Looking back, with disappointment bringing different tears

[Tansy_Gold]

A few days ago, I was going through some old email and I came across a note I'd sent to a friend of mine, a frequent reader but very rare poster here on DU. I had told her that there was an essay here that truly captured, far better than I myself could, how I had felt as the presidential campaign entered the home stretch. By the time I came across the note in my files, I'd forgotten what the DU post was about, so I clicked on the link and there it was, composed by K Gardner and posted on 28 September, back in those fearful/hopeful days when we didn't know what the future would bring.

"Miss Jean Louise, Stand Up, Your Father's Passin'."

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x7226200

Reading it now, six months later and more than the obligatory 100 day honeymoon into the new administration, I wonder. . . .

What happened to that man, in whom we saw such promise and such hope? What happened to the grace and dignity that allowed him to persevere in the face of ignorance and hate? John McCain wouldn't look him in the eye, cast slurs of "that one" in his face, and he didn't lower himself to return the insult ever, at any point. Grace and courage under fire. Humility in victory, embracing former rivals on the level of their common goals and shared wisdom. Challenges to all of us to join in a united effort to make our world -- not just our nation -- a better place.

What happened? What the hell happened?

The system did not defeat Atticus Finch. It did not corrupt him; it did not steal his soul, his integrity, his sense of himself. It did not make him seek compromises/capitulations with his enemies, with those he thought were wrong. Whatever the cost, he did what he believed was the right thing to do. The only thing a man of integrity could do.

Can the same be said of Barack Obama. . . . today?

Where is his passion? Where is his sense of doing what is right, regardless the cost? To whom has he stood up and confronted them with their wrongness, their errors, their lack of compassion?

So many of us saw ideals embodied in the candidate Obama. We wept, openly and unashamedly, at his victory. We applauded his intention to "hit the ground running" as soon as the election was over.

And then something happened. For some of us, it happened early. Perhaps those who hated the Clintons and so much of what they stood for saw the selection of Hillary as secretary of state as the "click" that turned off the enthusiasm. For others it was the nomination of Timothy Geithner as secretary of the treasury. For others it might have been the retention of Robert Gates as secretary of defense. Someone else might have seen the stumbles on Daschle's nomination to be a slip that revealed the idol had some mud on his shoes, if not outright feet of clay.

It's true that we have a representative democracy. We elect our leaders not to do what we want or tell them to do, but to stand in for us and in a sense think and act and legislate and rule on our behalf. We place our trust in them, and short of recall or impeachment, they are there until we replace them with another election or they choose to leave.

And so Barack Obama is under no obligation to carry out the policies "we" want him to. No legal obligation, that is.

But what about the moral obligation? What about the moral obligation not to let those who approved of, ordered, and carried out torture to get away with it? What about the moral obligation to stand up for the people and stand down for the corporations that have bled them dry? What about the moral obligation to put the rights and lives and livelihoods of workers ahead of the rights of stockholders/financial gamblers? What about the moral obligation to make the physical environment of our planet more conducive to life for all creatures, not just the rapacious species of homo sapiens?

If I saw the promise of Atticus Finch in the Barack Obama of 28 September 2008, I no longer do. The promise has not been kept. Perhaps it will be, perhaps, but there is far too much nuancing and compromising and backscratching and negotiating and aisle-crossing to be erased before I would tell my grandchildren, "Stand up, Master Andrew and Master Elliot, your president is passin'," with the heart-felt sense of respect that Atticus Finch had earned. Promises unkept aren't enough; Barack Obama hasn't yet earned it.

Tansy Gold

[monmouth]

1. Wow. That's all I've come up with after reading your post. I've

noticed your always critical and negative posts re Obama in the past, perhaps due to wanting everything done immediately. By no means is this financial crisis been completely dealt with and put away as finished. Where is his passion, commitment, etc? It's still there but I feel you would rather ignore it. How did you feel when he traveled and was received by other world leaders?

The promise has not been kept? He's been in office for a little over 100 friggin days.. Your post is disgusting.

[Demeter]

3. How About "Where's His Integrity?"

[monmouth]

4. I forgot that one. Posts like this really pi$$ me off.....n/t

[Demeter]

5. Well, Where Is It?

[Demeter]

2. K&R

[snowdays]

10. ok:-)

[Saturday]

6. Don't you think you're being a little impatient? nt

[FrenchieCat]

7. You are the sort that walks while the beginning credits of the movie are still rolling.

Your paragraph in where you list some of the reasons why "others" no longer believe
in Barack Obama as their Atticus Finch is ridiculous:

Because if all it took was
The selection of Hillary as secretary of state or,
The nomination of Timothy Geithner as secretary of the treasury,
or The retention of Robert Gates as secretary of defense,
or The stumbles on Daschle's nomination......

Then those folks were always going to be the all-White Jury starring in "to kill a Mockingbird". They had already made up their mind, and the trial/term of Barack Obama was simply a mockery,
with the verdict known far in advance.

This OP tells us more about you than it does about Barack Obama....
because you see, you couldn't list any good that he has done......
and that tells us that you will never give this man "just" time nor "just" judgment.

I am amazed at folks discussing Obama's legacy as President,
without having the decency of giving him the measure of years,
as others have normally been afforded.

[Name removed]

11. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[FrenchieCat]

14. That's what happens when one grows up Black.

Does me having the audacity of mentioning the "All White Jury" in "to kill a Mockingbird" responding to an OP refering to "Atticus Finch" make you uncomfortable?
If so, I'm so sorry that you would suffer at my hands. We wouldn't want that.

[Tansy_Gold]

12. The point was not that Obama has done nothing good or

that he's been a complete failure, because indeed those are things that only time, more than 100 days, will tell.

But it's no longer enough that he's not George W. Bush.

I'm saying, regardless what my detractors may think, that unlike the fictional Atticus Finch -- and perfection is probably only achievable in fiction -- Obama has already indicated that there are a lot of areas on which integrity and loyalty and the honor of a promise are, well, negotiable.

Feel free to put me on ignore if you don't like my posts. Won't hurt my feelings at all.

But it does bother me that there seem to be a lot of people on DU who are as willing to ignore or deny or refuse to even examine possible/potential flaws in the Obama administration, including its appointments and its policies, as some/many of the bushbots who comprise the 20-some percent of Americans who still believe George W. Bush did the right thing on most issues. We should never be that blind.

Shortly after the 2004 elections, a good friend of mine suddenly divorced her husband of over 20 years, much to the shock of their children and families. She said that she had been afraid to admit that she'd made a mistake marrying him, and rather than admit the mistake, she stayed with him, endured physical and mental abuse, suffered his infidelities in silence, and put a happy face on everything. She said it was seeing the whole damn country behaving like an abused spouse that gave her the courage to finally end what had been utter torment for her. It wasn't that she didn't know he was abusing her, and it wasn't that she didn't have the means to end it; she was more afraid of the humiliation of admitting the mistake.

No one, least of all I, expected Obama to be perfect, to be the superman who would fix all the wrongs in the first 24 hours of his administration. But K Gardner's beautiful post from September reminded me that all of us had enormous hope, and we did make the comparisons to those fictional heroes who lived up to all our expectations. So perhaps indeed the fault was ours in having those expectations, but they did not materialize out of the ether. The promises were made, the hopes were encouraged.

We, too, have an obligation: an obligation not to let our elected leaders fall short without question. Whether is demanding that Nancy Pelosi answer how much did she know about waterboarding torture and when did she know about it and what did she do about it, or it is demanding that Barack Obama answer for his acquiescence on bank bailouts and militant opposition to saving US auto jobs, then we have that obligation. We do no one any good if we mrely vote and think that that is all we have to do.

Tansy Gold

[FrenchieCat]

13. The fact that you are speaking in past tense

demonstrates that you have already made your determination.....
and yes, you obviously expected OBama to be perfect, to be superman
who would fix all the wrongs if not in the first 24 hours,
then at least in the first 5 months of his 4 year administration.....
because that is exactly what you have demanded.

[Tansy_Gold]

15. Actually, I was -- and am -- speaking/writing not in the past tense but

In the present and present perfect tenses.

But I don't expect you or anyone else to know that.

And no, I have not made (present perfect) a "determination" since use of the verb "wonder" implies that I am thinking about, pondering, musing, considering, contemplating. (present progressive tense)

I specifically stated that I didn't demand perfection of Obama, but rather that what I and a lot of others have seen is no longer affirming the anticipation we experienced before the election and inauguration. For you to say that I did demand perfection after I had specifically stated that I did not means that you are calling me a liar.

What I have seen, however, is an Obama whose actions are not in keeping with what I had hoped to see in his administration. If not perfect and if not repairing all the damage done by the eight years of the previous administration, at least I expected to see real substantive change. The cabinet appointments hardly showed that: he chose mainly elected officials (governors, senators, etc.) who may have had some less-than-progressive policy backgrounds. Geithner, while not elected, had some unsavory connections to previous administrations, and given that THE ECONOMY was one of the main issues on which Obama campaigned (and perhaps may indeed have one the election) the fact that there was little or no new blood on the economic team was cause for alarm.

I'm glad that you're totally comfortable and secure and happy with the way things are and they way they're going. You probably sleep better than I and go through your day with far less stress. I'm not, and I believe I have a right, not only here on DU but elsewhere, to express my views, to work toward my own personal vision of a better and more just society.

Many people have tried to shut me up, black, white, striped, paisley, and undeclared. I've been flamed and I've even been threatened with bodily harm. I'm still here.

I'm still (present tense)



Tansy Gold

[dixiegrrrrl]

22. Hey Tansy...I got 2nd degree burns on DU for posting those thoughts a few weeks ago.

I also got a bunch of PMs in support, and a long list of names to add to my ignore list.

There are several folks I listen to with respect here.
One of them is

Tansy Gold

[Tansy_Gold]

24. thank you!

:yourock:

I've been very fortunate -- I've been flamed pretty badly and called a lot of names and accused of things I've never done, but so far I only have four people on ignore.

And none of them have posted here! ;-)


Tansy Gold

[The Doctor.]

21. Well, if you could please...

"I'm saying, regardless what my detractors may think, that unlike the fictional Atticus Finch -- and perfection is probably only achievable in fiction -- Obama has already indicated that there are a lot of areas on which integrity and loyalty and the honor of a promise are, well, negotiable."

One of the dead giveaways that someone's desires outweigh their reason is when they insinuate rather than specify. If you have reason, this request shouldn't be difficult;

Upon what specific points has Obama apparently compromised his integrity? That might be worth having a discussion over.

[keep_it_real]

8. Give him time; it took JFK 1000 days before . . .

He really knew what the job was about, where he was going and what he really was going to do for the good of the nation.

Yes, in those 1000 days he was doing things based on his basic sense of what was right and best for the country, but toward the end of the 1000 days, he started getting his vision of what he wanted to really do that would be new for the nation.

Let's give Obama at least 1000 days.

[countingbluecars]

9. Oh Geeze.

Another doom and gloom-Obama hasn't made everything perfect post.

[Fire1]

19. Why must there always be a 'time table?' 100 days, now a

1000 days. That is just crazy. The promises this man made on a time table should never have been made and proved, at least to me, a bit of his naivety before being elected. I was virtually stunned when he got elected and knew that each piece of legislation he would accomplish was going to be an up hill battle even if he didn't know it himself. Essentially, it appears that some of us weren't realistic to begin with and with such high expectations had a greater distance to fall.

[LaurenG]

16. I think he's still there. My sense of President Obama is that he is right there

for us. Hillary Clinton is not the worst pick, she has political capitol on her own, she's strong and will do what the President asks of her, I have no problem with her as Secretary of State, at all.

I think it's normal to feel disappointment when after we've placed a human being on a pedestal, he falls. The problem with this is that there was nowhere else for him to go.

I feel he will be one of the most influential and well loved presidents this country has ever had. The man has a very sensitive "nose" regarding the way forward. He will maneuver his way through the obstacle course that was left to him and though we may all only get some of what we want, we will still end up surviving and be better for his service on the other side of his term.

I won't say be patient but I will say get on with your life, start enjoying all the things you love, focus on the things that bring you joy and try to keep a hopeful attitude as you bring to fruition the desires of your own heart.

[Robbien]

17. Thank you Tansy

Gitmo is not going any where. Torture practices have not been punished or stopped. Iraq is still occupied and will continue to be occupied for years on end. Ramped up war activities in Afghanistan and Somalia.

And that's just foreign affairs activities.

Yup, this is not the hope for which I signed up.

[Tansy_Gold]

25. You are very welcome.

and you're correct, too.

It's not just things like the continuing increases in new unemployment claims and the job losses they represent. It's that there's nothing being done, no initiatives proposed, that will stop it.

Retraining? As someone said in THAT thread, retraining for what? The 22,000 "green" jobs that have already been outsourced?

The bank stress tests are now seen to be a joke. They were given the answers the night before and passed with flying colors. Surprise! Surprise!

Where is health care?

Where is EFCA?

What's this bullshit of Salazar saying it's open season on wolves?

What's this bullshit of saying the polar bears are expendable? (Okay, I confess I didn't read up on that one; I was already too depressed over the wolf thing.)

Where's global warming?

Jon Stewart said it best -- we're a nation of workers, work is what we do. And it's been taken away from us, replaced with platitudes instead of policy. Without that, without jobs that have meaning, the create the goods and services we need for our everyday lives, there is nothing else.

That is, pardon the pun, Job #1.


Tansy Gold

[HamdenRice]

18. You're comparing the presidency to the job of a fictional small town lawyer?

That's your analysis? That a make believe character could be pure and that the president, at the nexus of trillions of dollars of public interest groups, 50 prima dona senators, including blue dogs, a teeter totter supreme court, and a military industrial complex can't just do what you want him to do instantly?

And because a fictional small town lawyer could take a controversial case, Obama is already a failure?

Why not just compare him to Superman, if you're comparing him to fictional characters? Superman would have gotten everything done by now.

I don't get your point.

[Tansy_Gold]

20. Actually, no, I didn't. K Gardner did. And there were a whole lot

of DUers who agreed with that sentiment. I was one of them, whether I posted in that thread or not.

Fictional characters represent our ideals, and there's no reason NOT to compare our real-life "heroes" to them. By the way, I used to write fiction for a modest living. Novels. Published. By real publishers, not just online. With heroes and heroines and villains and comic sidekicks and wise mentors. I have a little bit of familiarity with the genre. Oh, yeah, and I used to teach fiction writing, too.

Atticus Finch took on a controversial case, and before the outcome of that case was known, his integrity, his unfailing sense of doing what was right regardless of the outcome, regardless of the forces aligned against him, had already earned him the respect that that line embodied. It is perhaps the nature of modern day political campaigning that a candidate, maybe some candidates, maybe even ALL candidates, are required to project that kind of persona, quasi-superhuman, to the electorate in order to get elected. Prior to the election, prior to their victory and inauguration, we have nothing else to judge their future performance by than their promises. Yes, we have their records to go by, but we do not and we will not judge Obama's presidency on the basis of his career as law professor, state senator or US senator.

So in the process of deciding who we as an American electorate will choose, we have to go on what we think, hope, believe, trust that individual will do in the future. And while we base that judgment on their past record, we also have to look at the promise. And what K Gardner's post implied was that Obama had the potential to earn the kind of respect that Atticus Finch -- who never compromised, never negotiated, never sold out -- earned.

My question then became, on re-reading K Gardner's original comparison, were we still seeing the same Obama that we saw when we read that post back in September? Maybe some of us are, and that's okay. But I'm not, and maybe there are others who aren't. And I suppose there are those who will call us gloom and doomers and Obama haters, and impatient and all the rest. Okay, fine. But while some may disagree with me, do I not have the right to air my views in a civilized forum and in a civilized manner and receive civil responses?

I believe that I do, and I'm going to continue to post my views with reasonable civility. And I will try to be as dignified in replying to the McCain-esque insults I receive as Barack Obama was. I may not always succeed, but I will try.



Tansy Gold

[Psychic Consortium]

23. Obama will be one of the most remarkable presidents this county has ever seen.

He will transform America in profound ways
that will effect generations.

Clean air, food, water, access to education and health care. A government which works for the people. Equal rights, more civilized political discourse. We will be healthier, smarter and happier in the future thanks to him.

[DemReadingDU]

26. Let's see where we are in 3 years, 2012

"He will transform America in profound ways that will effect generations."

Let's see if Obama decides to run for a 2nd term.

[Tansy_Gold]

27. You missed the point, DRDU ...

If the "Psychic Consortium" says it, it must be true. We don't have to wait and see. We don't need no stinkin' proof, no actual deeds accomplished. It's gonna happen. . . . .I promise. :sarcasm:


Kinda like my friend was saying this morning about her ex-husband and the father of her two (now-grown) children who always calls her on Mother's Day:

"He had great intentions. If I pointed out that the faucet was leaking, he'd promise to get it fixed. A week later, when I reminded him, he'd repeat the promise, and he'd point out that he had helped me do the dishes. A month later, when I reminded him again, not only would he repeat the promise but he'd get the kids to agree with him and tell me to quit nagging. If I suggested maybe I should just call a plumber, he'd be all apologetic and contrite, but wounded at the same time because I hadn't shown enough faith in him and doubted that he meant his promise. Six months later, when he discovered there was a new faucet in the sink I'd explain to him that I called a plumber and had it replaced three months ago. Then he'd get mad and say, well, why didn't I do that in the first place instead of ragging on him all the time."



And it may be that Obama will ultimately fulfill the promises he made. I sure as hell hope so, and I'd be absolutely delighted to say in six months or a year "you told me so." But I think that will require some change in direction and I don't see that change happening. . . . yet.


Tansy Gold

[DemReadingDU]

28. The thing is, Obama is going to keep the status quo

He's beholden to his 'handlers' and whatever he says and does, is to keep the elites happy. We perceive he made promises to us, but did he? I'm not so sure any more what is the truth, what are the mis-truths. Things are falling apart all around us, but the media spins that it's not that bad. It's not really for us, it's for them...the elites. And as long as they can prolong this fake feel-good, then they'll keep doing it. I don't see that it can last for 3 more years though.

[Psychic Consortium]

30. Yes indeed. Let us see where we are in 2012.

He will seek and win a second term.

[bemildred]

29. Oooops. nt