Joe Conason speaks for me!

[ginnyinWI]

No Obama Obituaries, Please
Clinton turned early setbacks into success
By Joe Conason

Having taken the oath of office just one year ago, Barack Obama is a flashing meteor that sputtered out too soon—or so the national media narrative tells us. According to this story line, the young president is a presumptuous liberal who disappointed his own idealistic followers while irritating everyone else. Media tipsters spoke of a "final judgment" in Massachusetts before the stunning returns came in—so we may soon hear declarations of a "failed presidency" from Washington's pundit herd. Yes, after a run of extraordinary luck that helped get him into the White House, Obama today is confronting his share of electoral trouble. He may well encounter more and worse as November's midterm approaches. But he and his critics should remember the last time a Democratic president had to listen to the drafting of his own political obituary.

The premature farewells came early in Bill Clinton's first term.

During those exceptionally difficult years—including a historic midterm landslide that cost Democrats control of both houses of Congress—that young president heard members of his own party urging him to step aside rather than run again. Instead, he formulated the strategy and tactics that led to his decisive re-election; a smashing midterm victory in the midst of personal scandal; and a presidency that has come to be regarded by the American people as one of the most successful in the postwar era.

Obama Is Delivering on His Promises

For the moment, Obama enjoys no such reputation. His own starry-eyed supporters, who believed his rhetoric of change, are disillusioned to discover that he is a politician, not a messiah. His opponents, who once pretended to share his bipartisan instincts, are delighted to obstruct his agenda, even though they have no solutions of their own. He seems to be locked in partisan stasis despite the great mandate he won in November 2008 and the overwhelming Democratic majority.

The result is that too many Americans today believe that he has accomplished little and forfeited their trust. They happen to be wrong—just as they were wrong when they dismissed the Clinton presidency less than halfway into his first term...

Rest of the article here: http://expressmilwaukee.com/article-9652-no-obama-obituaries-please.html

This is exactly right, IMO. The media is hyping every little problem, but when you look at the big picture, Obama has been a smashing success his first year in.

[LiberalAndProud]

1. I've always liked Joe Conason.

Also, he has the *sexiest* voice! I am totally infatuated with him. Also, he's very very smart.

[quiet.american]

2. Surprised to see this kind of positive on O from Joe, but very glad!nt

[Cha]

3. One thing I don't agree with

Joe Conason about is..

" His own starry-eyed supporters, who believed his rhetoric of change, are disillusioned to discover that he is a politician, not a messiah."

Don't know anyone like this unless it's those ones on DU who wanted instant change and didn't get it.Ya:think:

Everyone I know is grateful for reality back in the White House..no stars in our eyes or thinking Pres was a messiah..that's just nuts. Like some kinda of soundbyte.

Glad this is in the BOG 'cause I really wouldn't appreciate the snark that comes from a post like this in the other forums.

But, I do agree with him that there has been a lot of Change..

"Tracking in detail the progress of 500 policy pledges made during the 2008 campaign, PolitiFact has assembled an "Obameter" that rates each promise as kept, broken, compromised or "in the works." Their finding is that he has made good on 91 promises so far and broken only 15; 275 are in the works, meaning that he is seeking to fulfill them, and 87 are stalled, which indicates little progress. For a president who has yet to complete his first year, those are not only decent ratings but a strong indication of good faith."

"Yet the Clinton experience tells us that it is far too soon to dismiss the Obama presidency—and that the loud stampede of the journalistic herd is almost always misleading."

I think that "jounalist herd" is one of the reasons the President's numbers aren't higher.