Ms. Huffington And Her Flock Again Need A Reality Check

[RBInMaine]

So there is no confusion, I am, on balance, a mainstream liberal by any fair measure: officer in a local Dem committee, have worked on many Dem campaigns, currently working to AGAIN defeat the right wing TABOR tax scheme in Maine, just published an editorial against the right wing attempt to stop our marriage equality law, and on and on and on. My liberal credentials are well established. So I can say without hesitation though that I, and many mainstream liberals, are sick and tired of
ultra-left Obama/Dem bashing that only aids the RePUKES and which Ms. Huffington AGAIN spouted out on THIS WEEK this morning. While I agree with her on some policy matters, she and her devout followers need to step into REALITY before they go Obama-bashing on everything from banks to healthcare to Afghanistan. Again, kindly step into REALITY.

She says President Obama has not shown leadership and that the change he promised has not happened. Is she on Mars? He has been in office just 8 months having inherited a domestic and international MASSIVE MESS after eight horrid years of Bush and R's. As he said when he was elected, this will not all change overnight. Many things will take several years. The "Change" is not and was never promised as an instant 180-degree turn. Anyone who thinks that can happen in the real complexity of American national governing is either totally ignorant, outright stupid, or stark raving crazy. Change means taking steps to get us where we need to be over a reasonable period of time. It means making ADVANCES in a BETTER direction than what we had before. Anyone who doesn't understand this has no sense of reality. American governance is a very complicated process and rightfully designed to be so, and you NEVER make the perfect the enemy of the BETTER. So here are some reminders though of just how much CHANGE we HAVE had in a mere 8 months:

1) Fair Pay Act
2) Bigger SCHIP for kids
3) Stimulus Package creating or saving over a million jobs
4) Many Stem Cell Restrictions Gone
5) Many Choice Restrictions Gone
6) Working To Close Gitmo
7) Renewed Effort On Israel/Palestine
8) Don't Ask Don't Tell On The Way Out
9) Winding Down Iraq
10) Taking the Needed Time to Proceed Smartly on Afghanistan (a very tough one)
11) Yes, MANY new financial system laws/rules pending
12) Much more new investment in the green economy
with an energy bill pending
13) Finally, the best chance we have EVER had to get an ADVANCE on the healthcare crisis
14) A major shift toward multi lateral diplomacy
15) A task force on policies that improve lives of the middle class headed by Biden
16) Signing a new hate crimes law in days
(And much, much more that you can research easily.)

As to TARP, it happened under Bush and, much as it stunk on the one hand, it was NEEDED to prevent a depression and it did. We could not allow the banking system to collapse no matter who was to blame. Banks are now repaying with interest, things are slowly adjusting, and new rules are on the way. Research it.

I will agree that the one big mistake Obama/Dems have made since they won is too much effort to work bi-partisanly with the RePUKES. The RePUKES have ZERO intention of working with Dems on major issues like healthcare because they want Obama/Dems to fail for 2010. More Dems do need to act like they won an election, have a mandate, force the narrative, and say FU to RePUKES and brand them as DO-NOTHING corporate obstructionists.

But, to say Obama "has not led" when he has been to town hall after town hall, given speech after speech including to congress, is laying his very presidency on the line constantly with healthcare on which he has pushed like hell...THIS MAN HAS GOD DAMN WELL LED.

Is there much, much more to do? Damn right. YES, more lobbying reform. YES, more financial regulation (IT IS COMING). And yes to many other things, BUT, IT TAKES TIME.

We HAVE had CHANGE. MAJOR CHANGE. Christ, he just got the Nobel being seen as someone who, through some very good initial steps, is improving our world image, working toward ridding the world of nuclear weapons, and working cooperatively again to solve global problems.

Bush is gone after eight long years. Sorry if some people are disappointed that Obama hasn't been able to completely change the world overnight. But, under a crushing weight of INHERITED and horrendous challenges, this good man is not only a breath of fresh air, he IS leading, and in eight short months has done some damn good things we would never have gotten under a RePUKE.

PS: The American President just won the Nobel Peace Prize. All Americans, especially the likes of
Ms. Huffington, should be proud and rejoicing today.