I tend to be one of those who votes more for the man than for the party, even though I concede that I am still a believer in a basic social safety net and tend to (though not always) look more warily at (many) Republicans and their reliability in maintaining the basic social safety net than at (many) Democrats -- perhaps a bum rap, perhaps not. I've usually been a "Proximirite" after the maverick Democratic Senator William Proxmire of the '60s and '70s, who tended to be centrist on cultural values but who tended mostly to prioritize butter over guns, while being such a stern fiscal conservative that he used to issue monthly "Golden Fleece" awards to earmarks that were especially frivolous or wasteful. Essentially, that's me.
All that said, I've decided that since I seriously view President Bush Jr. as more a failure than not for several reasons, it's only fair that I hold President Obama to the same standards, especially since the wind will be at his back in the legislature. No one could possibly be blamed for giving him a hard time; so if he screws up, it will be entirely his own and the Democrats' fault.
Frankly, I've decided to hold Obama to seven specific markers, and if he doesn't come up to them by the end of four years, I might honestly decide to shift a few of my philosophical priorities. My feeling will be, "If this new equation does not result in success, it may be back to the drawing board altogether".
My seven markers by the end of four years will be
A) clear steps taken toward energy independence,
B) those hurt by the economy in mostly better shape,
C) the apprehension of Osama Bin Laden,
D) no terrorist attack on US soil,
E) reaffirmation of due process and Geneva rules,
F) no middle-class tax hikes, and
G) popular endorsement of the majority in 2010.
Both Presidents Clinton and Bush Jr. stepped up to the plate on a few of these, but failed on others. I will not view President Obama as the greatest thing since President Washington ;-) if he fails on any one of these six things, frankly, given how up-front both he and Senator McCain were in stressing the obvious importance of performing well on each of these six issues. They have been rehashed to such a degree that not to buckle down and be moderately effective in all is to be tone-deaf as to what is important in our time --
IMO, of course.
Any thoughts?
Operacast
All that said, I've decided that since I seriously view President Bush Jr. as more a failure than not for several reasons, it's only fair that I hold President Obama to the same standards, especially since the wind will be at his back in the legislature. No one could possibly be blamed for giving him a hard time; so if he screws up, it will be entirely his own and the Democrats' fault.
Frankly, I've decided to hold Obama to seven specific markers, and if he doesn't come up to them by the end of four years, I might honestly decide to shift a few of my philosophical priorities. My feeling will be, "If this new equation does not result in success, it may be back to the drawing board altogether".
My seven markers by the end of four years will be
A) clear steps taken toward energy independence,
B) those hurt by the economy in mostly better shape,
C) the apprehension of Osama Bin Laden,
D) no terrorist attack on US soil,
E) reaffirmation of due process and Geneva rules,
F) no middle-class tax hikes, and
G) popular endorsement of the majority in 2010.
Both Presidents Clinton and Bush Jr. stepped up to the plate on a few of these, but failed on others. I will not view President Obama as the greatest thing since President Washington ;-) if he fails on any one of these six things, frankly, given how up-front both he and Senator McCain were in stressing the obvious importance of performing well on each of these six issues. They have been rehashed to such a degree that not to buckle down and be moderately effective in all is to be tone-deaf as to what is important in our time --
IMO, of course.
Any thoughts?
Operacast
