Sunday, January 23, 2011

PROMISES KEPT



SOME SAY IT IS TOO MUCH AND IT SMELLS OF SOCIALISM; WHILE OTHERS SAY THEY DON’T GO FAR ENOUGH AND ARE WATERED DOWN

Yet, the majority of the American people who are somewhere in the middle, they are actually moderates who dislike too much change and not enough. But measuring President Obama’s halfway point into his Presidency has achieved some unattainable goals and surpassed impossible barriers. The milestones are there, like them or not…because the reality is that this President has accomplished already most of his campaign promises and has done more in terms of significant legislation than all four of our most recent Presidents.

“OBAMA-CARE” no, it is more like “OBAMA CARES”


In analyzing what President Obama has accomplished in the first half of his four year term are:

REBUILDING OUR ECONOMY

Recovery Act, Wall Street, Reform, Middle Class Tax Cuts, Credit Card Reform, building a clean energy economy, rebuilding the American Automobile industry,

HISTORIC HEALTH REFORM

Affordable Care Act, Children’s Health Insurance

NATIONAL SECURITY

Ending combat operations in Iraq, working towards a world without nuclear weapons, a new strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan

EDUCATION

Reforming student lending, spurring innovation, a new GI bill

CIVIL RIGHTS

Repealing “DON’T ASK, DON’T TELL”, protecting against hate crimes, fair pay for women, inclusion of domestic partners in benefits of Federal employees, actively seeking LGBT people and persuading them to serve in his administration…something that his predecessor would not even consider.

I often think of “what if” and try to make sense out of things. What if McCain had won the elections? There is no doubt in my mind that not only would we be in the worst economic crisis our country has ever known but we would have seen the elimination of safety nets, education and we probably would have bombed Iran and gotten into yet another war.

I often said that whoever won the 2008 elections was going to inherit a burning hot potato no human could handle. I almost secretly wished it had been McCain so that all these repugnant right wing nuts would have seen the results of their stupidity and they would be silenced forever. But reason won out and I never would want harm done to our America and as it turns out things did worked out for the better. I know…I know…Obama can walk on water and multiply the bread but as far as fixing the problems the Republicans left him that is an entirely different story; particularly with the obstructionism and sabotage he has encountered from Republicans. You see, I really think they are not just angry, they are utterly frustrated because their ideology has proven to be wrong time and time again and they don’t like that at all. But rather than abandoning their recalcitrant positions and saying that yes, a lot of mistakes were made by the previous administration and some of the things we believe in are not really valid…they have chosen to be intransigent.