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President Obama has never professed himself to be the solution to all our problems. His detractors seem to think Obama has failed just 100 days into his presidency. The idea any president can fail that quickly is preposterous. Obama has quickly and clearly identified his priorities, worked to mend a divided nation and extended good will to countries previously left out in the cold.
That’s quite a feat in 100 days, and that’s not even half of it.
Obama – like everyone else – must prioritize. After eight years of disastrous foreign and domestic policy, it will take years not months, to extract the country from Iraq, stabilize Afghanistan and repair relations with our former allies. It will take years, not months, to repair our broken economy, find jobs for blue-collar workers and restructure this country’s financial system.
Obama is already facing the job head-on, but nobody – neither Democrats nor Republicans – should expect instant change just because we have a new president.
Obama has actually been moving with incredible speed, despite Republicans digging in their heels every chance they get. Even after Obama handed Republicans billions in concessions – like tax breaks for Limbaugh’s friends – no Republican congressional representatives and only three Republican senators voted for the budget proposal. How bitter can you get? After years of Democrats reluctantly voting for bills, lest they be labeled as against the country’s national security, Republicans apparently couldn’t be bothered to vote for a bill that everyone acknowledged needed to be passed.
The reason was not because they’re inconsiderate to the concerns of the workforce, just that they’re more concerned about their own coffers. I can’t blame them for not wanting to tax themselves, but they should at least acknowledge the conflict of interest, not try to make Obama out to be a socialist. It takes a man to raise taxes on himself.
Nothing that took eight years to screw up can be undone in 100 days, and nobody should expect Obama to move that fast.
I for one am glad he’s not trying to do it all at once. I’d rather get a good economy now and a good national health care system later, rather than a recessed economy and a floundering health care system all at once.
Obama ran an impressive campaign, rallying the country around the idea of a president who will not shrink from a problem because it seems too big. He has already shown his willingness to take on big situations that others on both sides of the aisle would likely avoid. Instead of generically lambasting Democrats out of spite, Republicans should take a second to take stock and decide if they want to start making a substantive contribution to this country’s political discussion.
William P. Davis is managing editor for The Maine Campus.
Related Posts:- Op-Ed: 100 days of failure for a new president (April 27, 2009)
- Op-Ed: Legislators must take time to craft health care bill (September 14, 2009)
- Op-Ed: Political climate could use a touch more decorum (September 10, 2009)
- Letters: Obama and Fogler Library (September 17, 2009)
- Editorial: Automated calls are a disservice to voters (October 21, 2008)
The Republican’s “concern” over the uptick in spending is really dis-ingenuous. When George Bush & Tom Delay was running their show, the nearly doubled the national debt, and forced thru Congress the largest increase in entitlement spending (Medicare Part D), not because they were “bleeding heart liberals”, but to support their “permanent majority” strategy. It takes guts and political courage to increase taxes, even if they are on just the wealthy, and takes no courage to do what the Republicans did to our country the last 8 years.
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Mr. Davis, this elderly used-to-be-Republican in deep south Georgia would like to thank you… this is one of the most intelligent editorials I’ve read on the Republican quandary. I truly wish some of our state Republicans would read it and learn, but I’m not holding my breath waiting for that.
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