Governing by Avoidance…
I voted for Obama. I just couldn’t see John McCain and Sara Palin in the White House. It wasn’t a Republican or Democratic thing, it was a decision based solely on personality and age. I also bought into everything that Obama was promising from change to transparency. The fact that he was smart, articulate and Black was important to me. Yes, I wanted our country, finally, to be represented by a Black man. Seeing him get elected, made me very proud and I so desperately wanted him to succeed.
I liked Michelle, the daughters and Bo, the dog. I remember when Air Force One flew to Chicago to pick Barack up – the family had flown ahead of him – and he trotted up the stairs to greet the pilot. He was all alone. One man, having to deal with Bush mess. Him against the world. The steward, also a Black man, said Mr. President, what can I get you. Obama said a hamburger with Dijon mustard on a Kaiser roll. This was going to be my President for the next four years, and I was looking forward to everything he was going to do for us. I would support him anyway I could.
Fast forward and tomorrow is April 1st, the election to choose the next President is 7 months away. A lot has happened since the President got on that first flight on Air Force One to Washington, DC. And, honestly, I feel slightly confused and a bit more sad. Why? Because while I’m not that critical to call the last 3 1/2 years a failure, that’s too harsh, I feel very let down. I’m not proud anymore, I’m not excited and I wonder what happened. That’s where my head is at concerning the economy, “our” government and the election right now.
Rather than tackle the important issues head on, I believe the President has avoided dealing with what is important to me. I’m not all that bent out of shape, like the Republicans are, about that pipeline not being built, the failure of Solyndra, the crazy arms “Fast and Furious” deal, the President’s socialist agenda or the head of Energy Department, Steven Chu, not driving a car. There are far more important things to me, the health care debacle being at the top of the list. I wonder why a small tube of foot cream cost $9.99 and a can of cashews $6.99.
I wish the President were more honest with us. What about immigration? What happened with GITMO? Why is it still there? Because States like Illinois “chickened-out” and wouldn’t permit a prison there to house the evil terrorists? Was that it? Are we too conclude it’s now going to be there forever, and bad guys, like they do on NCIS, will be threatened to be sent there if they don’t fess up? What’s the deal with Syria, Iran, N. Korea and Cuba? Is that the media loses interest, or the 1/2 billion power ball lottery is just more juicy than nuclear weapons?
Why hasn’t the President been more open about health care reform? Isn’t Michelle, like my wife would, jabbing him in the side or telling him at dinner to just talk about it for goodness sakes? Get his frustrations out in the open. You know that whole promise to be more transparent. What a crock, no, what a lie that was. Why the dysfunctional silent treatment? Why didn’t he take the lead and say it wasn’t done right, there are some problems with it, so let’s fix it. He went around the country trying to sell it to us and quite frankly, he and his administration did a miserable job of it. They screwed the pooch. He tried to sell us a bird with one wing.
If there’s one thing I respect from anyone, especially politicians, is honesty. Screw up, OK, tell me you screwed up and let’s move on. But to fester with the failure – any failure – and avoid dealing with it? That’s not in my playbook, not in the American DNA. I started taking a real hard look at Mitt Romney. I really don’t care if he is a Republican or not. I know he is not a campaigner, not necessarily a good salesman, but, I believe, I hope, he would be a lot more honest with the American people than the President has. It makes me sick to say we need a fresh face in the White House, but we do. Too bad Hilary is not running.
I’ve worked for people that management by avoidance. It is sheer agony for anyone who is proactive and wants to move forward to get things done. I don’t vote for someone to hold down the fort. I want the pre-election Obama who was going to damn the torpedoes – full speed ahead. Instead, we got, torpedoes – what torpedoes? Yes, he got Bin Laden. Yes, he ordered the shooting of those pirates. But, we’re still in Afghanistan. I still can’t afford any health care, let alone the Cadillac plan that the Congress has and I’m paying $60 a week for gas and a gallon of milk is $5.
I want, I need a President that communicates more effectively. I thought is was Barack Obama. I was wrong. Mr. President, right now, you don’t have my vote next election.
