 |
| This Getty Images photograph was taken Friday at a Romney/Ryan campaign event in Lancaster, Ohio. |
Such hatred existed for President Bush in 2004.
Hate didn't win then, and it doesn't seem like it's going to work now.
But, let's look at why people hated Bush in 2004 and why people hate Obama now.
When Bush took office in 2001, he was handed a budget surplus. He quickly whacked taxes down to erase the surplus.
After repeated warnings, Bush ignored the threat posed by al Qaeda, and consequently, 9/11 occurred.
In 2004, Bush changed our "war on terror" from Afghanistan to Iraq, which had absolutely nothing to do with 9/11. He did so without much help from our allies, which ended the international goodwill we enjoyed after 9/11.
Al Qaeda remained alive along with Osama bin Laden.
America had become known for practicing torture.
We now had two wars paid with credit cards issued by China, plus a continued tax cut. Oh, and a prescription drug benefit for seniors that was also put on a credit card.
Well, the deficit took off and running. Dick Cheney responded to critics of out-of-control spending by saying, "deficits don't matter."
Later, after winning in 2004, Bush presided over the greatest economic collapse this country had seen since the Great Depression.
It's easy to see why people hated Bush. He was inept, reckless and destroyed our standing in the world. He essentially handed over the federal treasury to Wall Street.
To say that President Obama was left a mess of staggering proportions is putting it mildly.
It was a disaster.
On the night President Obama was inaugurated, Republican lawmakers plotted to thwart any initiatives by Obama, no matter how good they were for the country. The GOP refers to this as "bipartisanship."
Let's see, President Obama was supposed to fix the economy in the first few months, according to Bill O'Reilly.
He was supposed to end the wars immediately upon taking office while simultaneously ending all terrorism directed toward the U.S.
He was supposed to close GITMO in Cuba without bringing detainees to the U.S. mainland.
He was supposed to balance the budget without raising taxes.
No stimulus was needed to prop up the failing economy.
Let American automakers go bankrupt, Romney said.
And we sure didn't need universal health care, his critics cried, even if it was paid for by the citizens themselves.
Well, Obama did pass a stimulus bill without any Republican support. Same with bailing out the auto industry. And "Obamacare."
He ended our invasion of Iraq and is now drawing down forces in Afghanistan after an initial surge of troops.
Oh, and Seal Team Six, at President Obama's order, got Osama in Laden.
The hate started piling up.
But, the economy is still not perfect. Could it ever be?
Even though the private sector has been adding jobs for months now and the jobless rate is the lowest since President Obama took office, and even though the auto industry is rebounding, Team Romney claims we're going backwards.
President Obama is also hated because he respects women enough to sign, as his first bill, the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. He believes all women, regardless of faith, should have access to contraceptives from their insurer, if they choose to do so. They still have to pay their insurance premium so, no, taxpayers aren't footing the bill.
The uber-rich hate Obama because he wants them to pay a couple percentage points more in taxes than they're doing now. In essence, Obama believes the rich aren't doing enough and this has hurt their feelings.
Of course, Obama believes we could all do more to help our country and the world. And, he's right.
And then, there is the federal deficit.
For the first time in American history, the national debt is supposedly the most critical issue facing our nation. Coincidentally, it is the first time we have a president of African-American descent.
Yes, the deficit is a problem and yes, the Obama Administration has contributed to it, but at a slower pace than his predecessors. (See chart below)
But, that is what Americans really want. They want everything that politicians promise without having to pay for them.
With Obamacare, it is the first piece of legislation since Medicare in the 1960s that asks Americans to help pay for it through a mandate.
And that really brings out the hate: Demanding people pay for something they need or want.
Of course, the hate lingers from the asinine assertions that Obama is a Muslim or wasn't born in America.
Let's hope that hate loses in November. Vote for President Obama.
God, you're right again. Obama is hated because he's done such a bang-up job. Why didn't I think of that?
ReplyDelete