Obama Almost Gets It

I knew full well that Scott Brown’s solid defeat of Martha Coakley in the deep blue liberal stronghold of Massachusetts was a watershed moment in modern American politics. I did not, however, expect its repercussions to be felt quite this swiftly or to effect the attitudes of the White House so significantly in so short of order. President Obama almost gets it; he almost understands how things have suddenly changed.


People Are Angry, and They’re Frustrated

President Obama, in a complete reversal of his previous desire to rush forward, warned congressional Democrats today not to “jam” a health care reform bill through the reconciliation process in the wake of their loss of their super-majority in the Senate. The POTUS also said they must wait for newly elected Massachusetts Republican, Scott Brown to be sworn into office before holding any debates or votes.

Here’s my assessment of not just the vote in Massachusetts, but the mood around the country. The same thing that swept Scott Brown into office swept me into office. People are angry, and they’re frustrated. Not just because of what’s happened in the last year or two years, but what’s happened over the last eight years.

Here’s one thing I know and I just want to make sure that this is off the table: The Senate certainly shouldn’t try to jam anything through until Scott Brown is seated People in Massachusetts spoken. He’s got to be part of that process.

— President Obama
Interview with George Stephanopoulos, January 20, 2010

The President almost gets it; he almost understands the anger and frustration of the American people. If he could just “man up” and accept his responsibility for it instead of – yet once again – blaming President George W. Bush for everything, he’d probably get it and just might be able to adapt more fully to it and the will of we, the People.

The anger that Scott Brown tapped into to reach his victory is very similar to, but not quite the same, as the anger that Obama tapped into in 2008 and trying to blame President Bush for it isn’t going to change that.

Still, it’s a step in the right direction. President Obama, much like some other Liberals, can at least finally recognize the people’s anger and even if he doesn’t understand or care for America, he does understand fear and will respond to threats if they’re made bluntly enough.

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7 Responses to “Obama Almost Gets It”

  1. Vishnu Says:

    Did I hear right? He “blames” Bush for getting a Republican elected?
    I swear. You can’t make this stuff up.

  2. zhann Says:

    In the end, Obama’s inexperience is shining brighter than ever. While I am not advocating this solution, the fact still remains that if Obama was a good leader, the Healthcare bill would have been ‘jammed’ through long ago. The fact that he couldn’t accomplish this just goes to show that his own party doesn’t respect him. Now that he lost his 60 seat majority in the senat … 60, thats just crazy … the healthcare bill is all but lost.

    Obama, it seems, is going to go down in history as the first African American president with lower ratings than his predecessor. It is such a shame that a Democrat can’t run against him in the 2012 elections, it seems that the Republicans will once more take control of the white house, and at this rate, the Senate and House.

    … in his defence, though … the financial troubles of the USA and the current wars are Bush’s fault, and not his own. His problem, as far as I’m concerned, is the fact that he is a terrible leader.

  3. jonolan Says:

    Vishnu,

    Yes, essentially you heard that right. Obama is still trying to blame Bush for everything. I assume that is because to not do so would require him to accept responsibility for the situation, his actions, and his many, many cases of inaction.

    Zhann,

    Actually the incumbent is not proof against a primary challenge. Ronald Reagan challenged the incumbent Gerald Ford for the Republican nomination in 1976. He lost by only a narrow margin.

    Also, the financial troubles are no more Bush’s fault than they are Clinton’s and they are no more Clinton’s fault than they are Bush Sr.’s, and they are no more Bush Sr.’s fault than they are Reagan’s, and they are no more Reagan’s fault than they are Carter’s.

    And in all those cases they are also no less their fault than their predecessor’s.

    The seeds of our current financial troubles were planted decades ago and no President in the following several decades has successfully managed to keep those seeds from bearing their destructive fruit.

    So far Obama has followed suit and has not helped the situation at all.

  4. Vishnu Says:

    Jonolan, Obama doesn’t get it all. Obama’s response is EXACTLY why he’s where he’s at right now. He just doesn’t seem to get it. Every time he blames Bush for his own shortcomings and paralysis it has the exact opposite effect on everyone other than the lemmings that are psychologically too invested in him.

    I sure hope he keeps up with the voodoo that he do so well. Every time he does, his death and that of his party (and their agendas) draws closer. It’s the arrogance and tone deafness that gets people, including much of his former base, so damn take-it-to-the-streets angry.

    Nope. Obama doesn’t get it at all. The insincere mea culpa is simply an unavoidable effort to grapple; not an ernest desire to regroup and rethink. The current state of the democratic party is not principled enough to truly do so.

    Having grown up in Boston, I never thought I’d see this day. I think I’ll light a cigar.

  5. jonolan Says:

    I disagree, Vishnu. I think Obama almost gets it because he recognizes the anger of the people and, through his own experience in using it, knows what it can do. Yet he misses the core source of the anger.

    To me that is “almost getting it.” But – and this is a huge but – in this political climate a near miss is a good as a mile so much of your expectations and hopes will likely be realized.

  6. Jobister Says:

    Well he almost gets it, I agree with that but he should drop the healthcare bill. Plus I just read this AP News article which would definitely change the face of our government in the very near future I can almost guarantee it. http://bit.ly/8fhZ0l Corporate want is soon going to overshadow our needs.

  7. Vishnu Says:

    After reading your response, I see we’re really saying the same thing.

    It’s the “almost” part that makes it a “total” miss. There should be no epiphany. Blaming the whole debacle on chocolate milk would have been better. What’s been occurring is too obvious to anyone that doesn’t watch MSNBC.

    My God, the mocking, ridicule, and name calling (e.g. racist, sexist, tea bagger) as the response to an outraged constituency, particularly when it comes to healthcare, is just plain stupid — especially for someone who, to use your words, “recognizes the anger of the people and, through his own experience in using it, knows what it can do.”

    Rant over. I’ll go back to my cigar before I give myself an ulcer.

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