Saturday, September 18, 2010

Failure To Lead

Obama is at it again. I’m almost to the point that I wish that when challenged to tackle a difficult issue he would just say “no” instead of tinkering around the margins of it and hoping that his base will then give him credit for “trying” on it or saying that he is “doing the best that he can.” This man is taking Clinton’s policies of “triangulation” to unheard-of heights.

Democrats are losing the Hispanic vote due inaction on immigration reform, so instead of challenging Congress to actually do something, or drafting a real immigration reform bill and demanding that Congress pass it, he starts touting the “Dream Act” instead.

There is nothing wrong with that act, I like it and I think it should pass, but it is not immigration reform. It is not even a beginning on immigration reform. It is a pacifier in hopes that the Hispanic community will bring their votes back to the Democrats despite their failure to address immigration reform. I really think that if I were Hispanic I would be insulted by this “let them eat cake” gesture. Admittedly that’s easy for me to say when I’m not Hispanic, but I strongly believe we need to do something about this issue other than just damned talk and tinker.

If a community of people are starving to death you do not drive through that community in a Cadillac tossing candy bars and promises and think that they should fall in love with you.

For repealing “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” he lets Democrats try to sneak that through by tacking it on as a rider in a “must pass” bill, as they certainly don’t have the courage to try to accomplish the President’s campaign promise by means of stand-alone legislation, and he certainly does not have the willingness to demand that they do so. And when the military drags its feet in implementation by saying it needs a prolonged “study” of the subject, the Commander-in-Chief lacks the willingness to simply order them to do it.

We cannot even talk about single payer, or any system related to it, when it comes to health care reform because that would be “too disruptive.”

He orders the closing of Guantanamo and when Congress balks he drops the subject. It has now become clear that American nightmare will never close because our President lacks the willingness to engage in confrontation with the fear mongers who insist upon its perpetuation.

Obama promised to “change the way things are done in Washington.” Did he really think that he was going to do that without being disruptive? Did he really think that would be accomplished without actually having to confront or challenge anyone?

Obama is willing to throw campaign sound bites around, especially ones that blame the opposition for problems. “They drove the car in the ditch, and now they want the keys back. We’re not going to give them the keys back.” Great applause and laughter. But when it comes to confronting his own side as well as the opposition and demanding action, he doesn’t merely drop the ball, he doesn’t even know where the ball is.

For all the disaster that was the Bush Presidency, when he believed something needed to be done he got legislation written, sent it to Congress, demanded that they pass it, and refused to shut up until they did so. There is no way that I want that horror of a President back, nor do I believe that his was the right form of leadership, but the spineless unwillingness to challenge or confront anyone or anything other than the use of meaningless campaign sound bites that we have in the White House today is certainly not doing this nation any kind of service. We need leadership, and this is not it.

No comments:

Post a Comment