Hard to believe that one year ago today there was celebration in the air. Our long national nightmare was over, and the embarrassment that was George Bush was on his way back to Texas.
Change was coming. We again had a President who could speak in complete sentences. The financial markets that had run wild and out of control thanks to deregulation would be back under a watchful eye. Our troops would be coming home soon, and most importantly health care reform would finally happen, and the health insurance industry would have rules in place to protect our right to health care, control costs, and insure all of us.
Alas, one short year later it has become painfully obvious, as
Paul Krugman blogs in The New York Times, "He Wasn't The One We've Been Waiting For".
Like Professor Krugman, I had pangs of doubt about the Obama campaign. His conciliatory tone, and constant reference to bi-partisanship caused me to wonder if he was naive, or simply running a smart campaign. I gave him the benefit of the doubt, believing that he would be more assertive and forceful if elected. I thought perhaps it was just a strategy, to appear so calm, espouse for the most part a moderate agenda. I felt that once elected, with a strong Democratic majority, that the true progressive agenda would emerge.
Yet throughout this first year, we have been continually let down. From little progress in ending the entanglement in Iraq, to escalation in Afghanistan, to failure to fight for a strong health reform plan, we have seen nothing but weakness. I guess the irony of all this is that the one promise he has kept was the one to keep the fight going in Afghanistan, which of course I thought was just posturing to look like a tough Democrat.
So Mr. President, this lifelong Democrat is incredibly disappointed. With you, and with the weak willed Democrats in both houses of congress. Today in the aftermath of losing Teddy Kennedy's Senate seat to a Republican, the surrender is almost complete. Instead of coming out with guns blazing and vowing to fight for health care reform, we get comments from the White House and Democratic leaders suggesting we weaken the already emaciated health care plan now back in the house.
The strategy seems to be pass any bill, no matter how weak, no matter how little it will actually change anything for most Americans. Why not come out fighting. Pass a real, strong health care bill, with a public program. Bypass the filibuster, pass it with a simple majority as the founders intended the system to work. If you lose the election in 2012, so be it. At least you will lose byfighting for what you believe, and you can leave a real reform in place to improve America. As it stands now, Democrats lose in '12, not because of policy, but because they were too weak to fight for anything, and too weak to lead.
