Obama’s Legacy. With the Republicans having secured big wins in last weeks midterm elections, there is a lot of political banter going back and forth regarding Obama, his final two years in office and his subsequent legacy. My thoughts…. Obama is the Von Hayes of US Presidents. For us die hard Phillies fans, Von Hayes is the epitome of unfilled potential. To me, that is what defines Obama. Even as a conservative, I had very high hopes for Obamas presidency. He ran against the establishment of Democratic politics by saying he represented a new approach to politics. It seemed to be the right time for an idealist to take over the Presidency. He was personable, articulate and easy to root for. No doubt, he took over during a tumultuous time, but things were so bad, he could only go up. The Republican Party was in turmoil after losing the 2008 election. Their in-fighting and McConnell’s announced goal of ensuring Obama’s failure sunk their popularity to an all time low. More significantly, Obama came into office with a numbers advantage in Congress that had not been seen in 32 years. He had the advantage of support to pass meaningful legislation on any number of fronts. It was a stacked deck! The perfect opportunity for a Democratic President to take over the office. Hence, high expectations… Fast forward six years. Missed opportunities are all that I see. All of the dazzling talk and smug retorts are gone. Now he is forced to face the realization of just how difficult it is to achieve his initiatives. Where has he fallen short? SEC regulation and enforcement. Gun control. Immigration. Foreign policy (don’t get me started). Education. Countless number of issues and very little in return. Obama took on National healthcare, long the bane of Republicans existence, got it passed, and even with all its flaws, managed to move the dial just a notch, which no other of his predecessors were able to do. For this he deserves credit. BUT, at what cost did this victory come? Many people, and I tend to agree, believe that Obama was so intent and focused on the healthcare win that he missed the ball on just about everything else. No sooner did Obama take office, he had to deal with the bailouts of the banks. Too big to fail. I get it. Not his mess but he had to handle the clean up and after effects. While the Wall Street misdeeds no doubt took place under GW, Obama had the grand opportunity to send a powerful message. Instead, Attorney General Eric Holder actually facilitated a plan which allowed Chase to BUY its way out of culpability. Instead of holding these big name bankers criminally responsible for single-handedly bringing the world economy to its knees, Obama gave them a pass and rubber stamped Holder’s cover up. The people who stole billions are still in place and the banks are more untouchable than ever. What would have been more impactful, the regulatory “settlement” that Obama and Holder accepted, or holding Chase CEO, Jamie Dimon criminally liable for defrauding the American public out of billions of dollars? Weren’t the Republicans the ones who supposedly had a monopoly on these illicit big business relationships? There is no greater example of missed opportunity than there was on gun legislation. Sandy Hook was a tragedy that had no equal. As a parent of young children, it shook me to my core. The silver ling in this tragedy, if there was one, was that it was so so horrific that the public outcry gave the government the perfect opportunity to pass long-overdue gun safety measures. In his address, Obama vowed that he would use all the powers of his office to ensure that new gun legislation was pushed through. What has happened since? What has been accomplished? Obama couldnt even get Congress to vote on it! Obama never had balls enough to take it to the GOP or the NRA. He was all talk. Do you think if the situation were reversed and Clinton or Bush had made the same vow that they would not have garnered enough support to at least vote on it? As a parent, I am still outraged that our politicians, Dem and Rep, can allow the NRA to wield such lobby power when it is clearly not in our best interests as a people. It pains me that our two-party system is so broken that doing what is right for the people of this country has been supplanted by partisan politics. The hatred from the right is nauseating, as are the Mitch McConnells of the party. I am a conservative at heart, but I have no problem pointing out or admitting the obvious flaws when it comes to the Republican Party. But let’s not kid ourselves either. The hatred is spewed from both parties, just packaged a bit differently. An early philosopher once said, “the first reaction to truth is hatred”. Truth in politics has gradually become irrelevant. Both parties have become masters at spinning the other party’s truths, and what we are left with are two political parties hell bent on the failure and destruction of the opposing party. At any cost. The economy has begun to rebound, but it always does. But the unemployment numbers or GNP do not define a President’s legacy. Long lasting, far-reaching legislative accomplishments do. And Obama has few, if any. I could go on and on with examples of where Obama fell short. It is a shame. He came in with grand plans. The Audacity of Hope! I bought in and I have been left with nothing but disappointment. This unfulfilled Von Hayes potential is what will define Barack Obama’s legacy. Nothing else. I am curious as to how others, Dem and Rep, alike, foresee how history will treat Obama... Daniel OConnellBill MillerJohn Henry Soto Mike Gutter
Posted on: Mon, 10 Nov 2014 15:59:01 +0000
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