Disappointing. Awful. Stupid. Terrifying. Sad. Heart breaking. Unfortunately, most of us have been there, maybe more than once. That nitty gritty moment in a relationship, after the initial blush of attraction, courtship, exchanging strategically edited biographies and great sex, when it begins to become clear that the idea of the relationship is more satisfying than the reality. Painful and discouraging, yes, but usually a private matter. Not this time, since the relationship that’s hitting the rocks is the collective one between millions of Americans and Barack Obama.
Words can barely describe the week that was. Supreme Court sells out democracy to corporate capitalism. Stock market plummets at the suggestion banks be held accountable. 200,000 estimated earthquake dead in Haiti. Republican wins Senate race in Massachusetts and Democrats lose 60 vote edge. Health care reform endangered. Unemployment continues to rise while no talent Conan O’Brien gets paid $33 million not to work, and the list goes on and on and on.
We can either read it and weep or stand up, raise our voices and demand the CHANGE we voted – and frankly, with our donations of time and money, paid - for. President Obama, time to stop the search for non-existent bipartisanship; unity for the collective good of the American people; banks and Wall Streeters who have any interest but their own rapacious pursuit of money; corporations that care about anything but the bottom line of profit. Face it, they do not exist! Time to stop behaving as if you’re still running for President and start governing as President.
I’d suggest:
1. Firing Ben Bernanke, Timothy Geithner, Lawrence Summers, and anyone else whose first loyalty isn’t to the American people but to Goldman Sachs, Wall Street, or corporate capital.
2. Get rid of most of the Clinton-era policy wonks and militarists in your administration. These career cynics function to preserve the status quo, exactly what you said you’d shake up when you ran for office.
3. Get rid of David Axelrod, Robert Gibbs and whoever else was central to your campaign and stop behaving as if you’re still running for President. You are president, but if you continue behaving as if you’re running, you won’t be in 2012.
4. Appoint Michelle Obama a Special Advisor to the President. Hey, I’m as concerned about the fat kiddies as the next person – ditto the organic White House garden – but your wife’s intelligence, clarity and strength should not be wasted on these portfolios. You need her right in your ear. Seriously, is there anyone else you trust as much?
5. Understand the enemy. These vicious folks don’t give a damn about democracy, that’s just a rhetorical opiate for the people. For them, it’s all about the benjamins. Appealing to their better angels is a total waste of time – these devils don’t have any. Time for you to use the bully pulpit and big stick and commence a political beatdown, Barack.
6. Stop underestimating your base. The nearly 70 million of people who voted for you sincerely want profound change. And we’re willing to help bring it on. Let us know what you need us to do, as long as it’s not further tamping down expectations and wooing the opposition.
7. Yes, we are the ones we’ve been waiting for. So are you! Be the change you want to see in the world.
Jill Nelson 1/22/10 – The blog with the musical notes!
I could not have said it better. I agree 100%!
Perfect. This is just how I feel. The honeymoon is over and not it is time to get down to business. President Obama, do what we elected you to do. Talk is cheap if there is no action behind it. And yes, use Michelle and the gifts that she has in her to help you do what you campaigned to do!
Very well put, especially the part about not romancing the idea of bipartisanship. It’s not working and they are not our friend! We have given more than enough time for them to be fair and give a hoot about us. It’s time to get out of bed with anyone who don’t want to be there.
Trust, it will work out to do the right thing!
Don’t make someone a priority who you are only an option to!
I agree… Plan A – “Let’s be friends” – is not working. Time to shift to Plan B – “By any means necessary”. That includes cleaning house of anyone who is not interested in real change. Although I am still a supporter I’m getting depressed waiting for President Obama to get BUSY.
WELL SAID.
RIGHT ON!
Oh come on, the man has been in office for one year, he has helped prevent an economic catastrophe from occuring and he has tried to do what he said he was going to do build bridges. Now that that has not worked, give him some credit for being smart enough to know that he has to move on and change course. To the writers credit, she did offer some solutions, that beats all of the naysayers, who browbeat, but can’t come up with any solutions. Realize also that he has on his back the congressional elections coming up and he has to unfortunately, ensure that Dems get back into office to have the votes to support his agenda.
The writer states that we are willing to back him. Where were we in Massachusetts. This battle for change did not stop once we got him in office, that means continuing to do what we did to get him in the office. Vote in the upcoming congressional elections and write your Senators and House representatives and let them know how you want them to vote on issues. They are accountable to you also.
I support our President 100%. I understand what you are saying, but WE need to pray and ask God that gives Barack Obama the wisdom and guidance to take this country where it needs to be in this place and time. When we throw God into the mix, the bitter will be made sweet. Do you believe that or the circumstances? Only GOD is in control…not the dems and the repubs. I only encourage you all to pray….
Believe it or not, I agree with everyone on this board. I believe that the economic team should be fired – period. This administration (and yes, during the campaign I noticed this – was saturated with young, untested people who thought they had all of the answers – WRONG APPROACH!). If you notice a couple of days ago, Paul Volcker head of the Federal Reserve during the last time the U.S. went through this crisis is playing a major role (after being shut out by the young hotshots in the administration!). He and others well versed in economic policy should have been brought in initially (as experience) to get things running towards prosperity. His biggest mistake was bringing the Clinton folks in – starting with his major rival Hillary Clinton – she’s hoping he’ll fall on his face so she can say “see I told you so” – even though she wouldn’t be any better – you see how dragged down she looks as Secy of State – imagine her as President with Bill Clinton with an overactive libido providing entertainment fodder as well as embarassment.
Back to Obama – the president has unique access to the best brains in the U.S. – he should have brought in all new people (from industry, academia, etc.) to bring fresh eyes to the old set of problems. Yes, he must demonstrate that he is willing to crack the whip (even if he’s the first African American president – he has to rewrite/redefine the presidency for the 21st century and the role of the First Lady. Yes, use Michelle more! She’s a beautiful, intelligent and articulate. She brings a unique perspective to any situation – put her on the road to talk about his programs – let her wine and dine those hard liners, the sistah can handle hold her own in any situation. We don’t want her to be relegated to a traditional role b/c white folks like their women as well as their First Ladies to behave: by being seen and not heard. Don’t forget to put Valerie Jarrett out there also – another smart sister – she really should have been his Chief of Staff – good move putting her on Meet The Press this past Sunday. More importantly, for all our comments – we should send our comments directly to the White House for the President to see. The Republicans, lead by the national lawn jockey and whipping boy chairman Michael Steele are not interested in working with the Democrats – they want to destroy his presidency – I say “screw them” and push full speed ahead with the Obama agenda. We should not let one former nude model with no real track record (Scott Brown) upset the apple cart just because he got Sen Edward Kennedy’s seat! It should cause the administration to take it as a wake up call that they need to retool their agenda. If you notice, it’s white folks who are pissed because they lost “their jobs” – this is nothing new in the communities of color- but nevertheless, the bottom line is everyone needs green. The private sector screwed up big time and that’s why we have the job losses. The president and government will have to fill the vacuum with job creation – expect that sooner as opposed to later. We have to start using American ingenuity to create jobs here at home – we’ve got the brainpower to do this! We need more black entrepreneurs to create jobs in the community for the community – everyone should check the stimulus bill to see what funding is available and come up with an idea for business with government funding. It’s what people (Koreans, Cubans, etc.) from other countries do using the Small Business Administration – we need to stop being the low man on the totem pole. We’ve got a president whose put the money out there – now go get it! I’m still supporting the President, he just needs to adjust his course which I believe he will do in the upcoming State of the Union and the days after. I expect him to make the changes he needs to make to be a successful president. A president is always running for the next term while working on his current term – don’t criticize him for that, prior presidents have done the same thing. What we want from Obama is tangible results and that will take time, but the important thing is that he put systems in place to make that possible. Let’s not put unrealistic expectations on him either, which is what some people in the mainstream media are doing.
Well said and great feedback from all. However, I am not ending my love affair with President Obama. I still support what he stands for and the platform he ran on. I support his efforts 100% and choose not the kick the man when he is on the ground. If he never tried to worked with Republicans, he would be bashed for that. Now is the time to move on or as Aretha Franklin and Ray Charles once put it in a record, “Move with the Spirit.” In fact, President Obama should take a hard earned lesson from some of his fellow politicians in Chicago such as the late Harold Washington who ran into similar resistant to change ad the first Black mayor of Chicago. He persevered in spite of the opposition, kept things in line and many minority businesses are still prospering today from his tenure in office.
I am always fascinated by the responses on boards like this. I agree Mr. Obama needs to dig his heels in a little deeper but DAMN people…He has only been in office 1 year. I don’t remember seeing this kind of response 5 years ago when Bush was re-elected and totally messing up. I would not advise him to fire his staff. He may want to pull the reigns a little. I hope we can be a lot more objective and a little less “knee-jerky.” The love affair is not over for me! If anything, I am digging deeper and preparing for the fight ahead.
I understand everyones frustration, and I do believe that Obama needs to get tough and stop kissing the Republicans butts! They want to see him fail and it doesn’t matter what he puts before them to join him in they are not interested in anything but saying NO. Leave them alone. Franklin D. Roosevelt told the republicans “I know you hate me and I welcome that hate” President Obama needs to get real with repubs and with Washington. He campaigned on change, and that’s what needs to happen!
My love affair with Obama is certainly not over. I am still very proud of this man, and I just think people need to give him some time. I could see if he was 5 years in he’s only been in office 1 year give him the same amount of time you gave Bush, because he should not have ever gotten a 2nd term in office….after stealing votes!
I, too, is in support of my president 100%. He’s only been in office for one year, people. Come on, even a child have to crawl before he walks for the first year of his/her life. I am praying everyday and ask every American to pray too for our President to succeed, despite all the nasty pundits that are against him. My family have personally benefitted from his economic recovery, my job has been saved and my son’s home refinanced with a lower mortgage rate. So, please, give our President a chance and PRAY for him and his family!!!
There are some problems in the Obama Administration, however, we tend too want too much too soon. The man is not Jesus Christ, not a miracle worker. He needs time to see just what and who he is playing with. He does not really know these people. The only one he really knows is his wife, Michelle. I
I am sure that he is totally surprise at how little power the President really has. He is, I am sure, surprised to learn about the “ole Boy network” that hjas always run this country, the bankers and other money people. He has to assess his direct enemies close to him and his enemies in the congress and those abroad.
This is is not a simple task, Obama is smart, intelligent and manly but he does not have all the tools needed to do the job as it should be done. He will have to, however, make some tough choices and find out what the voters want and try to deliver at any cost, either dismissing people and bringing in new ones and printing more monsy if the World Bank allows.
There are some problems in the Obama Administration, however, we tend too want too much too soon. The man is not Jesus Christ, not a miracle worker. He needs time to see just what and who he is playing with. He does not really know these people. The only one he really knows is his wife, Michelle.I
I am sure that he is totally surprised at how little power the President really has. He is, I am sure, surprised to learn about the “ole Boy network” that has always run this country, the bankers and other money people. He has to assess his direct enemies close to him and his enemies in the congress and those abroad.
This is is not a simple task, Obama is smart, intelligent and manly but he does not have all the tools needed to do the job as it should be done. He will have to, however, make some tough choices and find out what the voters want and try to deliver at any cost, either dismissing people and bringing in new ones and printing more monsy if the World Bank allows.