I have to admit, the level of stubbornness of President Obama on display as he campaigns for re-election across America is a sight to behold. How many articles and blog posts have been written about his divisive and abrasive tone in his speeches? How many times have talking heads on television commented about the man who spoke of bringing the country together in 2008 now is the most divisive of Presidents in recent history? Yet, he doubles down and continues on.
The result is a continuing spiral of negative rhetoric instead of bolstering the people, cheering them on to hang in there until times are better. Everyone gets sucked into the mix and that is why the great malaise has set in. Instead of a feeling of hopefulness, a general feeling of hopelessness has blanketed the country. For the first time, a substantial majority of Americans believe our best days are behind us.
How did this happen? I think it is a result of the rise of Barack Obama to the presidency. A man with some state legislative experience became a U.S. Senator and then almost immediately started running for the biggest job in the world. A new Fox News Poll shows 76% now say they are dissatisfied with the direction of the country.
The Presidency demands a seasoned politician, truth be told. This is why former governors make good presidents. States are smaller governments that require lots of the same decisions as are made on the federal level. Whether it is budget decisions or National Guard deployments, decision making experience is necessary to be a successful president.
Another ability that a governor develops is that of working with both parties. President Obama, only having experience in state legislation where he voted a record breaking amount of "present" instead of yea or nay on bills and then only briefly in his first term as a U.S. Senator, never developed the ability to work with all sides of an argument. This lack of experience has been painfully apparent throughout his term as president. He famously told Senator John McCain, "I won, John", as McCain was arguing his point of view in the first months of the Obama administration.
As Barack Obama campaigned for president in 2008, he criticized then President Bush for using too many Executive Orders in governing. Now, however, as he runs for his second term, President Obama thinks this is exactly how he must govern. Why? Because the Congressional Republicans are bringing forward their own job creating bills and therefore, Obama wants the Republicans to look as though they are not doing their jobs. They are and that is a sore spot for such a failed presidency.
Using the catch phrase We Can't Wait, Obama is now going around the country bragging about signing Executive Orders to go around Congress which is not able to pass his spending bill labeled as a jobs bill. HERE is a list of his Executive Orders for 2011, so far. Recently President Obama stated he would use Executive Orders to put through a mortgage re-finance bill and a student loan re-payment bill.
Speaker Boehner voiced his concern of this practice on a radio talk show and said of the Senate's refusal to bring up the 15 jobs creation bills that have passed in the House, "You know what, we can’t wait. We’ve got 15 bills that have passed the House that would help job creators around our country. They’re called the Forgotten 15; they’re sitting over in the United States Senate." We can't wait for Senate Democrats to pass them."
The Democratically controlled Senate refuses to take up the Forgotten 15 for debate and votes. The Senate still has not pass a budget in more than 900 days. That is where the "obstruction" lies. President Obama should talk to his own party and instruct them to work with Republicans to get our economy moving again.
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