The Incredible Shrinking America
I am what many on the interwebs call an Obamabot. I am a huge fan of the American President. My BA degree dissertation was on how hip-hop culture enabled the political rise of Obama and my Masters dissertation was on how Obama was portrayed during the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell debate. Yes, I am an Obamabot.
With that said, I also consider myself to be a political realist and right now, at this minute Obama’s political stock is as healthy as the American economy. Joe Gandelman, the editor of this fine website, wrote a piece on the Cagle Cartoon’s MSNBC hosted site arguing that he is no longer an effective President thanks to his performance during the bruising fight over the debt ceiling. In fact, many liberal Obama oppositions would argue that Obama has never been an effective champion of liberal ideals. Liberals wanted more stimulus, they wanted the public option in the health debate, they wanted Don’t ask, don’t tell to have been gotten rid of with an Executive Order and did I mention Gitmo?
Apart from the latter, on the previously mentioned policy positions the left got 90% of what they wanted, but it was not and is not enough. For them, Obama caved when he could have gotten 100% of what (t)he(y) wanted.
Which brings me to what I believe is Joe’s most pivotal and most damning point in the Cagle piece, is Obama’s leadership style out of date?
Is it effective for these times, where 90% is still a loss? Joe argues that his leadership style has produced results which has damaged Obama’s chances in 2012 (yes, apparently it is okay to question the leadership of a man who presided over the killing of Osama Bin Laden). I would argue that Obama’s fortunes thus far points not only to the erosion of his ability to win a second term, it also points to the erosion of America’s political institutions.
Let me just rewind back.
Yes, I am an Obamabot, but I am also European and as a European I have had firsthand experience of how ordinary British people were viewing this debate over the debt limit. The word to describe how the British people felt about “debtogeddon” (or whatever you call it) was disbelief? Disbelief that America came so near to a default.
I tried hard to explain to my mother, my fiancée and friends why politicians in congress were doing what they were doing, why they wouldn’t just raise the debt ceiling and the disbelief still remained – to be honest, I could understand their frustration. With the fall of Lehman Brothers and the following recession still fresh in the minds of most people in Europe – the thought of it happening all again was a nightmare.
And this is to my point.
Only in America is Obama accepting this “hostage” deal a bad thing which could damage his Presidency. Obama calling the GOP’s bluff and risking default was the preferred outcome of many liberals – but I truly believe the Tea-Party infused GOP were willing to see the economy tank, for ideological beliefs. The thought of going through the recession of 2008 must have been fresh in Obama’s mind and with 9% unemployment, Obama had little option.
I do agree with Joe that we may be seeing the shrinking of Obama and his Presidency, but I am utterly convinced that we are seeing the shrinking of American political system and with that, the confidence the world markets has with the United States to handle and solve big issues.
Obama still has an average approval rating that sits at 42-45% (which I find amazing in this economic climate), but congress sits a 14%. It is in congress where this idea of ‘nothing but 100% is failure’ is clear to see the most. Compromise has become a dirty word which had the potential to damage careers. But what good is a political system that struggles to comprise and coming together when a country is facing certain economic ruin?
Yes, I am still an obamabot. I still believe Obama is going to win the 2012 elections, although that belief is being severely tested. Why do I believe this? Because when the dust settles, even liberals must see the perils of staying away and not voting in 2012. They stayed away in 2010 and got the congress they deserved. Even liberals, must accept that Obama’s camp’s calculations that they have nowhere else to go is right.
9 Responses to “The Incredible Shrinking America”
“I truly believe the Tea-Party infused GOP were willing to see the economy tank, for ideological beliefs.”
You are right, the TP would have been happy to let default occur. In this sense Obama did act as the grownup, even if it required acquiescing to a highly irresponsible faction. I hope the electorate has enough mental function to remember this in 2012. The dems would be fools not to remind everyone of the blackmail that took place. I still would have preferred to see more effective leadership, but you know what they say, “no drama Obama”. Sometimes that works, sometimes it doesn’t.
This is as close to realism as I’ve seen in the last couple of days. Kudos.
The fact is, we have finally hit the headbutting stage. Conservatives truly believe that we are heading to disaster for spending too much (hence, the “they’ve never worried about debt before” cry), and liberals truly believe we are heading to disaster for spending too little.
It’s been a long time since we’ve dealt with a subject where there was no alternative.
Well, they could be talking about restructuring taxes and spending, but apparently that’s still impossible even today.
So is becoming honest and modern and real about what the federal, state, and local governments should be doing, and what should be done by government rather than by the private sector of the nation.
Well now, first off you are a youngster. I’ve watched every president since Eisenhower. Before you even attempt to quantify the so called damage done the President because of this Republican contrived mess, I will remind you that each and every Presidency since Eisenhower has been seriously damaged in the first term. Little has that damage played an appreciable role in those President’s re-election, save for; Lynden Johnson, who chose not to run again on his own accord, but it was liberals that drove him to it; Jimmy Carter who’s presidency was damaged by events out of his control. Nixon because he was a crook, but he wasn’t voted out, we drove him out on a rail.
President Obama is far far far from a no confidence vote from the public. His leadership “style” is just fine. Why? Because it’s solid with integrity and honor. Something Presidents have lacked for a long, long time in both parties.
Well Allen, I would say that you are absolutely correct in every sense but one, and that is in this political environment, there is no reward for being fair, moderate, and honorable. I think that’s Mr. Njolinjo’s point. Starting with the Clinton years, escalating with the Bush years, and now culminating in Obama’s first term, we are at such a polarized state politically that no one wins. The liberal left doesn’t understand that they only represent a small fraction of the country as a whole, and the hard right doesn’t really care, because in their minds they are always right. Moderate voices are a dying breed, which is why Obama’s doppelganger on the right (Hunstman) is considered a joke in his own party. The debt ceiling debate is a microcosm of what we’ve become as a nation: dysfunctional, and incapable of saving itself, despite the tireless, thankless work of our Commander in Chief.
NO.. sorry no
90% of what the left wanted they got ?
is this a staging area between reality and fox news..?
we on the left; we in the middle class; we, who represent over 90% of the American taxpayer, haven’t gotten anything but the shaft..
this is not America.
I was an Obama supporter also. (Note the tense.)
This fiasco demonstrates that all the talk of “hope and change” was just that – talk. This lack of leadership from the White House at one of the most crucial votes in the history of this country’s history only serves to show how ill-equipped this President was to lead when sworn in.
He spent over a year NOT leading in the healthcare reform debate. He spent over a year not responding to right-wing attacks on the plan. He’s spent two years ratcheting up wars he promised to end. He’s spent two years not focused on job creation and being the poster boy for inaction even with control of Congress.
Now, he has capitulated to Tea Party crazies, surrendering without firing even one shot, and set the precedent for every future negotiation because the Republithugs will threaten to shut down the govt at least once a week for the next 15 months.
His lack of leadership in this Republican-manufactured crisis shows how badly unprepared he is – and remains – to lead.
I will likely vote for Mr. Obama next November only because the graduates of the GOP clown college are ten times worse. Then again, I might not.
And there may be millions of other voters who feel just like me.
“Apart from the latter, on the previously mentioned policy positions the left got 90% of what they wanted”
I had to reread that a couple of times to make sure I had it right. I’m not sure what calculus you used to come up with that 90% figure. Perhaps it wasn’t meant to be factual;).
The public option was huge and you can’t just count it as one item of the whole package. Some weight has to be given to these things. You also seem to have forgotten the single payer item. That was a big deal also.
Well said zippee. While Obama clearly brought more oxygen into the room than Bush/Cheney did, the chasm between his campaign rhetoric and his actions is wide. The sad part is, I don’t see anyone out there who would be an improvement. Such low standards we have come to..