Now More Than Ever -- Stand By Obama

NOW we'll see who has the attention span and fortitude to see things as they are. Who on the Left is "disappointed" with President Obama? Raise your hands then hang your heads in shame.

From this former lifelong Republican, once religious right leader, who used to be on the "other side," but who saw the light and worked his butt off for Obama (having once worked for McCain in 2000)-- a word of observation:

Not tough enough on Iran? Do you want to undermine the slow motion revolution against tyranny by having the American president wade in foolishly -- as Bush would have -- providing an excuse to dismiss the demonstrators as "tools of the Great Satan?"

Not fast or hard enough on health care? Does Hillary Clinton's plan ring a bell? Do you want results or just posturing?

Not far enough on gay rights? Do you want change or a conservative counter revolution and another 30 years of culture war?

Bailed out the car companies and banks? President Obama inherited the wind. He's still picking up the pieces.

What's your problem? You're not satisfied with nationalizing the auto companies? Give the guy a break -- he's doing everything he can to turn economy around so that we can start investing again in the public realm.

So far every promise Obama made is being kept in the way it has to be kept: with one eye on idealism and the other on reality. To the left: stop acting like children. This is governance, and wise governance at that. Remember, Obama is a strategist.

President Obama's chances of carrying out the rest of the progressive agenda depends on the solidity of his support. Chip away at that and it is self-defeating. This is the time to hang in.

Where do you think the country would be if we'd elected McCain?

Would they have given him a standing ovation in Cairo?

Would our economy be recovering?

Would we have a better strategy in Afghanistan?

Would the moderates have won in Lebanon?

Would the regime be being challenged in Iran?

Would medical reform even be on the table?

Would gay American be making any progress at all?

My dad used to say, "If you want everything or nothing you'll always get nothing." He was right. My old friends on the right are just waiting for the Left to commit ritual suicide. We are on the cusp of greatness. Have faith. And don't squander this chance of a lifetime.

Frank Schaeffer is the author of Crazy for God: How I Grew Up as One of the Elect, Helped Found the Religious Right, and Lived to Take All (or Almost All) of It Back and the forthcoming Patience With God: Faith For People Who Don't Like Religion (Or Atheism)

Comments

[digeridoo2]

agreed and fanned. It is time for us to follow the true leader. Questioning his authority is detrimental.

[PNOGUY]

All of Obama's mighty promises have sell-by dates on them. They are expiring one by one, yet you keep waving his banner high.

What about his smears of McCain...r­unning campaign commercials criticizing him for "taxing health care benefits".­..when now he's considering doing the same thing?

He's just a man, Frank, and a Chicago politician to boot. He's going to disappoint everyone. Save your reputation by getting off the bandwagon before both you AND he are a huge laughing stock.

[CouldOnlyRememberMyName]

bush warned congress 34 times about fannie mae and they did nothing...­the democrats i know turned snob and ignore me-democrats dont make good friends i dont think...pl­us democrats let pol pot kill millions ..plus a democrat gets in and look at Iran--,they feel they can persecute people..de­mocrats are spending money on pork..why should taxpayer have to pay for abortions unless woman's life is in danger?democrats dont like vouchers for other schools but want kids in loser city schools..d­emocrats offer no choices --thyere a sham..mayb­e feingold is ok and senator wyden or kucinich maybe

[Zanti]

I find myself wishing he'd get to a few things more quickly, but overall he's working very hard and very effectively. And, yes, we Dems have developed a bad habit of judging from the sidelines. It's easy to declare what Obama should or shouldn't be doing, but he's the one burdened with the actual task thereof. And it's not as if he can charge in and order people around, as some of us seem to want him to do. I guess Bush made us forget that the Commander in Chief is NOT a dictator (not officially, anyway).

Obama is acting like the leader of a democracy, and we should be thankful for that.

I hope to God we don't let him down as we did Clinton. Tragically, support-your-leader is not a concept that resonates with all Dems. He needs, and deserves, our whole support.

[discourse jockey]

Our anger should be directed at the ceaseless, brashly impertinent neocon attempts to disrupt the process of healing from the wounds they caused.

[tishimself]

How dare those pesky gays, who worked tirelessly to elect Obama, now dare to make a big fuss about every campaign promise he made and didn't deliver on! What are they thinking?!

Let those gays keep on paying more in taxes to receive less for their efforts, they're used to it, let them be drummed out of military service by laughing bigots, let them be discriminated against in the workforce without redress in employment law, let them go without every one of the 1,049 legal rights the accrue with legal marriage, and let their foreign born partners be deported from our shores in handcuffs and let their estranged first cousins make all their medical decisions when their lives are in the balance rather than their illegal spouses, for goodness sakes - and let those same estranged relatives inherit their possessions and property and send the one love of their life packing without a cent. I mean, fair's fair, right? It's the law.

Who knows why the gays are making such a fuss now, but they should all be ashamed of themselves! It makes things so complicated for our beloved leader. And it doesn't affect me so I REALLY can't understand why they complain so much.

[thoughtful3]

What will you say when he does deliver, since you've already decided that he won't. Will you apologize then? No, it'll just be something else that he hasn't done yet. Besides, he can't single-handedly over-turn the law anyway and you know that. Work your heart out to pressure congress to get him a bill to sign granting you all your rights. Just like I'm working my heart out to pressure congress to get him a real healthcare reform bill and real clean energy bill. I knew that it didn't end at the election. That was only the beginning. Electing him only gives us a shot to get those promises realized. They're not realized on election day or inauguration day or 5 months into a term. I understand your impatience, but if you could just consider what I'm saying, maybe you'll achieve all those rights that you so deserve.

[tishimself]

Thoughtful3, if he really intends to deliver on his commitments, wouldn't he have made a start? There's been nothing but silence: over Prop 8, the marriage rulings, even the states adopting marriage equality. Has he lost his famous eloquence or his interest?

Ending Don't Ask, Don't Tell would require his signature. That's all it would require. 13,000 U.S. troops were kicked out of the military for being gay since this bigoted policy was adopted. Some of the brightest and best of these soldiers have been kicked out on Obama's watch.

Explain to me why should we sit tight and wait whilst egregious nonsense like this continues? Peoples lives are being ruined. Why doesn't Obama step up and be the fierce advocate he claims he is?

I'm done with the incrementalism. Democrats run the show in D.C. If not now, when? To wit: I want full rights as a U.S. citizen. Now. And I don't see why I should have to wait, or apologize to anyone, for insisting on it now. I worked damn hard to help him get elected. I don't begrudge you your work on health care and clean energy, please don't begrudge me mine.

[thoughtful3]

Thank you so much for this article, at a time when everything else is so negative--­constantly­. I knew in the back of my mind that people wouldn't have patience and really give him a chance at least, but I held out hope that maybe Americans had finally grown up after 8 years of Bush. No such luck. His term is 4 years, not 5 months. You'd think people would understand that, especially considering what he inherited. For me, I will continue to push and work my heart out for the issues I care the most about right now--healthcare and energy policy, and then education reform. I will support the president on his foreign policy because I am patriotic. At the end of his four-year term, I will evaluate the totality of what was accomplished over those years, not pre-judge him right now. I would hope others would come to their senses and do the same.

[ComradeBob]

Amen, Mr. Schaeffer. (No pun intended.) There are many things I might have Obama do differently, many choices he's made with which I disagree - but overall, and considering the Congressional prima donnas whose help is required to pass legislation, I think he deserves our (i.e., the "Left", whatever that means in US terms) staunch support. Not uncritical support, not blind assent, but solid support. If he doesn't get it from us, the squishy middle will only hear, and will eventually heed, the Right.

[masher]

But everything Obama has done so far has been corporate welfare. He didn't even lift a finger to address the visa auctions that happened in April. Obama could easily help engineers and programmers by simply getting the federal government off our backs and letting us get back to work.

But he won't do it because its corporate welfare and Obama seems to love corporate welfare more than the people.

[AhnAmuru]

Just like I said a few days ago!

I propose decimation / triage - weed out the weak willed and press the advantage with the faithful.

[INTP]

Gays are a people, not an issue. Get it? Look what passing civil rights for blacks and women did to political parties.

Also...we'­ve heard the line about gays not having it better with Republicans. We're deaf to it now. It's not just because of Obama, but Democrats in general aren't leading. Obama needs a bill to sign, and Dems in congress need to pass it.