COLUMN: Barack Obama: No we can't
It's been three years and the rivers run with hot, liquid rage over Obama's job performance.
I mean, what's the guy done, really? He promised change and all we've got is an economy in tatters and a bunch of screaming, red-faced Republicans.
But anyone who voted for him in 2008 shouldn't be regretting it. I didn't vote in '08 because I wasn't old enough, but I'll be voting for him in 2012. There was never any doubt in my mind about that. What I'm looking into and what everyone should be looking into really, is whether or not to vote for their incumbent Congressman (or woman).
Anyone who's been paying any attention to Capitol Hill knows the word "gridlock." But it's something worse than gridlock. It's like being in a room where everyone has his or her arms out and when anyone tries to move they get pushed right back to where they started.
And it's not the President's fault. He's the guy in his office with his head in his hands crying, "Why won't everybody just get along?" It's hard to get anything at all done when a group of kindergartners know how to play nice better than our legislators.
Does anybody remember the stink about that thousand-page health care bill early in Obama's presidency? Remember that heroic group of dissenters from Obama's own party? Those Red Dog, Blue Dog, Green Dog Democrats, or whatever silly name they called themselves, trying to save our country. Give me a break. They were mutineers.
Instead of compromising, it's become a matter of filibustering until even C-SPAN gets bored of showing it. I heard a story once of a senator going up and reading names out of a phonebook to prevent voting.
It's not Obama's fault when the bill he puts together and presents doesn't get passed because the men and women of Congress need their diapers changed, so they refuse to cooperate.
At that point, it's really not Congress' fault either. It's our fault, as voters, for letting them get away with it. Something like 90 percent of incumbents get reelected. There are a lot of reasons for that, and one of them is people recognizing the name and casting the vote. That's a problem. But term limits aren't the answer.
There needs to be a public movement in favor of politicians compromising. We can't always get everything we want.
I think people sometimes forget how the government works. Of course when nothing gets done, Obama takes the heat. It's part of his job. But people should be less concerned with the Presidential election and pay more attention to the Congressional election.
No matter who we elect to be President, nothing will get done if Congress decides to drop anchor and pout for four more years.
