Thread: The Thrill Is Gone

Op-Ed Columnist
The Thrill Is Gone
By CHARLES M. BLOW
Published: June 18, 2010

President Obama’s relationship with America, like many a young marriage, is growing sour.

That’s my surmise after reviewing recent polling and watching the carping that followed his Oval Office speech (which I thought was just fine, by the way).

It is becoming increasingly apparent that the magic has drained away. Even among his most ardent supporters, there now exists a certain frustration and disillusionment — not necessarily in the execution of his duties, but in his inability to seize moments, chart a course and navigate the choppy waters of public opinion.

What’s left for many is a big plume of disappointment and sadness lurking just beneath the surface.

Desperate to escape eight-years of an abusive relationship with a reckless cowboy and scared by a calculating John McCain who chose a feckless running mate, America was charmed by Obama’s supernal speeches and inspired by his vision of a happier ever after.

But once the marriage was official, reality set in and Obama tried to lower expectations. Life would not be lit by the soft glow of an eternal sunrise. Change would come slowly; pain would be felt presently; things would get worse before they got better.

In addition, he had to make tough choices (and not always the right ones) to steer us out of our darkest hour and secure a better future. He wasn’t always elegant in method or clear in message, and that allowed the more cynical side of America to find a footing and feed its fear.

This has left many on the left duking it out in a death match of finger-pointing, back-biting and navel-gazing. They have gone from applauding to defending, a turn many secretly resent and increasingly reject. A USA Today/Gallup poll released earlier this week found that 73 percent of Democrats thought that the president had not been tough enough in dealing with BP in regards to the oil spill. That was the same as the percentage of Republicans who thought so.

So this is where the rubber meets the road, for Obama and the country. Wooing and being wooed was the fun part. But everyone knows that maintaining a healthy and positive relationship always requires work.

The first step is acknowledgement: There is blame on both sides.

On one side is America — fickle and excitable, hotheaded and prone to overreaction, easily frightened and in constant need of reassurance.

On the other side stands Obama — solid and sober, rooted in the belief that his way is the right way and in no need of alteration. He’s the emotionally maimed type who lights up when he’s stroked and adored but shuts down in the face of acrimony. Other people’s anxieties are dismissed as irrational and unworthy of engagement or empathy. He seems quite comfortable with this aspect of his personality, even if few others are, and shows little desire to change it. It’s the height of irony: the presumed transformative president is stymied by his own unwillingness to be transformed. He would rather sacrifice the relationship than be altered by it.

Add to this tension the fact that conservative Blue Dog Democrats are doing everything they can to keep their jobs and Republicans are doing everything they can to make Obama lose his, and it only aggravates the situation.

As NPR’s Ron Elving wrote about a recent NPR poll that held a dire prediction for the Democrats in November: “The House Democratic majority is, as always, a struggle between the ‘sitting pretty’ faction that’s safe (this year as always) and the more fragile ‘scaredy cat’ faction that could be carried off by even the gentlest of anti-incumbent breezes.â€

People become much to enamored with the personality and the silver tongue and end up with an elected official like Obama. A sad but true commentary on the state of the American voter. My own experience with numerous uneducated voters stuck on stupid bears this out. Hopefully people are wising up and will dump these clowns starting in November. Hopefully people will start looking past the glitz, hype, promises and personality and look at the persons past record and associations. Actions speak louder than words. As the movie says "Let's Get Smart"

The Media is to blame as well. They continue to RAILROAD us right to these rejects with destructive agendas...

We will not vote for Obama in 2012. And we will not vote for Democrats in November. They do not enforce immigration laws and Obama's DOJ will file suit against SB 1070. That we do not accept. That is why we have to elect a new president in 2012. Obama is not good for our country. America made a HUGE MISTAKE WHEN THEY ELECTED OBAMA. SO SAD. BUT 2012 IS NEAR. I AM SO GLAD.

Originally Posted by immigration2009

We will not vote for Obama in 2012. And we will not vote for Democrats in November. They do not enforce immigration laws and Obama's DOJ will file suit against SB 1070. That we do not accept. That is why we have to elect a new president in 2012. Obama is not good for our country. America made a HUGE MISTAKE WHEN THEY ELECTED OBAMA. SO SAD. BUT 2012 IS NEAR. I AM SO GLAD.

With the reality sinking in that the rats will soon be kicked out of office by the voters; it is apparent to me that Obama/Pelosi/Reid are working at a record pace passing unconstitutional laws to promote as much damage to the country as possible before leaving office. They are stealing every dime we have and giving it to crooks like SEIU, George Sorros, Haliburton, Goldman. America will be a mere shadow of a nation when they are finished with us. While they keep our attention on the gulf oil spill, each day they pass another unconstitutional and unlawful act without our knowledge.