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On any given day, one can read an assortment of critiques of President Obama about everything from Afghanistan to Zawahiri. I for one have had enough. About a year after the election of the President, I wrote an article I called, "It's Not Obama, It's You". This was my opening:
"I'm sick of lying Republicans, worthless Economists and the Tea Party pawns. But to me, none of them are as egregious as the Democrats and Independents who initially supported President Obama and have now joined the chorus of those who constantly criticize and declare their disappointment.
I'm not advocating for President Obama, for most surely he is not perfect, but 70 million people voted for Obama and then sent him to face a recalcitrant Congress and vicious outside forces "all by himself". You ask, "where is change?" I ask, "where were you?"
Yes, you rallied for his election, some of you canvassed door to door, many gave their hard earned money and then you voted in droves and accomplished his historical election. You celebrated, cheered and then you went home and watched and waited.
Three years later, I'm asking the same question. Everyone behaves as if you sent Zeus to Washington armed with the Blade of Olympus.
Ten days before he took office, Rush Limbaugh declared, "I hope Obama fails".
The Tea Party staged its first rally calling him a Socialist, Hitler, a Communist, Marxist, Nigerian, Muslim, a terrorist, the Devil, the Anti-Christ, the Angel of Death, n-word and many other declarations of disrespect and you were silent. They immediately attached the failed economy to his administration. He had been in office 38 days.
After taking control of the House, Speaker Mitch McConnell declared that the Republicans number one priority would be "to deny President Obama a second term". Do you think they were kidding? Clearly, they are intent on accomplishing that goal even if it means sabotaging the welfare of the entire country. Many of you have signed-on to your own demise.
You complained that President Obama didn't close Guantanamo; but Congress blocked his ability to do so. What did you do? Did you organize, call your representative, picket, write a letter? No. You whined that Obama had not kept his promise.
According to Ben Smith at Politico , "Conservatives for Patients Rights" organized 104 conservative activists for a conference call dealing with health care reform. During the call, Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C offered, "If we're able to stop Obama on this, it will be his Waterloo. It will break him."
He predicted that when Senators and Congressmen went home, "outraged" constituents would make them afraid to vote for health care. A clear indication that the outrage displayed at town hall meetings was staged. Nonetheless, many of you signed on to that nonsense about a "government takeover" and complained about the number of pages in the bill as if you've ever known how many pages are in any bill and who reads them. What might have happened had Obama supporters rallied as vigorously for the public option as Tea Partiers rallied against it? Until it was too late to act, you merely complained".about Obama.
You complain that he concedes to the Republicans, but what do you want him to do if he can't get the necessary support from the Democrats? You say Obama has betrayed his base" but while the Tea Party was rallying to replace representatives who didn't support their cause, why weren't you railing against the likes of Liebermann and Nelson; finding and supporting candidates who represented you?
You complain that all the troops have not come home from Iraq, but he never said they would. He said he would bring home the "combat troops" and that's exactly what he did. You lambaste the expansion of the Afghanistan War, even though you cheered when he called it the "right war". He did what he said he would do. There's no such thing as a "good war".
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