. If things got too hot, people respectfully agreed to let go of the topic, say a nice word and move on; friends still.

    If you hope for more readers and you truly are looking for a return to sanity, I suggest not calling yourself an extremist or writing like one. People will shut you off before your voice has a chance, except for the ones that already believe what you do. What fun is that?

    My last observation is that the sky isn´t falling. All media, whether you mark it liberal or conservative, are desperate for ratings and revenue in an era of so many networks, websites, etc., and all are vying for our very short attention spans. With graphics and sound effects they´re ready to convince us the world is going to hell in a hand basket. LOL! It would have happened a long time ago. If you go back through the history of politics you will see all the same behavior, one administration blaming the next and setting up the next one to fail. It´s about which team won and which one lost, and they are all sore losers; we the people get the fallout! Few politicians ever arrive to the national arena without great dreams of personal ambition and/or wealth, if not both. One does not get to that level, politically, without having questionable relationships, business dealings, or friends from the same societies, fraternities, sororities, or alma maters. There is a skeleton in everyone´s closet.

    I believe in action. I believe all United States citizens of voting age should be registered and go to the polls at every election. Less than 1/3 are registered and a very small percentage ever of that group makes it to the polls. I don´t believe in arm-chair politicians, either. We have become a society of them, many of whom don´t participate in their own democratic system. We watch politics like it´s a sport, yelling at the television and getting pissed off. Then, we sit around and talk about everything they did wrong and how they could have made the play better, and on and on. Vote! If there is a candidate or an issue you believe in, get involved, volunteer, or start a petition; and, if you think things are really screwed up and you can do a better job, organize a campaign and run for office. Watch it, if you get to Washington, though!

    Finally, give Obama a break. I did with Bush (and it wasn´t easy). When I was a kid, we supported our president. As a country, I feel we have lost the basics of diplomacy and respect. None of us will ever be in that seat. Like a said earlier, look at our political history. Read old newspapers. You´ll see not much has changed. The sky is not going to fall. What has changed is that we are living in an age of true extremism where basic respect and diplomacy have been lost, especially in the populace. A return to both a respect of individual philosophies mixed with diplomacy, a smile, and the ability to agree to disagree, for me, are what a return to sanity is all about.
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  2. Thank you for your comment. First, if you'll read the byline, you'll see that I don't identify myself as a right-wing extremist - that was Janet Napolitano's characterization of people who hold conservative views. I consider myself just a little right of center and I don't believe that I write as or advocate extremist views.

    I agree with much of what you said. I refuse, however, to "give Obama a break". I believe most of his policies are destructive to this country and I will continue to speak out against them in any way I can. I give him credit when I feel it's due. It's just that I feel he's done so little that's worthy of credit. I also criticized Bush when I thought it appropriate, and there were many times I was angry with Bush.

    I do believe I have some better ideas than many of the politicians, but I don't think I could ever be in politics for one simple reason: I'm encumbered by a little thing called a conscience. I simply am not capable of thinking in the devious manner exhibited by too many of our politicians. I am a registered voter and feel it's my civil responsibility to vote in every election, which I do.

    I agree that we've lost civility in this country. Our culture has become coarse and vulgar in so many ways. A return to sanity for me would mean a big infusion of common sense and moving away from the ridiculous machinations and political correctness that are rampant today.

    I agree with you about the disaster mentality of the mainstream media. It seems as if there's a new crisis every week and, as you say, the sky is falling. I take it all with a grain of salt and my religious faith keeps me on an even keel.

    Lastly, I agree that it would be wonderful if we could just "agree to disagree", but it's gone far beyond that. The far left-wing has launched a full frontal attack on the traditions and foundation of this country. They don't believe in "diplomacy", they believe in anything they can do to undermine the country, and I refuse to sit quietly and just watch that happen.
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  3. Wanted to add one more thing I forgot: my criticism of Obama for constantly blaming the Bush administration is fully warranted. Obama has been president for almost a year and a half, and it's unpresidential to keep blaming the previous administration. Contrary to what you claim, previous administrations have NOT constantly placed blame on their predecessors. Obama's behavior personifies a troubling trend in this country: refusal to accept personal responsibility for one's own behavior and mistakes. BO's attempts to remind us that this is Bush's fault are simply pathetic attempts to divert attention from the fact that his "solutions" simply have not, and are not likely to, succeed.
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