"Obama is the best president of my lifetime."

[liberalmike27]

27. I was explaining

My problem with Obama the other night to a friend. We were in a time that called for broad, sweeping change, dreaming big dreams, trying to implement huge changes. And sadly, Obama and the congress who resisted a lot, made a few nips and tucks around the edges of an intransigent, stolid way. And when Obama was being accused of being the "mad socialist" by the right wing media, he's up there trimming, making a bit of a cut, a small change here or there.

Where he's failed to me is in not actually acting out the role, for which he was being accused. If FOX is going to act that way, why did he not get out there and push for single-payer until the end. Why didn't he push for the repeal of the banking law that sunk us in 1999, in part bringing this failure--and why not demand no bonuses be paid out of government money loaned because banks were irresponsible to whom they loaned money. Why not push for a living wage, some sweeping changes, perhaps pull back on globalization, and practice it at a much slower pace. Why not allow those tax cuts to expire, if republicans didn't want to play. After all, Obama had the advantage, as they WERE going to expire. Republicans would have folded, had he put on his poker face. The changes they made in the inheritance tax were huge, a huge handout, though rarely discussed in the media.

I understand the congressional intransigence. I understand the media intransigence. But that bully pulpit, standing there, lonely and underused, could have gone a long way to make some more radical changes, and his base would be on-board and cheering. I guess I can see why young people, who a fairly short-view would see him as the best. I just see Democrats giving slack, over, and over, and republicans pulling it taught with a seemingly never-ending move to the right. And it isn't surprising we're pushing up against fascism, and a difficult road back to reason.