Nuance vs. Conviction

An op-ed in the L.A. Times, Obama’s Clarity Gap, sheds light on what I believe is a growing sentiment among Obama supporters: We still support him but what is he willing to fight for? In the debt debate the President appeared to be willing to fight for increased tax revenue as part of a balanced approach but ultimately the deal that was completed is entirely one-sided. Maybe it’s not fair to use this one example because Republicans in Congress appear to have left Obama with little choice since many felt default either wouldn’t happen, or wasn’t a big deal. But this is not the first time Obama has punted. He punted last December by extending the Bush tax cuts. So what is President Obama willing to fight for? I don’t dismiss the great achievements of his first term, health care reform, repeal of don’t ask don’t tell, Osama bin Laden, but I feel increasingly frustrated because I don’t know where President Obama is willing to make stand.

• • •

Who Lost The Debt Debate?

A poll on cnn.com today asks: Which party won the debt debate? The more important question is: Who lost the debt debate? The answer would be simple, us! The average citizen. The fact that the country can be held hostage to the narrow ideology of a small group means we all lose. If this is what our politics is going to look like moving forward I don’t know how our democracy is going to fair. While it’s true that democracy does not always mean majority rule, I think it’s safe to say that a small group of narrowed-minded people that want to punish others for what they perceive as “leeching off the system” is not very democratic at all. It has increasingly become obvious to me that we have one party in this country that governs based on the best in people and we have another party that governs based on the worst in people. One party assumes everybody is looking to take advantage of the system. The other party does not. I don’t think I need to mention which one is which.

• • •