Originally posted by Benevolent Heretic
reply to post by MikeNice81
While I disagree with Obama in some areas, overall, I'm happy so far with Obama and what he's doing. So are many who voted for him. What I'm NOT happy with is his continued efforts toward bipartisanship in the face of impossibility.I admire him wanting to work well with others, but when the others are determined to work against him, there comes a time when he must realize that and move on without them. I hope this recess appointment is a signal that he's starting to get that.
It goes beyond "working well with others". The President is not just the president of the Democratic party, nor the president of only those who voted for him. He is the president of ALL the citizens of the US. He needs to do the will of ALL the people (within reason, of course). He won the election and he should govern in the manner that he said he would during the campaign.
This does not mean he should ignore those with a dissenting view. Obama won the election with 52.9% of the popular vote yet he is pushing his agenda like he won in an overwhelming landslide. He needs to temper his agenda with the knowledge that 47.1% of the nation did NOT vote for him.
I am NOT saying he should abandon his agenda. He won the election, it is his perogative to push for the ideas that he campaigned on. All I am saying is that he should respect those who have a differing view of the direction the US should take.
The people are not ready for radical change. Many people feel that they are excluded from the debate. Especially with the tempo of change the Obama is pushing. Everything is crisis and everything needs to be enacted NOW. This is simply not the case. All I am trying to say is that if he wants this radical change, that he proceed is smaller and slower steps. He needs to convince the American people that his ideas are in their best interest. He also needs to listen to the American people when they try and tell him that they do not agree. When a majority of the American people say "NO", the President should listen, no matter who is in the office.
When a state like Massachusetts elects a Republican to the Senate, it should be a clear signal that the people are not happy with the direction their government is taking.
Just to put into perspective how amazing the election of a Republican to the Senate was:
The Massachusettes House of Representatives has 144 Democrats and 16 Republicans.
The Massachusetts Senate has 35 Democrats and 5 Republicans.
The Massachusetts Delegation to the US House of Representatives has 10 Democrats and 0 Republicans (and it has been that way since 1997)
The Senators from Massachusetts have been Democrats since 1980.
In that environment, a Republican was elected to the US Senate on basically a single campaing pledge. "I will be the 41st vote to stop the healthcare reform bill"
Now he only won the election by 51.9% of the vote, but it is amazing he won at all. And since he has taken his seat in the Senate, he has voted in a bipartisan way, knowing that the seat he held was not "his" seat, but "The People's Seat".
I guess the rambling point I am trying to make is that the office of President is not the Democrat's office. It is the People's office. And it should be held and governed in that manner.
I hope I have made some sense...if not, my apologies.
