Let Obama be Obama.

[kentuck]

Enough advice from all of us. We elected him as President and Leader of the Democratic Party. Why can't we just let him do his job?

If he feels that we can create more jobs with exports to India, who are we to question? If he believes that extending the Bush taxcuts is best for our economy at this time, why should we question his wisdom? We are only stupid bloggers on a discussion board. Who are we to question the President of the United States?

If he believes that bi-partisanship is the best way to work with the Republicans, then let him do it. We gave him four years to do the job. If he believes Social Security is a big cause of our deficits and debt and we need to reform it, why should we question it? Even if he is ambivalent about it and you don't know where he actually stands on the issue, that is no reason to question the judgement of the President.

Why don't we all just shut up and let the President do the job we elected him to do? Many people act as if they don't trust him to do the right thing? Why would they think such thoughts? Sit back and take a big breath and let Obama be Obama...

[joeybee12]

1. Hmmmmmm!

I repeat, hmmmmmmmmm!

[HughMoran]

2. I will say one thing

He's certainly not wishy-washy. He's going to do things his way no matter what anybody says.

[dennis4868]

3. Agree...

let the man be president, make decisions and then hold him accountable in 2 years based on results.....

[countrydad58]

51. Might be to late!

[jillan]

4. All I want right now is for him to stop acting like a punished puppy walking around w/ his tail

between his legs.

You gotta admit, that's how he looked at the PRess conference and on 60 minutes.

C'mon Obama - let the inner BullDog out! 1/2 of America is counting on you!

[Name removed]

11. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Name removed]

34. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[elleng]

12. Don't admit that AT ALL,

unless 'punished puppy' is one who recognizes that things can be done differently/improved upon. SOME would recognize that into the job is built a learning process, and those who succeed take advantage of it.

[treestar]

29. The Republicans did win

This is what the progressives wanted, anyway. To punish him for not getting the public option. So they do not get to complain.

[countrydad58]

52. How did you

come to that conclusion? We just want a Democratic president,congress, & senate to be democrats. Is that to much to ask?

[kurtzapril4]

5. ROFL! n/t

[Tippy]

6. And I repeat , hmmmmmmmmm!

[kentuck]

8. Tippy, why do you say hmmmmmmmmmm?

:-)

[Tippy]

43. Well I knew I had to say someting and I was at a loss for words

I admit it dosen't happen often, really there was nothing I could add.....I did wonder for a bit if you got up on the wrong side of the bed, your usually quite laid back.

[jaxx]

7. LOL that'll be a cold day in hell.

Thanks for the morning pick-up kentuck. Doing laundry is so mundane. ;-)

[Tippy]

9. K&R...had to think about this KICK...

[Enrique]

10. the other side isn't letting him "be Obama"

they're demanding everything and more from him. We can't shut up now.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

30. I think you might have missed the sarcasm there. nt

[kentuck]

33. Shhhh...

:-)

[polichick]

13. You might be "a stupid blogger" - but you only speak for yourself...

The reason we speak out is because WE hired the president to represent US - this is supposed to be government of, by, and for the people.

[kentuck]

15. Why must you spoil the party...?

...with all this free speech crap? :sarcasm:

[polichick]

16. For FUN! :)

[political_Dem]

14. That won't happen. Too many folks don't see him as an equal.

Let alone the fact that Mr. Obama is the Leader of the Free World.

[polichick]

17. That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever read here...

As if people didn't post their thoughts and ideas about policies in the past, and won't in the future.

[political_Dem]

23. The mere thought of thinking of a national leader as an employee is just as ridiculous.

When one refers to their leader as an "employee" it depicts an unequal relationship right there. It also alludes to the fact that some see Mr. Obama as so beneath them that they refuse to pay him the proper respect for his office. Critiquing the POTUS and making suggestions is one thing. But doing so while paying deference to the POTUS is another.

Some people can't do it because they think they are better than Mr. Obama. With that perception, he is no better than a valet or servant.

You might find that ridiculous, but there are other people in this country who are very serious about treating the POTUS as their slave and nothing else. It is called invoking white privilege as matter of societal rank based on race.

[Bluenorthwest]

25. President Teddy Roosevelt does not agree with you:

"The President is merely the most important among a large number of public servants. He should be supported or opposed exactly to the degree which is warranted by his good conduct or bad conduct, his efficiency or inefficiency in rendering loyal, able, and disinterested service to the Nation as a whole. Therefore it is absolutely necessary that there should be full liberty to tell the truth about his acts, and this means that it is exactly necessary to blame him when he does wrong as to praise him when he does right. Any other attitude in an American citizen is both base and servile."

[treestar]

27. that is not exactly the same thing

A public servant is not an employee. He is talking about his service to the nation. Good conduct.

Not whether a particular bill is passed or not.

Constructive criticism or disagreement with a policy is one thing. The kind of attacks we see here - he works for me! He's a coward! Those are not what TR was talking about.

[political_Dem]

31. [phone]. Exactly what I mean.

[Bluenorthwest]

40. Interesting parsing of words there

However, Mirriam-Webster differs with you.
Definition of PUBLIC SERVANT : a government official or employee.

President Roosevelt was speaking English, not an improvised set of terms shaped for each occasion. Hence the dictionary as opposed to your editorial about what you think a term means.

[Bluenorthwest]

41. Interesting parsing of words there

However, Mirriam-Webster differs with you.
Definition of PUBLIC SERVANT : a government official or employee.

President Roosevelt was speaking English, not an improvised set of terms shaped for each occasion.

[countrydad58]

53. When policy after policy.

Decision after decision,hiring after hiring is on the wrong side of the countries best interest, criticism for the man is warranted!

[polichick]

38. President Obama doesn't agree either - many times during the campaign...

...he said how important it was for us to hold him to his promises.

[Bluenorthwest]

24. Also ironic considering it is the President who opposes equality

for millions of Americans and often repeats that position while suggesting that God agrees with him.

[bigwillq]

35. Well, he sure as heck doesn't see me as equal.

Or my fellow gay brothers and sisters.

[political_Dem]

36. And there are some in the LGBTQI community who don't see people of color as equal.

And especially in the aftermath of Prop. 8 as well as the Nov. 2010 vote, they let a person of color know it. Being that Mr. Obama is Black, he especially was the brunt of such deplorable behavior.

That is just as bad.

[bigwillq]

37. I agree.

That is just as bad.


But I really have issues with a bi-racial president of the United States who doesn't believe in equal rights for all people. You would expect that from the repukes, but not from the DEMS. If they can't support us, who will?

My anger is also directed towards all other DEMS who are also against giving equal rights to all people.

[political_Dem]

39. Being treated with equality is important for everyone.

I agree this is a very important issue that needs to be dealt with. In the same vein, I see nothing wrong with criticism being directed towards policy and social movements. But it crosses the line when the critiques turn into personal attacks.

That's how some of the attacks come across when dealing with Mr. Obama. In that manner, no one is helped and dignity is lost.

Thank you for making yourself clear in this matter.

[Cal33]

18. I agree with you in general, but there's one thing I'm leery about: Is

Obama obsessed with "bi-partisanship?" If so, he's climbing up
the wrong tree. Sociopaths, by definition, are incapable of true
compromise. With them it's "my way or the highway."

If bi-partisanship has become an obsession with Obama, he won't
be able to get that belief out of his mind, in spite of any and
all evidence. That's what an obsession is.

[kentuck]

20. If that is what Obama thinks is best?

Why should we question it? It hurts his ability to govern if we criticize such trivial matters.

[Cal33]

26. Trivial !! Let me be a little more explicit. Giving in to them endlessly

means that the rich will continue to rob Americans of every red cent they can.
Who is paying for it? The middle-class. It would mean death of the middle-
class. We are already well on our way to a Plutocracy, where the government
is of, by and for the rich. Good-bye Democracy, and Hello serfdom! Back to
the Middle Ages!

Do you approve of the above for our future?

[ProSense]

19. People can complain, push or do whatever they feel necessary, but

the final decisions in terms of policy belongs to the President.

People made a lot of noise about the foreclosure bill, and the President vetoed it.

There needs to be perspective.

[kentuck]

21. Exactly!

And all that pushing and complaining was for naught. It would have been better if people had just kept their mouths shut and let the President work his magic.

[ProSense]

22. Well, pushing worked on the foreclosure bill. n/t

[SaveOurDemocracy]

32. What's that woooooshing noise I keep hearing?

[treestar]

28. No one said you can't disagree or even criticize

I'm seeing this as sarcastic.

OTOH, most people on the internet aren't as smart and don't know what is going on.

And the trashing of his personality and personal qualities seems over the top. Also there are many instances when people on DU or the like jump to conclusions with very little facts/understanding. Some seem determined to find fault and be disappointed and look for things they can take that way, some of which they don't have to.

[elocs]

42. Some might prefer leadership to bipartisanship

since the right does look upon bipartisanship as akin to date rape. They will take every compromise and concession they can get and give little or nothing in return. They are not coy about this either.

If the proof of the pudding is in the eating, then at this point there may be some who worry about letting Obama be Obama (as if only this were the "West Wing").

[Safetykitten]

44. Well, he already is, is he not? It's not like he's doing anything that concerns us.

[Top Cat]

45. K&R

[donheld]

46. No we cannot. We elected him President not God.

[Tatiana]

47. Let Bush be Bush.

Honestly, I cannot believe people are actually taking what the OP wrote literally and AGREEING with it. We live in a democracy, not a monarchy. It's perfectly acceptable, actually necessary, that we question our public officials and express our discontent when an official neglects to live up to their promises.

[kentuck]

49. I agree with you Tatiana...

I wrote the OP with tongue in cheek. It was intended to get people to think. For those that say we cannot or should not criticize the President should think twice about what they are saying. As far as I know, we still live in a democracy and we have an obligation to speak up when our public officials do not live up to their promises. I agree.

[Tatiana]

50. Oh I understood your point perfectly. I am baffled by so many who did not.

Do we really think uncritical thought is what serves us best in a democracy? Isn't that what allowed Dubya do start two wars, push through a Patriot Act that eviscerated our civil liberties, and sanction torture? Have people conveniently forgotten that when Bush was busy screwing up this country, we had everyone, including the media telling us to "support the President."

Of course, Obama is not Bush, but the same standard applies to the American Presidency.

The fact that there are many people who feel we should just support whatever the President says or does is very disturbing. It's almost like a cult of personality, which I didn't want to believe was true.

[SidDithers]

48. Unrec...nt

Sid

[GOTV]

54. Because we like talking about politics? If you don't why are you here? Just to hold hands and sing