This weekend I read a disturbing thing. Al Franken lost his temper with the white house and asked the president of the United States to lead. I looked to this website for reaction and what I heard was a resounding cheer.
Personally, I don't agree with this. I believe-- and of course I may be wrong, that what the majority of America thinks when they hear this is Al Franken = big baby and Democratic Congress = so pathetic that they need their daddy to do all the hard work for them. Neverthess, Mr. Franken and Daily Kos asked Barack Obama to lead and guess what...
BARACK OBAMA IS LEADING!
With apologies to those on this sight who seem so sure that the only way thing can be done is their way and that the only answers are their answers, I am humbly asking to people to step back a minute or two and look at the big picture.
THIS IS HOW BARACK OBAMA LEADS SO GET USED TO IT!
He looks at healthcare AT THIS MOMENT and it's a mess. The reason it's a mess isn't because of an election in Massachusetts it's because public opinion isn't for it or at least not for it enough where there's political and social pressure to get it done. Now before Massachusetts that didn't matter. The bill was going to pass and there would be a year to make things right but that was then and this is now.
ONE OF BARACK OBAMA'S STRENGTHS IS HIS ABILITY TO THINK RATIONALLY AND THINK AHEAD.
Now of course what he could do is just pressure our congress to pass the bill through whatever means necessary and there you go. That seems to be what a lot of posters here want. But you see the thing to know about why our president is president and you're not is...
BARACK OBAMA IS A LEADER AND LEADERS DON'T ACT OUT OF FEAR
He's not afraid of the Republicans. He KNOWS he can get this done. What he asks himself now is not what's the fastest way to do this but rather what's the best way to do this.
And not just healthcare but what's the best way to do this so that I have the best chance of winning the war and getting everything I want for the american people over the next eight years and not just winning one battle today.
He knows the worst way to approach healthcare right now is to reinforce the meme of Democrats "stubbornly ramming something irresponsible down the throats of a public that doesn't want it" It's a powerful meme and the reason it's so powerful is because to a large extent it would be true.
SO BARACK OBAMA LOOKS FOR THE TEACHABLE MOMENT INSTEAD
Barack does not believe that americans are stupid just misinformed. So what does he do? He continues to substantively increase his profile. He convenes a healthcare summit and invites the opposing party. Pretty good TV and a pretty good leadership. Once again just like in the previous Q & A and the SOTU he looks like the only adult in the room. He builds trust with the American people. Even better he shows america what the choice is between our two parties. He gives our pathetic media no choice but to state the obvious. Those lessons carry over and allows him to get more things done in the future.
And what if the Republicans decide they won't show up? What if they won't play ball? Well of course the answer to that is pretty clear-- it's a win won for the Democrats. You had your chance. You blew it now look what we did.
THIS IS HOW BARACK OBAMA ROLLS
He thinks in terms of the big picture not just what would make people happy today. I think it's a pretty smart way to go about it and if you look at it it terms of leadership maybe the only way to go about it.
You see the President you elected isn't a conservative or a liberal. He is a pragmatist, a community organizer trying to lead one very large community. I can't tell you how many times a day I hear people say some variation of - Well... if you got the right AND the left mad at you, you must be doing something right. Obama is showing people that there is a third way of doing things that most everybody knew was there all along. It is Obama's way. It is sane, reasonable and spoken not screamed.
It is called leadership.