President Obama has had an awful couple of months by all accounts. The economy is in the tank (again), there is growing evidence that his base is starting to lose patience with him and the debt-ceiling deal proved once and for all that the Tea Party have tangible power in Washington (did I miss anything).
Since the debt-ceiling deal the media have been peddling the Republican Party’s three year old narrative – Obama strong enough to be President – a narrative which some on the left have began to pick up. This is a narrative which I have found hilarious since this was the same President who ordered a bunch of US Seals to put a bullet in Osama Bin Laden’s eye. Lets also not forget the dead Somali pirates who met the same fate.
Also legislatively, it would be very difficult to call this President a failure. He has passed a Health-Care bill which had been the stuff of dreams for many years in the Democratic Party, he passed the stimulus bill, hate crimes bill, financial reform and he repealed Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. The (credible) argument is that he could have done so much more, but if his accomplishments were being painted as gross overreach by Republicans in the 2010 elections, a mid-term election period which they stomped to victory, how would they have been perceived if the Democrats pushed for every minor thing they wanted.
The notion that there are some Democrats out there who are seriously thinking about primarying this President is mind blowing. The very thought that they would consider practically crippling this President and guaranteeing a Republican victory because Obama was not the version of a Democratic George Bush is worrying indeed. You hear Democrats fearing for the state of women’s rights, union rights, gay rights in America and the Citizen’s United judgement in the Supreme Court but yet entertain the thought of not fully supporting President Obama is… well, you get the idea.
There is real reasons to be disappointed with President Obama if you are of a Democratic leaning – but those reasons are not big enough or convincing enough to contemplate staying at home or supporting another candidate in 2012.
Political discipline, this is what I have always admired Republicans for – heck I admired their dangerous political discipline during the debt ceiling debates. The Democrats have to find a bit of that discipline going into 2012.
Just a normal everyday bloke writing about films.