What makes Obama run?
Read Time:4 Minute, 7 Second
Most of us like to have some idea of how things work, whether our focus is on the nuts & bolts mechanical, the elegant theoretical, or perhaps the emotional / psychological. I’d like to know how our President operates and what drives him; I haven’t been able to figure that out.
Barack Obama wasn’t on my radar early in his campaign. He appeared at a rally next to my Oakland office, and I never left my desk. But a few months later I cast my vote for Obama in the CA primary, and as his campaign progressed I grew to like him. In retrospect, I might not have paid the closest attention to the fine print of his platform, but I did buy into his message of hope and change after 8 years of Bush. The voters agreed in good numbers. Now two years after Obama’s inauguration, the air has gone out of the party balloon. The situation our country is in seems more tenuous than ever, and the President’s supporters are disappointed. What happened?
To put it in technical terms: things got mushy. For me, the mushiness started in summer 2009 during the debate over health care reform. Obama had supported a single-payer plan, but never insisted it be on the table as part of the legislation being crafted. Single-payer had support of about 70% of US voters, but the President never argued for it. Yes, it would have been a huge task to switch to a national single-payer plan, but not an impossible one. Our private, for-profit insurance system is not long established; it largely came into being in the 1990s. If the President had used his “bully pulpit”, he might have swayed Congress, instituted an enormous benefit to individuals, employers, and pension plans; and have single-payer as his legacy as Medicare is LBJ’s. What we’ve been left with is a mish-mash plan, still supporting the for-profit system. Why? Did Obama truly not believe in single-payer? Was it too much like “socialism”? Was he cowed by the insurance industry? Did he feel the change he touted would create too much instability? We never really knew. A President doesn’t get to say: “the task is too difficult”, and that’s what it seemed he was saying.
Early in his term, it was refreshing for Pres Obama to reach out to Republicans. His gestures showed respect for the workings of government after Bush as unitary executive. Obama may not have received the bi-partisan cooperation he was looking for, but that was no surprise. The President made the effort and got kudos for it.
And as Obama continued to be conciliatory in the face of Republican rebuffs, there was buzz about his skill in playing eleven-dimensional chess, and how he was many jumps ahead of his opposition. I still believed it – why not? Republicans tend to keep to talking points, and there didn’t appear to be any particularly skilled chess players in Congress. Obama had displayed take-charge leadership earlier, during the Bush-Paulson financial firms bailout in late 2008, for example, and there was no reason to suspect we wouldn’t see that decisive behavior on a regular basis.
But, now we’re past the mid-terms, with a very unhappy electorate and Democratic losses in the House and Senate. The President has signed some decent legislation, but where is the bold, decisive leader? We hear the talk, but don’t see the walk. The President says he still intends to reach out to Republicans, though reaching out has resulted in nothing but more mushiness. Why? Does it relate to some kind of inner conflict?
Any google search of the President’s psychological make-up yields hundreds of “Obama is a narcissist demagogue anti-christ” articles. More credible reports are that he’s worked through issues stemming from his early life: and that he has a “confident yet cooperative” political style: (Daily Kos)
But these two statements jumped out at me and perhaps get to the crux of Obama’s management weaknesses:
“For voters, the key question should not so much be whether Obama has the right stuff to move the nation in the right direction, but whether he has what it takes to prevail in the dog-eat-dog world of international politics.”
“Accommodating personalities like Obama have a strong need to reconcile differences and are able to concede when necessary. But that begs the question, when is it really necessary to make concessions?”
Perhaps President Obama has practice in being a decisive individual, but doesn’t know how to be a strong leader. There’s a difference. The problem is, we need a good strong leader in the US. If the President can’t or doesn’t step up to it, we’re in danger of getting a bad strong leader next time around.
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A thoughtful post, Maureen. I feel you.
You know, in point of fact, he appeased away s sound HCR bill to the non quid pro quo Republicans__ the progressive fighting, cruel xenophobic emotionally violent rhetoric filled undermining lies supplied strategically by large medical corporations supporting right wing fringe whack jobs…well! You remember? Their political abuse of the country was (in my opinion) historically shameful but it won the day for lack of push back from any bully pulpit and the failure of the Senate. Oh that Pelosi would have wrangled it all! The President capitulated before our astonished eyes under the vile extortion of political hacks telling outright lies. Rightwing whack-o’s are still fueled with the victory – it provided the blueprint that still serves them well.
The “confident yet cooperative” political style has gained no real political ground / this is so rediculous / but it seems to have lost progressive / liberal / Democratic ground since Obama took office! Watch BBC news or Al Jerzzea (sp) and you’ll discover that the world in general is confused and calling it like this. He’s weak. He has the brilliance. Read his books… unless they were ghosted and I don’t buy that one for a moment. His notes are not written on his hand. He pushed the stimulus through, it pushed back the economic calamity for a moment, but it is upon us again, the wave is cresting… EU and us. There were no real banking reforms to hold it back or prevent the fuck over common American citizens are taking by big banking right now. Just as our holiday season rushes towards us, millions of families are destitute… where is the bully pulpit for them? Where is the strength of leadership that bestows mercy and kindness in this season… its not with the GOP. Grand old pricks that they are… and dumber than a bag of collective hammers at running a country… yet they have the loudest leadership voice in America. They are telling these destitute Americans that they are shameful and lazy. As they conform to overt political graft (helped on by SCOTUS) and corruption. They have won the day.
Can you feel those who fear tomorrow? I am ashamed of many in Washington… especially the fellow in the oval office. I honestly thought so much better of him. I’m confused.
btw, I did forget to say Maureen, I’m all for a new candidate in the Presidential primary.
mbarnato, excellent write up about our president. On one hand I am like our boss here and am inclined to stick with this president come hell or high water. On the other hand, and I know some of these older folks here are tired of hearing me say this, but I wrote a post after Pres. Obama’s State of the Union speech as he entered his second year of the presidency. The post was called simply The Tree and had to do with what happens when you finally challenge the bully, or bullies which is how I classified the “say no” Republicans, and I’m sad to say that I was right. The president talked the talk but then he apparently could not walk the walk. President Obama is indeed a good man with very great intentions, hopes and aspirations for the country. But often times reminds me of Don Quixote fighting windmills except that the Don’s windmills were not near as mean and nasty as those facing our president and Congress. He was met by her group of people of ill will who wish to do him harm and he extended the hand the compromise to them. They then took the hand and have been beating him over the head with it ever since.
What frustrates me,Bill,is that I don’t think Obama’s a good man. Supporters all say that,but Bush’s supporters say the same thing about him. I know partisan Republicans who acknowledge Bush’s policy errors but blame it all on bad advice cause GWB is such a nice guy.
I think we see what we want to see.Like believing favorite actors and actresses and athletes are really nice people.
IMO a good man wouldn’t support wars of aggression.A good man would have fought for affordable health care and financial reform – BHO fought against both.
I probably give him more credit for intelligence than his supporters do. A smart individual doesn’t keep making the same mistake over and over again. Obama’s doing exactly what he’s paid to do – enact corporate friendly policy. The fact that people think he gives a damn about us any more than Bush did is a testament to his political acumen.
Maureen,
Like you BHO wasn’t on my radar screen. When he won there was so much excitement here, my youngest and I drove around honking our horns with the cheering throngs here in the Bay Area.
The next day he appointed Rahm and i jumped back off the bandwagon.
I think the problem is this – BHO is a centrist politician, smart and a good orator. The public had become so disillusioned by the GWB regime that Obama was greeted as a savior.They saw what they wanted to see, not what was really there.
The illusion peeled away for those who had seen a savior, and for many the disillusion manifests itself in anger.
Party loyalists cling to their partisanship and call those who aren’t on board with the POTUS whiners and disloyal and spoiled.
Some oppose aggressive war and crony capitalism no matter what party holds the executive. I have always been in that camp except for a few hours of delirium.
Right on point, Oso… There are no saviors – just us.
There will be no Democrat primary election. While I agree with everything Maureen wrote I will not desert this president. I have a number of issues with his leadership, all reflected, without exception in this brilliant post. Regardless I will not voice my dissatisfaction beyond the point of reasonable discourse. Once Democrats start “casting about” for an alternative to this president they are sure to lose to someone like Sarah Palin. Don’t think for a minute that America is too smart to elect a fool. Remember that history often repeats itself.
What Mike said.
Mike, I agree the U.S. isn’t ready for a third party on a national level yet. Any attempt at one now only splits votes away and gives them to the other side. Can we work with what we’ve got? I hope so. I’m not ready to desert the President either and hope springs eternal.
Yeah that’s a good part of what happened. Other things like his response to the Gulf disaster, his slap at the professional Left. Good grief I could go on days about him. I have no doubt he will continue to cave to the Republicans. The main reason I’ve deserted him is his war policies. Why is the world are the troops still there. 15 tours of duty later…
I’m actively trying to come up with a candidate that reflects what we believe in.. And as always I remind everyone my name for him is the Great Appeaser. That’s what it will say in the history books..
btw mb good job and lot’s of luck here. There good people.
That’s true about the “other things”, Tim. They’ve piled up, and now all sort of worn us down…. I heard Chris Hedges discuss his new book last night; he firmly believes the U.S. is in a state of permanent war. There are some awfully “big guns” (sorry…) pushing for that. It can only be us who stops it; the powers-that-be won’t.
Thanks for the nice words… good company, indeed!
There’s an old story about a hitchhiker who is offered a drink of moonshine by a truckdriver. The hitchhiker tries to decline politely, but the driver insists, to the point of holding a pistol on the rider and forcing him to drink. “Whoa, nellie!” says the rider. “That burns like fire all the way down!” “Don’t it, though,” says the driver. “Now you hold the gun on me and make me drink some.”
I think Obama is like that driver. He just needs somebody to force him to do it. And that’s us.
That’s a great story, Nancy! I think he has it in him, and I’d rather we all hold his feet to the fire than give up on him.
Wonderfully said. That makes more sense than anything I have read regarding the question, who is the man, Obama? He almost seems a little worn down to me. That would be a really terrible job, in my opinion. I question the sanity of anyone who would want to be president.
Why, thank you, C.H. I don’t dislike Obama; he’s not a bad man, and I do feel sorry for him as a person. It must be a horrendous job – with attacks coming from all sides. Each time I see him he’s a little greyer; more of a shadow of himself… I hope he can snap out of it.
Good article. I participated in the community forums where the current health care plans were allegedly formulated. Where we were all supposed to give our opinions, share our knowledge blah blah blah! Single payor was NEVER on the table, Those of us who asked were told by the facilitator – a carefully picked individual who worked with a script, from which he claimed he could not deviate, that it was not included! Never discussed, never on the table, never any intention of this apparently!
Thanks, Pam. You and I had many “conversations” around single-payer over summer 2009; as a health care professional you know the inner workings of the system. What happened with health care reform was so pitiful and bass-ackwards; it was just nuts that single-payer wasn’t on the table. I couldn’t believe that insurers were more powerful than the big pension plans & employers, but my eyes have opened over the past year…
Life is all about compromise and no one can say that Obama has not tried to do that. Some might say he has compromised his presidency into oblivion, but 2 years is an eternity in politics and the reaching out days must be over. The deal breaker for me will be the “Bush Tax Cuts” I will be disappointed if he caves on this.
Holte, I think so many of us are holding our breath waiting for the final fallout from the “Catfood Commission” recommendations. If high margin tax rates don’t increase, and they go after social security, that will be the final straw. I, for one, will be in the streets, and I don’t think I’ll be alone.