OK - I think I have achieved some personal insight into American politics. Not earth-shattering, but at least I feel like things make a little more sense in my head.
Moderates are most likely the only people that can truly get anything accomplished. We live in a democracy (sort of), so any push of the pendulum is good media, but not really effective politics. But, in our two party system there is a serious shift in approach to moderates. You can be a moderate republican. It is not easy, and during inter party campaigning, it may seem like catering to the right is the only way to win an election, hence McCain's choice of Palin. But, had McCain won the election, for all of the Right's grumbling about him not being a "true republican" they would have absolutely supported him. He is, after all, a REPUBLICAN. The democrats would have cautiously gone with some of his ideas, he is, after all, trying to meet them part way. The whole hulking mass of progress would have lumbared forward, slow, painful, hunching progress. There would be grumbling. Left, Right, some Center, but; down-played by the media, the focus would be on the crumbling economy, not on what the current administration was or was not doing to fix it.
Enter Obama. Certainly not moderate. He has an unique ability to look forward beyond his left leaning idealism to the future needs of a growing, aging, dis-illusinoned population. He understands the need to build consensus, to find a middle ground (that sounds rather moderate doesn't it)? and he is willing to sacrifice many of his left leaning hopes to do it. WHAT!?! moderate democrat? His own party whines and picks him apart like they have been abandoned. He, as the highest elected citizen in our DEMOCRACY should just tell everyone what to do, and by the sheer force of his position, it should happen. How dare he compromise on a health care bill that never happened when Clinton was in office 12-20 years ago? A reform that many in our country NEED, NOW, even if it is a watered down bill. Progressives want massive change, but some progress is progress, posturing is just standing dead in the water, wishing something had changed. How dare he collaborate with the military when reaching a time-line for pulling out of Iraq? now that he has access to all the facts, he should just rip our troops out of there - citizens and stability in the middle east be damned. And the republicans - they love this. Give the Dem's enough rope and they will lynch their own. It doesn't matter how crazy conspiracy comments and birther rhetoric get spread around, when the next election shows up, a moderate republican will sound like the voice of reason to his own party.
Obama said in every speech that recovery would be a long, arduous, painful process. I'm a farm-girl, I get what that means. Fortifying depleted soil, especially organically, does not happen in a season, or a year. It takes a lot of work, and a lot of shit to produce fertile ground. Never, since the economy tanked in October, did I think that our next president would wave a magic wand and fix stuff. Even with the best, most fiscally conservative plans, I expected things to get significantly worse for 2-3 years, with a slow upturn at the end of this president's term. I honestly think if we stepped back and let him do his job, in eight years things will be significantly better, with a stable frame work for growth. Never, in my lifetime, has a president captured the hearts and minds of the citizenry, and if democracy works, it is that sort of populace support that should drive our future, not watching the center get eaten up by attacks from the left and right.
So why are people grumbling that things aren't better? and blaming Obama? Because democrats don't understand party loyalty, and republicans, as the minority party, can afford to step back and throw fuel on fires. But we can't let him do his job. In a very important press conference about health-care, he was asked his opinion about the Gates arrest. Stupidly, he answered. It was obviously a personal opinion, based on the same media drivel that we have all heard, and all bantered our opinions around. He answered like any American citizen. I know, he is the president, held to a higher standard, yadyada. The president's opinion on this subject is no more important than mine. Why was the question even asked? Because we would rather hear his opinion, then listen to pundits pick it apart for weeks, than have a real news story about things that will actually effect our lives. Can't blame the media entirely - we tune in and they give us what we want to hear.
Question for the day - When did "compromise" become a dirty word in a democracy?
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