2008 was a very difficult year on many different fronts. In the midst of all the turmoil the citizens of the United States were asked to choose a President to lead their nation out of crisis and to establish a direction for the future. When all was said and done, they chose the candidate who trumpeted change and hope over the one who touted effectiveness through experience and connections. They chose Barack Obama.
When the American people elected Barack Obama to the post, they entrusted him to follow through with promises of sweeping changes in attitude and philosophy on how the US government does business and conducts foreign relations. He was to be the breath of fresh air that would gust into Washington and blow away the cobwebs caused by ‘business as usual’ while bringing the light of reform into the dark corners where the deal makers of Washington lurked. In short, he was expected to be a modern day political hero; a complete outsider who could also affect real change by using consensus to get his progressive agenda through Congress.
There are some who asked if Obama was the man who could do this; that is the wrong question. The real question is can any man do this? Any time a candidate rides in on a wave of reform and fundamental change, opposition drifts out of the woodwork. This is certainly true of Republicans after the 2008 election. The same Congressmen who were willing to work with Democrats before the election now all of a sudden feel the need to create a united front of opposition without compromise, even if the legislation they are opposing is in line with what they had previously supported. Their hope is that Obama and the Democrats will fall on their faces, leaving the Republicans free and clear to say “I told you so” and sweep the 2012 election. This idea is incredibly short sighted and exists at the expense of the future health of this nation.
Republicans are missing out on a golden opportunity to redefine their party and their future relevance. They are positioning themselves as an opposition party, relying on the Democratic majority in Congress to pass the reforms that all know are necessary to the long term health of this nation. Instead they could be adding real and valuable conversation to the issues before Congress and leading the debate on change and reform by working with the Democrats to arrive at a balanced, broad-based consensus. By going public with substantive and well-reasoned alternatives to proposed legislation, they could direct the discussion toward examining solutions other than just the Democratic offerings. Republicans could become the voice of reason that many will look at in a new light and seriously consider electing in 2012, even if Obama is successful. They could help guarantee the passing of effective legislation and share in that success as an instrumental part in it. But Republicans are missing out on all this. I guess it’s more fun for them to yell, complain, and stomp their feet, using favored cable news venues to spout snippy and shrill sound bites while hoping for the worst.
One of the signs of intelligence is the willingness to honestly examine a situation, assess the effectiveness of past and current actions, and to adapt and change future actions based on what was found in order to aid future success. We Americans have always believed ourselves to be an intelligent nation. Will our leaders use that intelligence? Will they see that adaptability is a positive trait, instead of labeling it as being ‘wishy-washy’ and treating it negatively?
At the end of the day, the present question is not can President Obama complete his ambitious agenda for this nation, but will he be allowed to and be assisted in his efforts to? Will focus be placed on the successes, or on gloating over the failures? Will all of Congress see that the overall success of this nation is the end goal, regardless of who the impetus is for it? The future of America depends on the answers to those questions. Americans voted for change- now we have to help it happen.
The 2012 Presidential Election is fast approaching
The GOP race is now a field of 4 with only Romney, Gingrich, Paul, & Santorum still standing. Who will be the next candidate to exit the race & who will emerge as the eminent GOP nominee?
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