- Licensed under Creative Commons by Barack Obama
The more editorial content regarding President Obama I read, whether it be letters to the editor, columns or articles in various publications, I can’t help but see a disturbing disconnect. That disconnect is between what Obama is said to be for (Socialism, making us all poor, being evil, etc…) and what he actually has done. In other words, a disconnect with reality.
Since in office President Obama has signed legislation that has lifted the ban on concealed weapons in federal parks and opened up oil drilling off the Eastern seaboard and Alaska. The healthcare markets that replace the public option in the now passed Health Reform Bill is essentially the same proposal Nixon had floated. Iran and North Korea, the axis of evil conservatives assured us Obama would be kowtowing to, are furious with Obama’s nuclear stance. I imagine they are angry because the conservatives had all but assured them Obama would be helping them build their nuclear arsenal himself. In reality he has passed more legislation that supports the conservative agenda than either Bush presidencies. If he has been alienating anyone it’s the far left. The ones people purport that he is beholden to in reality have the most to be disgruntled about.
Even the more recent talk about a national sales tax in lieu of increasing funding through income tax channels is more in line with the philosophy of the Fair Tax. That piece of well thought out conservative legislation, which used to be centerpiece of the Libertarian Party platform, seems to have been all but forgotten in the fervor to demonize Obama. Here is a President that has shown a clear ability to not be afraid of big changes if the numbers and the plans indicate a likely chance of success. Given the complete cowardice of all but a few Republicans to risk stepping out on the Fair Tax ledge, Obama is probably the best chance that bill has of getting passed. If conservatives would just stop calling him Hitler long enough to hold a sane dialog and pitch their plans like adults they may find him more open to supporting their ideas than many of their own party leaders.
Everything in the conservative world has taken a backseat to the goal of preventing our President from accomplishing anything productive. They will not be supportive of anything he does, even if it aligns with their own previously stated goals, which should immediately be signaling alarms in your head. If it is not his actions they hate so vehemently, then what is it? We should all think very honestly about that question and come to terms with the true ugliness that applying Occam’s Razor in this situation implies.
