I think it's important, every once in a while, to take a step back, see where we have come from, and gain some perspective. As progressives, we are committed to progressive policies. That's what makes us progressives. And we won't be fully satisfied until we get to our destination. We will and should continue to advocate and fight for our policies. In a balanced manner which demonstrates wisdom, humility and perspective, we appropriately will challenge or criticize our President when we believe that he is not moving forward with progressive agenda items aggressively enough.
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Let us recall where we have come from.
We endured eight years of George W Bush. President Bush took this nation's surplus and turned it into a deficit. His cowboy style foreign policy alienated the rest of the world. He campaigned on wedge religious issues and divided this country despite the circumstances preceding his entrance into power. He attempted to privatize social security. He nominated Alito and Roberts. He started an unjust war that never should have been authorized. It is his name and his administration that created the circumstances under which torture took place at Guantanamo Bay, that approved of waterboarding... He is the one who gave tax breaks to the rich. He is the one who nearly destroyed the economy of the U.S. and the world.
This was the situation in which the previous administration had left us.
A divided world. An unjust war. A denial of climate change. A broken economy. A divided citizenry.
I haven't agreed with all of President Obama's decisions / policies. But there is a world of difference, literally, between this man and his predecessor. He is bringing the Iraq War to a close and would never have authorized it had he been President.
He is forthright about the reality of climate change and the need to stop it. To the chagrin of most of us, he has done everything he could to try to engage in bipartisanship. He has shown an amazing patience and a wonderful temperament as the chief executive. He has restored the prestige and reputation of the United States to the world. He has turned around our economy. He brought a near universality of health coverage to the United States. He has shown great thoughtfulness, intelligence, character, and leadership as our country's President.
It truly is a different world than the one he inherited. It is a better world.
Let us remember and recapture the excitement that so many of us had during the election. I, for one, believe that he has lived up to the promise that I saw in him as a supporter in the primaries and in the general election. Over my next couple of diaries, I plan on bringing back some of my favorites bookmarked web pages from the election. I will bring back some of his speeches and a much missed voice from the past, Senator Ted Kennedy, when he endorsed President Obama.
From Meteor Blades, a Baker's dozen of International Headlines .
From Kula2316, the World Reacts to President Obama.