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Edited on Wed Jan-20-10 05:32 AM by regnaD kciN
...at least in my opinion, is somewhat psychological: modern Americans' insistence on instant gratification.
We knew, on a surface level, that we had gotten into a massive mess during the Bush years. For God's sake, when Obama took over, it looked like we were in store for a second Great Depression! And we were warned, over and over, that fixing the mess would take time. But, in our heart of hearts, we didn't believe it. We (the American people) expected a miracle -- that Obama and the Democrats would come in, take over, pass some key legislation, and -- poof! -- things would be instantly back to where they were when unemployment was low, the Dow was topping 14,000, ordinary people could supposedly make millions "flipping" old houses, and there was a chicken in every pot and a big-screen plasma HDTV (bought on credit, which everyone conveniently forgets) in every family room. Now, a year later, when everything isn't back to the good old days (although they have undeniably improved since the winter of 2008-09), people are directing their blame, not at the leader and party who got us into this mess, but the leader and party who aren't getting us out fast enough. The key framing is, to parody another right-wing Republican of the past, "are you better off than you thought you were four years ago?" If not, the answer is clear: pay no attention to the Bush (who's he?) behind the curtain, just throw the current bums out! If Obama didn't provide total and instantaneous success, then his Presidency can be summarily judged a "failure" after only a few months.
And, while this is true of Americans as a whole, it is especially (sadly) true for us grassroots Democrats. Obviously, we expected miracles as well -- that Obama would be able to institute a sweeping progressive agenda as if by magic. We'd have universal health care with a robust public option (if not single-payer) and no individual mandate. Finance reform would put all the leaders of the "too big to fail" banks behind bars. Credit card reform would bring back usury laws and put a cap on interest rates. We'd get a gigantic stimulus plan that would put everyone back to work that sought it -- and in good jobs with high wages. We'd have a climate-change bill that could have been drafted by the Sierra Club. And so on. And then, when our dreams collided with reality (because any president, no matter how gifted and intelligent, still has to get his ideas through Congress, and, in particular, win 60 votes in the Senate from people like Lieberman, Nelson, and Lincoln), Obama became not only someone who couldn't deliver all our dreams instantaneously, but a "traitor" and "corporate sellout" who was "just as bad as Bush." :eyes:
Sorry to seem so harsh, but, if there's been a problem in American politics over the past few decades, it's been that demand for instant gratification, a trait normally found those who lack "emotional intelligence." That impatience can pay dividends, if you're out of power and the party in power stumbles (as we saw well enough in 2006 and 2008). But it will come back to bite everyone in the end, as the nation will continue to see-saw between parties and philosophies, each time looking for the "quick fix" that simply isn't there, and then repudiating their previous "man on a white horse," when he (like everone else) proves incapable of providing that complete fix right now!!!
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