In 2008, millions of people saw the presidential election as a matter of crisis and principle. Deep into two wars and debt rising, Barack Obama was a new voice, stunning in his eloquence and a stark and welcome contrast to the aging McCain and the Crazy Lady from Alaska. Small contributions flooded in to the Obama campaign through the internet as genuine hope for change defined the contest.
This time around, as election season approaches, there's something different in the air. At least there is for this participant in the process. In 2008, as a Senior Citizen with a fixed income and a budget, I gave more than was sensible for me to the Obama campaign. It was a compromise. Not so many meals out, fewer trips to see relatives and friends, smaller gifts for Christmas.
This time, though, the President is on his own. He's running as the incumbent. According to Politico and the Huffington Post, he's got big money, even lobbying money according to the Times. In other words, he's not hurting for cash. He has a war chest.
But on this end, thanks to the European debt crisis and utter stupidity in Congress (thanks Norville), the country and its people are suffering big time. Here, in the country where we live, it's the food pantry that needs our money. It's people who can't heat their homes, kids without warm coats to wear to school. I have a neighbor who teaches first grade who has to buy books and supplies for her thirty-two kids. And she has two kids of her own and a husband working two jobs.
So, My President, sorry to say, you're on your own this time, and I wish you well. I hope you're re-elected, I really do. You've done a good job, except maybe not getting tough with Congress soon enough. Fortunately for you, the Republicans are making fools of themselves and have no one of quality to offer or any policies that make sense.
As for us. I'm sending out a check to the local food pantry tomorrow and, please, DNC, don't call anymore, especially at dinner time.
Follow Richard Geldard on Twitter: www.twitter.com/richgeldard
Elections matter.
Even if he were to stack his administration with Wall St and serve the interests of the 1% while pushing austerity on a citizenry forced to bail out the 1% who crashed the economy--
We wouldn't have to pretend he was anything different than what he is.
Thanks for taking what is too easily an intellectual discussion away from the head and returning it to the heart. When even the positive and constructive politicians effect no change, we all end up sharing this sense of disappointment. Perhaps this is what will inspire us to act with a common grassroots purpose and take our lives back from the machine that has grown up around politics.
Great article,
William
Thanks for this and for writing what truly lay behind what I wrote. I feel used when the emails come pouring in and the phone rings every night asking, no, demanding that I contribute. I do trust your reactions to these pieces; don't hesitate to let me know if I go off line.
And the thrust of the money requests has turned from "hope and change" to "At least we aren't as bad as the Republicans." And the same PR guy is heading Obama's campaign. No thanks.
So Obama went from "Yes, we can!" to...I don't know, I think it's something like "Are you with us?" Makes me want to create a bumper sticker answering "Considering the sheer hidiousness of the alternatives, yes, I will vote for you. But please don't take that as exactly a ringing endorsement."
quietly. . .
go away.
So if you think the country is bad off now, wait and see what not voting for President Obama gets you.
So instead, he'll give to the local food pantry. They REALLY need it.
He didn't say anything about not voting for him, just not sending him his money.
Don't you have even clue one about who controlls tne so called news in this nation since the de-regulation of the 1980s?
Are you one who fell for the lies/hate campaign against Jimmy Carter.
Have you fallen for the glorification of the disaster of the Reagan years?
The rehabilitation of Richard Nixon
The already begun cleaning up of the public message about Geo. W. Bush.
They do intend to do to President Obama exactly what they did to Jimmy Carter and
what they spend several hundred million of tax payer money doing to
bring the Clinton Presidency to an early end.
You continued to back Clinton even with his revolting zipper problem. \
Why are you abandoning President Obama? Is it beacuse the ultra-conservative Republicans have an even firmer grip on the national message (called news) than ever since the Great Depression.
This is far worse than even the McCarthy era.
Sure hand over the nation . . . to another Republican President/Congress and kiss your
Social Security/Medicare good-bye.
Say good-bye to the U. S. Postal Service
Say good-bye to any tax supporteed higher education and
Look at the Heritage/CATO/Heartland/AEI/ALEC & the other conservative think tank pages to see exactly what the plans are for you.
It's entirely possible that the president has lost the faith of the democrats who voted for him and the independents who didn't quite believe in him but weren't going to vote for Mccain all on his lonesome. Obama has been a disappointing president, mostly because of the hype from his own campaign, and is failure to actually BE the progressive he was presented as.