The truth about Obama!

[smoogatz]

Would be the same truth for any Democratic president: he was elected by a large, diverse and noisy coalition. He also has to serve the other 43% of the population, about half of whom are virulently opposed to everything he does on ideological grounds. None of us in the Democratic coalition are going to get everything we want, all the time. As a parent of young children, I see global warming as an existential crisis that must be dealt with now, no matter what the cost. I think single-payer healthcare is clearly the best answer, and I think gay marriage and legalized marijuana should be the law of the land. I doubt any of those things are going to happen to my satisfaction between now and 2012, but that doesn't mean I'm going to freak out and quit the party, or whatever. I respect others' decisions to do so, but I won't be joining you for two reasons: first, the alternatives are all either ridiculous or insignificant or downright evil; second, even though my personal biggest issue has not been sufficiently addressed, in my view, in Obama's campaign/transition rhetoric, I understand the political reasons why this is so, and I'm willing to wait a bit, be patient, and, even though it galls me, consider the big picture. I don't presume to offer this as advice for anyone--it's just my way of looking at it, for what it's worth.