(Community Matters) gotta love Andy Tobias. From his blog:
HALF FULL
As frustration over this and the tax compromise mount, an ardent and admirable Democrat on a list-serve I follow wrote: “So far the President has been failing miserably to do the jobs a majority of voters hired him to do. I want a competent executive who gets things done.”
I responded that, well, he did manage to keep us from an outright economic collapse.
(It’s easy to dismiss this, but picture your life in that circumstance. It would have impoverished many of us.)
And he did manage to launch great things in education reform (the much lauded “race to the top”) and in the energy department (with major investments seeding potential breakthrough technology).
And there was healthcare – by imposing an added 3.8% tax on the investment income of those at the top, he got the universal coverage we’ve been trying to achieve for a century. (Know anyone with a preexisting condition?)
And he got financial reform and credit card reform and Lily Ledbetter and the new stem cell line that might save the life of someone you love. And two progressive Justices instead of two more Roberts/Alitos.
And he pretty much restored our standing in the world and got a treaty with Russia that will remove the threat of 700 Russian missiles and our expense maintaining 700 of our own.
And saved the auto industry that the Republicans would have let fail.
And got gays hospital visitation rights and “hate crimes” legislation extended to include gender identity and the military to essentially halt all LGBT discharges and call on Congress to repeal DADT.
And more. (Billions from BP for oil spill victims, anyone?)
“So” (I concluded my response) “I just want to say that I, too, am very disappointed we’ve not made more progress. And I’m sick over the tax cut compromise. But I blame most of that not on the President or Democrats but on their opposition. Under the circumstances, it really hasn’t been a slouch of a first 23 months.”
Community Matters 