As the artist who created the image and poster of then-candidate for president, Barack Obama, with first the word "Progress," and then later, and more appropriately, "Hope," I am frequently asked for my opinion on his presidency so far.
I generally avoid commenting about Obama's performance because I have found that the mainstream media tends to reduce my views to a simplistic position of being either "for" the President or "disappointed" or "against" him. So when I was interviewed last week by an established publication, I spent almost an hour talking to the reporter and trying to articulate my views on Obama and his Presidency to date. It is important to me that my words not be distorted or taken out of context to avoid Rush Limbaugh and the rest of the right-wing media attack machine creating a false storyline.
Yet that is exactly was happened. Sadly, my position was again reduced to "Obama 'Hope' poster artist, losing hope," which is not my opinion. As with millions of other Americans, young and old, my position is far more complex.
Let me state as simply as I can my views on President Obama. I support President Obama. I believe he is an intelligent, compassionate person, with many good policy ideas. If Obama runs for reelection in 2012, I will support him.
And while I wish he was more bold in action on issues of most concern to me -- health care, global warming, the war in Afghanistan, Wall Street reform, education, immigration reform -- I realize he is trying to do the best that he can given the obstructionist, "just say no to anything," opposition he faces from the Republicans in Congress.
And for the record, I have not lost "Hope," in President Obama, even if the change he ran upon is not coming as quickly many of us thought or hoped it might.
I realize Obama was handed the worst economy and political climate facing a president in modern history and that it will take time for our country to recover and begin to move in the right direction. I also realize the Republican party and its leaders have no intention of being constructive partners in trying to solve the difficult problems facing our nation. Unfortunately, the tough economy has created wide spread frustration among Americans resulting in many people looking for a scapegoat. Ironically, Obama has often been the scapegoat when the policies of those who oppose Obama are responsible for many of the hardships the nation is currently facing.
What is also frustrating to me is that the media wants to give readers a narrative of high drama instead engaging them in a broader and richer debate about the issues at stake. The quality of a discussion is determined by the depth and quality of information available to people. As Americans and as readers we have to hold our media as accountable as we hold our elected leaders.
Finally, I'd like to add that I believe that democracy is about more than just voting. I choose to address different political issues with my art, using images to increase awareness, and art sales to raise funds for social causes I care about. We all have outlets for our voices and choices about how we choose to spend our money, whether it's purchasing a fuel efficient hybrid or paying a little extra for electricity from green energy sources. Each of these acts sends a message to our leaders and corporations about the direction we want them to go.
Editor's note: This post was initially published without the concluding paragraph.
On page 25 of 29: TITLE IX REVENUE PROVISIONS- SUBTITLE A: REVENUE OFFSET PROVISIONS-(sec. 9001,
as modified by sec. 10901) Sec.9002 "requires employers to include in the W-2 form of each employee the aggregate cost of applicable employer sponsored group health coverage that isexcludable from the employees gross income."
I will post this again since apparently my post did not show up.
On page 25 of 29: TITLE IX REVENUE PROVISIONS- SUBTITLE A: REVENUE OFFSET PROVISIONS-(sec. 9001,
as modified by sec. 10901) Sec.9002 "requires employers to include in the W-2 form of each employee the aggregate cost of applicable employer sponsored group health coverage that isexcludable from the employees gross income."
I hope you progressive can actually read and understand what this provision of the healthcare bill means. Come next year, any healthcare subsidies provided by your employer will be considered taxable income. I can't even imagine what this will do to everybody's tax bill. I hope this is what you progressive wanted.
What crap. The recovery is dragging BECAUSE of Obama's ridiculous Keynesian plan. gt;>>I also realize the Republican party and its leaders have no intention of being constructive partners in trying to solve the difficult problems facing our nation.>>>
Jeepers, you don't suppose they're saying "no" because their constituents want them to, do ya? Wake up: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PwqSCJmbxk
Two years have passed since we nearly fell off the brink. The economy is improving, jobs are being added to the economy. Recovery just doesn't happen overnight.
Yeah, that's another thing we have to thank the Dems for: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/warning/view/?utm_campaign=viewpage&utm_medium=grid&utm_source=grid
Change, huh? Little does the average liberal even know... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PwqSCJmbxk THAT'S what you can believe in.
how's that "hopey-changey" thing working out for you now, she asks?
hope springs eternal, ms.keeps-on-running-at-the-mouth
Disappointed. Will you be re-doing the poster with "Same as Bush"?
Come 2012, just might not go to the trouble of getting a ballot and sending it in, except maybe in the primary. If I want the same old policies, it just does not matter who gets elected.
I would like to add another perspective about Presidency in general and American's largely unrealistic views on just what it is. It seems, particularly on the Left, that Americans think of the President as a sort of king, who rules by decree and has power over every aspect of public life. In particular, many on the Left seemed to have viewed Obama in 2008 as some kind of modern-day King Arthur, who would bring peace and harmony to all the lands through the power of his magic sword Excalibur (his voice? his smile?).
Well, there is no Excalibur. And the President is not king. He cannot legislate by decree. In fact, the President has far more power OUTSIDE the United States than he has inside it - as the founders intended! He is Commander-in-Chief - essentially the top general - of all the U.S. Armed Forces. That alone would be a full-time job for anyone. But in addition to that, he is the CEO of the Executive branch - chief diplomat and chief administrator. And the Left expects him to be Chief Legislative Officer, Chief Information Officer, and Chief Inspirational Officer as well!
Whatever happened to "Think what you can do for your country?" Instead of whining about what Obama has not achieved, look in the mirror. What have you achieved for Obama?
1. Bring back nuclear power with liability underwritten by the taxpayers
2. Initiate off-shore drilling off the East Coast and in the Gulf of Mexico, a position taken just weeks before the BP blowout catastrophe
3, Tax middle class health policies (so-called "Cadillac" policies) with the goal of eliminating typical middle class health coverage plans
4. After Congress had refused to do so, Obama established the "Deficit Reduction" (aka catfood) Commission with the goal of damaging Social Security, while maintaining tax cuts for the wealthy
6. Keeping Guantanamo open for business
7. Escalating the war in Afghanistan
8. Planning and pushing through the health care plan using secret behind closed doors negotiations in which Liz Fowler authored the health plan for Sen Baucus. Liz Fowler is the epitome of the Washington "revolving door" in which those from government service move to the private sector, and then back to government. First working as an aide to Baucus on health matters, then working as VP at health insurance company Wellpoint, then returning to Baucus' staff to write the health bill, and now Obama appointed Fowler to a senior position in the US Health and Human Services Department to oversee the implementation of the her plan.
9. Finally, where are the jobs that were promised as priority #1 by the President during the canpaign
2. The GOP made this a huge cooperation/bipartisanship issue, used this as a political bomb, and DEMANDED far more of it supposedly to create jobs and boost economy.
3. UPPER-class policies, with the goal of eliminating the propensity for such a style of health coverage to leave only the wealthy with decent care.
4. You got this one backwards. Obama's trying to INCREASE Social Security benefits and available cash, and REDUCE the tax cuts for the wealthy.
5. You missed this number.
6. Closing Guantanamo would be ideal, but currently impossible. The opposition made the efforts too expensive, politically and economically, and the legal issues have been so far muddied this has become a Gordian Knot--there's no good way of closing the place because of muck-raked fears similar to those outlined in 1. above.
7. Safety first--militarily, this was the ONLY choice.
8. Your imagined-as-facts are quite warped, but mostly that's conspiracy theories.
9. Jobs were increased dramatically; the Republicans refused to let us keep them.
Mr President: Give back the f'ing Peace Prize!
As for Afghanistan--what's this about ramping up? How could Obama have done that? That's a leadership issue too, and it calls for guts and a willingness to be a one-term pres. to make a difference. As it is, he will only be remembered because his race is novel to the position.