It's all about our expectations...

[CaliforniaPeggy]

Obama was a man on fire during the campaign...

Now he's President-elect, and certain realities have to be faced.

He's no longer running for the presidency, and so we must look at our expectations of him...

The Iraq withdrawal has to be handled carefully...

I wish too that he could just pull our troops out and stop further deaths but the reality is that he doesn't feel free to do that.

It's a lot like courtship and marriage...the courtship is fiery and romantic, and the marriage is about the normal, day-to-day life.

It's all about our expectations for him...

I'm not saying he won't be a terrific president. He will. But he has to deal with the world as he finds it...

Just my two cents...

Peace out...

[eleny]

1. I keep in mind how he now gets the high level security briefings

I imagine that those briefings are pretty sobering. That keeps my disappointments in check for now.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

2. I think about those too...

He's on the inside now...

I'm sure the view from there is much different.

Yes, and sobering.

[stellanoir]

3. Though I understand from where you derive your perspective.

I respect the compulsion to lower our collective expectations.

However, make no mistake. . .we may be in the midst of a major paradigm shift.

All conventional wisdom is potentially out the window.

According to many, we are experiencing energies that are unprecendented in recorded history.

I rec'd this thread nonetheless.

best

[CaliforniaPeggy]

4. Thank you for the rec!

And I too appreciate your point of view...

And the way you came to it.

I feel those energies too...

He has his hands on history...

I know he feels his responsibilities greatly.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

5. Kick!

:kick:

[leftstreet]

6. So you're saying the sex isn't as good once you're married?

:hi:

No Sex Threads!

:rofl:

[CaliforniaPeggy]

7. My dear leftstreet!

This is NOT a sex thread!

I know which forum I'm in, thank you very much!

:P

[Bitter_Clinger]

8. I Would Hope the He Concentrated on Our Problems at Home.

Every other country in the world has leaders of their own. I don't do expectations. I look at results. I never bought into Hope and Change. I know better than to place those upon ANY politician, but like I said, I go with results and Bush's results were dismal. Do I expect any better? Not really. Not until I see some results.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

9. I think he will concentrate on our problems here at home...

They are overwhelming...

Give him time. He has said he will need that...

I think that if you keep an open mind, you won't be disappointed.

BTW, Welcome to DU!

:hi:

[Vickers]

19. "Do I expect any better? Not really."

Wait...you expect no better from Obama than from The Dumabass Fake Cowboy Cheerleader Cokehead???!?!?!?!??!?!?!?

:rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:

Welcome to DU!

Enjoy your stay!

:hi:

[Bitter_Clinger]

21. Well, I Don't.

Being that he is human and my expectations for Reagan, Bush the First, Clinton and our current Bush were not any higher, why should they be for Obama? I save the cherishing and adoration for my wife and kids.

I am not saying he will be a bad President, I just am not going to expect him to be a GREAT President before he even takes office.

In the end, what I desire most in a good President is what I want out of a good referee in boxing. When he is good, you do not even know he is there.

I am not even criticizing any policy of his. He has not put any place so it is not like I can criticize or praise them yet. All I have said is that I am taking a wait and see approach, just like I have with previous Presidents. What is so nefarious and evil about that?

[Vickers]

22. You don't expect any better from Obama than that fake-ass cowboy we have now?

:rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:










(oh, you were serious...sorry)

:blush:

[Bitter_Clinger]

23. I don't expect him to be the disaster Bush was...

but I don't expect for it all to be unicorns and rainbows either. I am taking a wait and see approach like I do with all of them. He won an election. That is all he has done to this point. He is at the starting line. One the starter pistol goes off next month, it is then when I will see if he does well or not.

He does not have to be a very good President at all to be better than Bush so the standard is set pretty low already. I never expect or plan on the Dallas Cowboys making it to the Super Bowl at the beginning of the season. I have no control over what they do and they could wind up disappointing me in the end. I do not pin my hopes and dreams on a Presdient at the beginning of his term either. I vote for the guy and then wait and see what he does.

[Vickers]

24. Seriously, you voted for Obama?

Er...OK.

Oh, I did a search on "unicorns and rainbows" but didn't find any mention of them (note: in regards to Obama's presidency), so if you could provide me with some links to this unicorns and rainbows talk, I would appreciate it.

Otherwise you are just talking out of your ass (a neat trick, but not really helpful in this case).

[Bitter_Clinger]

25. Unicorns and Rainbows is my own Metaphor...

I use it with my kids when they set impossibly high expectations for things and even when things turn out good, they did not match their expectations. I used it in this thread as a metaphor that I do not set my expectations to a level that everything will just great. The latest example of this was my daughter and how excited she was for months about the movie Twilight coming out. She was passionate about the books and felt that the movie was going to be the best thing ever. The movie was going to be just soooo awesome. I went with her and I thought the movie was decent enough. I mean, how good can a movie about teenaged vampires in love be anyway?

She came out saying the movie sucked! It was an okay movie but she went in expecting way more than just okay and was disappointing.

That is all I am saying. I am expecting Obama to be at least okay, as President. If he is okay, I will be happy and not be disappointed at all. But is someone is already expecting life changing events in every aspect of their existence from Obama and he winds up being just okay, they will be very disappointed.

You say your are surprised that I voted for him. Where can you even find the slightest reason to believe that I did not? I don't have to put a candidate up on a pedestal to vote for him. Presidents, to tell you the truth actually have very little effect on my life. I have had to make very few changes in what I do with administrations all the way back to Reagan. My business has continued on, I hire and fire on employee merit. Minimum wage legislation has not affected me because I have always paid above it. The only things I have had to change from one administration to the other is move my money around and make some changes due to tax policies. And I don't have to drive 55mph on the highway anymore.

So I sit back and evaluate what he does when he is in office. I don't set myself up for disappointment by expecting too much right off the bat.

[Vickers]

26. Thank you for a reasoned response.

I disagree with pretty much everything you've ever posted, but at least you have your reasons, such as they are.

[Bitter_Clinger]

27. We're in this together, Vickers.

A lot of less passionate people like me voted for Obama. A lot of people like you voted for Obama. If it has been just people like me or just people like you voting for him, we would have subjected ourselves to the horror of a potential Palin Presidency.

People brought to tears by the historic nature of it all voted for Barack. I am sure that among the millions of votes for Obama were a few that had to swallow hard to vote for a Black man and probably showered afterward. There were alot who have no love of Obama but were scared by Palin or just too disgusted by the last 8 years with Bush.

I am not against Obama in anyway. Scour all my posts. You will not find one single criticsm of him or his policies. Saying I prefer to wait and see is not speaking negatively of him.

[Vickers]

29. I voted for Obama because he was the smartest motherfucker in the room

(as the saying goes) not because of any cult of personality affliction on my part.

That he also happens to agree with *almost* everything I do is a bonus.

[Bitter_Clinger]

30. I Voted for Him Because of Party Loyalty

Agree with alot of what he wants to do and am against alot of what he may do. But then it has been that way with every President. There are things that Bush did that I approve of, though they are very few. The day that I agree with the President on every single thing would be because that President was me and believe me, I do not wish that on anybody. I would be horrible. I would have a great time because of the whole, "It's good to be the King" thing, but for the country it would not be so much fun.

So see? We are closer on this this subject than we thought. The only real difference is our expression of how we feel.

[firedupdem]

10. Nice Post.....and I agree with your two cents! n/t

[CaliforniaPeggy]

15. Thank you! I appreciate it...n/t

[MadMaddie]

11. CaliforniaPeggy

You have nailed it!

That every day mundane life is what he has to deal with, things don't happen over night.

Sadly we still have 40 or so days before he can actually do anything.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

16. That's how I feel ...

And I too cannot wait till he actually gets inaugurated and can actually do stuff!

[Clio the Leo]

12. Did I miss a breaking news item?

When has he said anything different than what he said during the campaign? (re: Iraq)

[CaliforniaPeggy]

14. He hasn't done anything any differently than during the campaign...

But I felt this thread was important because I've seen so much conversation about how Obama isn't living up to what we want from him...

That's all.

[Clio the Leo]

18. Thanks, I thought something happened during my nap. :-) NT

[old mark]

20. CP, this is amusing.

Obama won't be in office till the middle of January. He is not in any position to do anything. In fact, he is miles ahead of most other presidents-elect in choosing members of his administration and beginning the strategy by which he plans to govern.
He is not president yet, and people have the fucking nerve to say he's not doing a good job?

Mark

[CaliforniaPeggy]

28. This is what I've seen here...

A lot of carrying on and fussing about his choices for his Cabinet and like that...

I saw some of it yesterday, and it triggered me.

There you have it.

[yowzayowzayowza]

13. Yipperz.

K&R.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

17. Thanks!

BTW, I just love your username...

:hi: