The Case For Barack Obama

Maybe it's just because it's online and only looks bigger than it actually is or it's become suddenly fashionable to bash President Obama from the left.  I think it's the internet that's making this look bigger than what it really is since recent polls show that 70% of Democrats still support the President's re-election.

Let's take a look and take apart the left's problems with Obama:

Obama isn't a progressive.

Well, maybe not what the self-appointed guardians of progressivism says what it should be but in the real world he most certainly is a progressive.  What he's not is a doctrinaire progressive -- he made it more than clear during the campaign and since he's been elected that he was much more interested in getting things done than bravely losing for the progressive cause.  We have health care reform because of that attitude, we have regulation of the financial sector for the first time ever thanks to that attitude plus a plethora of even more issues.  Rachel Maddow has pointed out that Obama has passed into law 85% of what he ran on.

Obama betrayed us on the public option.

Nonsense.  First of all, the public option wasn't what a lot of people who are crying over it thought it was.  It was never set up where you could drop the insurance you've already got at work or otherwise and switch over to the new government insurance company.  The public option was only going to be open to those who weren't already covered as it's name says, an option.  The President also said it wasn't the main component to health insurance reform.  Besides, no one is stopping anyone from introducing the public option even now even though it'll require a change of parties in the House for it to have a chance.

Obama trades everything away.

I'm putting this one down to all of the people who never got involved in politics until 2008.  One of the benefits of the President coming from the Senate is that he's familiar with how things work in DC.  The name of the game there is compromise (even though with the Tea Party Republicans that's being put to the test).  Everything is "watered down" going through the legislative process -- it's how things get passed. 

Obama isn't a fighter.

Sorry, but I don't buy this one even a little bit:  No one gets 85% of his agenda passed being a milquetoast.  What he isn't is a public fighter.  That may make us applaud and cheer but it really doesn't do much when it comes to passing laws.  Fighters make headlines but don't have a great record of laws passed under their belts.  I'll take getting it done over whether I feel all warm and such about a fighting politician.

Excuse me for continuing to support the man I voted for back in 2008.  He's done the best he could do with what he's had to work with and most of that has been damn successful.  Keep this in mind too:  dump Obama and we don't get President Bernie Sanders.  We get President Michele Bachmann or Rick Perry.