Response to "Obama Criticism"

This is a response to Victoria's post, titled "Obama Criticism." I completely agree with what Victoria wrote. Obama is "taking the necessary steps to help our country." Although he has many critics, I believe that he is taking America in the right direction. Sometimes I am surprised to see how low Obama's approval ratings have become. It doesn't seem possible that the same men and women that voted for Obama back in 2008 have now turned their backs on him. After all, Obama has fulfilled a large number of extremely ambitious campaign promises, making this Congress the most productive one since the passage of the Great Society acts.

Perhaps the biggest issue in the early campaign season was the Iraq War, the conflict that came to symbolize George W. Bush's doctrine of preventative war. As the campaign began Americans were sick of the violence and conflict going on in Iraq while little progress was being made. Obama convinced the American people early on that he never supported the war and he would bring the war to a close swiftly and responsibly. Obama has made good on that promise.

As the campaign continued, and the financial crisis took center stage, Obama assured the people that he would reign in on speculative practices in Wall Street and make sure nothing like this ever happened again. As of last month, Obama has made good on that promise.

When Obama came into office people were being denied essential health coverage because of pre-existing conditions. Premiums were skyrocketing and the American public was imploring the next administration to do the one thing that every president in modern American history had failed to do: enact real health care reform. Obama promised that he would be the one to do it. And although the battle was tough, compromises were made and a bill that will drastically increase health care coverage was passed. Obama has made good on his promise.

In a nation where campaign promises are often empty rhetoric, Obama has fared quite well. He has done what he set out to do. So why then, do the very same people who elected Obama now disapprove of the path he is taking America? I believe that the answer is twofold. First, people are worried about their jobs, and second, change has not come as perfectly or as quickly as some would have hoped. About the first point, I think Americans have simply grown tired at our slumping economy. They thought Obama could wave a magic wand and fix our broken economy but it wasn't that simple. Until the jobs come back, many Americans will refuse to approve of Obama's actions. In Victoria's article, she mentions certain criticisms by Sarah Palin. I think conservatives like Palin are simply taking advantage of this uneasy feeling pervading America. In all likelihood, a Republican in office would have done just as well or just as poorly in shaping the economy; these issues take time and it is unfair to demand quick results from any president. Yet that has not stopped them from using this to fan the flames of discontent throughout America. This is one reason why Obama's criticism has been rising.

Victoria also pointed out that the election of 2008 excited the young people, making them passionate about politics for the first time. While this was great during the campaign, it seems to be hurting him now. Because the young and the idealistic were Obama's biggest supporters. Obama seemed to be the new man willing to enact broad and sweeping change throughout Washington. However, when his ideas were met by reality, a lot of (young) people, including myself for a while, were sorely disappointed. This is perhaps another reason why those who voted for Obama now disapprove of him even though he fulfilled so many of his promises.

Victoria also mentioned Obama's speech at UT. I was lucky enough to be one of the "limited number of students" to be able to attend the speech. I was also able to attend Obama's rally just before his debate with Hillary Clinton during the primaries back in 2008. I agree with Callie Shell; the president is the same man we saw during the campaign. I was amazed at Obama's dedication to the issues. I was also amazed by how enthusiastic the audience was. Students were willing to camp out from 10 pm to 8 am just to hear the president speak. They cheered at Obama's initiatives and laughed at his humor. Supporters for Obama are still out there, and rightfully so. Obama has been a great president thus far, and has been the recipient of often unfair criticism.