Campaigning is easy compared to governing. During a campaign, people can rally behind lofty ideas unhindered by political and economic constraints. It’s a solutions utopia. From how to handle North Korea, Iran and Afghanistan to closing Guantanamo and passing sweeping healthcare reform, Obama had the freedom to espouse idealistic solutions that differentiated himself from the competitors and lead to victory. All of this happened during an election cycle that lacked dynamic political and economic constraints that are a reality today. Afghanistan has proven more challenging than Obama thought. Iran and North Korea are not as easy to deal with through diplomatic means as Obama assumed. The promise of more and better healthcare for less money isn’t as appealing or convincing since Americans have had to grapple with the details. Average Americans are looking for work and trying to avoid having their homes foreclosed, but our President is acting like it’s still 2008 and he’s at a rally energizing the base by saying the impossible can be done if we’re just willing to suspend belief and trust our elected representatives to do what’s best for us – like they always do.
When a President takes office, it’s imperative that he shift from campaigning to governing. He must lead the whole nation, supporters and opposition alike. He must adjust to the political and economic realities of the day, not bask in the utopia assumed during the election cycle. Despite the quip to Senator McCain, Obama is the one who needs to acknowledge that the campaign is over and that the task before him is to govern. The economy presents genuine constraints. Americans are out of work, their wealth has been diminished and our national debts continue to mount. Obama presses on, recommending a budget with a record deficit, new taxes and expansion of government programs. The evolving political climate presents constraints too, which Obama must react to, not bulldoze through. Average Americans are by every objective measure against sweeping healthcare reform. Obama presses on. Why? The only conclusion one can draw is that Obama is committed to pursuing an agenda regardless of whether it’s still politically or economically feasible or desirable. This is what you do when you’re trying to win, not trying to govern.
The country is in desperate need of a President who lives in reality, who is in touch with the lives and will of average Americans. We do not need a President who assumes we’re ignorant if we disagree with him. We do not need a President who is paternalistic, but one who is respectful. Mr. President, the campaign debates, speeches and rallies are behind us. This is 2010, not 2008, and the election is over. Some of your ideas, which resonated with many on the campaign trail, are not tenable today. When will you recognize this, adjust and truly govern?
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