Last updated on July 18th, 2023 at 11:17 am
There is a great deal of generalized anger towards President Barack Obama from the Left which reared its ugly head last night after his Oval Office address on the Gulf oil spill. The anger that the Left has towards Obama is over his Healthcare Reform bill is based on the fact that Obama sacrificed the public option, but is their anger rational or justified?
The anger the left has at Obama over his Healthcare Reform bill is based in the fact that Obama sacrificed the public option. The public option was never going to happen then, not only did Obama never promise this, but it would have been politically impossible given the climate of rage last summer. The current bill, if Democrats stay in power, will be fine tuned and expanded upon over time, just like all pieces of major social justice type of legislation – the Civil Rights Act, etc.
To get more stories like this, subscribe to our newsletter The Daily.
This president is looking at the long term, and most pundits won’t explain that and most people can’t see it. If we lose power and the healthcare reform bill is killed by the Republicans, we will never know, but history tells us the way these things evolve into what we now know them to be.
Other criticism lobbed at the President last night was that his speech was unnecessary. All these folks wanted was action from Obama. The speech was necessary. The nation is full of people who do not follow politics, do not know who Joe Biden is even. They need to hear from their President. Appearances matter. Having read many insider accounts of Obama’s disdain for dumbing things down for appearances sake, and noting his inability to pander to what the people want from him at times, I was more than glad he sat down at that desk and finally gave them the assurance they needed. Did I need it? No. I’m looking, like you are, at the actions taken. But we are not the average citizens.
The thing I find galling is that we knew the POTUS was going to sit down with BP this morning, so why the assumption he was not delivering results last night? Sorry, but I can’t justify that in Keith Olbermann or anyone else. A failure to wait and see if follow through happens, jumping the gun and labeling his speech a failure due to lack of action, etc is quite simply just as immature as the charge of cheerleading. Both are knee-jerk reactionary positions, neither seek accuracy or results and both are pandered to by willing pundits.
It is possible for evolved people to be objective, to hold accountable, to search for the mistruths in our leaders without flying off the handle emotionally at every turn. Reactionary criticism is not any better than blind cheerleading. That is my issue with KO last night. And since we have action this am – since this “actionless” President forced BP to their knees and got the 20 billion dollar escrow account he demanded for the people in the Gulf — the dishonesty in this knee-jerk criticism is glaringly apparent. Yes, MORE needs to happen.
But why the assumption that it won’t? I’m sorry, but this predictable upcoming meme (thank you right wing and thank you left for repeating it, in advance) tempts me toward sarcasm as I wonder if we need regulations by 2 PM, to change the entire course of our government by 2 PM today, in order for Obama to be considered not as bad as Bush. Steer that huge boat, Obama – just make it happen. Surely Jesus could do it:-)
Listen to Sarah on the PoliticusUSA Pod on The Daily newsletter podcast here.
Sarah has been credentialed to cover President Barack Obama, then VP Joe Biden, 2016 Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, and exclusively interviewed Speaker Nancy Pelosi multiple times and exclusively covered her first home appearance after the first impeachment of then President Donald Trump.
Sarah is two-time Telly award winning video producer and a member of the Society of Professional Journalists.
Connect with Sarah on Post, Mastodon @PoliticusSarah@Journa.Host, & Twitter.
