Still with the Prez

Yes, I still like President Obama. With his unfavorables down into "heckuva-job-Brownie" territory, someone needs to stick up for him.

Let's see... Obamacare is working and exceeding expectations in some areas. Even the Governor of Utah has a plan to take the Medicaid expansion if the Munchkin legislature doesn't sink it. It works best in states that have cooperated (funny how that is) with maybe the exception of Oregon where their tech expertise somehow got lost in the woods between the Redmond Valley and Silicon Valley.

Iraq's a disaster. We elected Obama to get us out of there where we never should have been. And he simply followed the W agreement to get us out because Maliki refused to sign one allowing for any US troops to stay. So, that's fine by me. If you want to keep following the Cheney Doctrine, go right ahead. I simply note that their answer is to go into full warrior mode again with no expectation that it won't get worse than they have already made it.

Iraq will soon be a divided state: Sunni vs. Shiite with Iran backing the Shiite government. At least Reagan or advisers understood Realpolitik enough to keep Iraq and Iran at war and us out of the way except to help balance out the power here and there by arming Iraq (Oh, yeah. That happened.) Then Ollie North started dealing with the Iranians as well (How soon we forget!) At least a Sunni vs. Shiite conflict keeps them at each other instead of at us.

There are things I'm not happy with. Some of his appointments haven't been that great. He tried for a Lincolnesque Team of Rivals and he did get some good work out of Hillary and Gates, but it didn't go much farther than that and they're both gone. I don't like the drone war, yet he got the guy behind Benghazi, not that the Repubs give him any credit for that. I don't like the NSA broad reach on monitoring or the less than successful "open government" initiatives.

Back to positives. We still have not sunk into a second great depression or even any serious inflation regardless of the debt. (deficit shrinking.) The world still sees us as the most stable place to invest and that's why they keep buying our bonds. Our economy is growing steadily without serious bubbling, Wall Street benefiting the most. Maybe some will trickle down to the rest of us (oops).

He has dealt pretty well with the most difficult Congress imaginable. A good segment of them don't even believe in government or that it can ever do any good (yet, they still seem to enjoy some of the perks of office - and the money and friends of money). You can't govern with those who believe government is the problem.

The best part is that he and his family are as clean as a whistle. There is no scandal that has touched them. Oh sure, if you watch certain cable TV or listen to some guys in Congress who want to impeach him, he's the worst ever, "Benghazi-gate," "IRS-gate," "Obamacare-launch-gate," Michelle-angry-spouse-gate," and let's not forget how much the right loves the first lady for her fashion-style and great parenting (this is the sarcastic part.) I suppose he could get technically impeached as the minority of the majority in the House runs things their way. Just remember, Clinton, of all people, finished with high approval ratings because Congress tripped all over themselves impeaching and trying him for "lying about sex." Oh, my!

Government does seem broken. The President has failed to get Congress working with him and the People behind him. They all seem so busy straining at gnats and swallowing camels to see and address the real problems of the nation and the world. That is, they are too busy trying to fly the latest exaggerated or wholly made-up outrage on the cable news 24/7 whirlwind instead of digging in and doing real, sweaty, boring, and absolutely necessary work.

The voting public seems worn out with the fury of no foundation. Maybe the People can still perform their function in self-government of, by, and for themselves. They are slowly and steadily transforming into new majorities and interests. Traditional parties don't serve and nothing on the left-right spectrum makes any sense.

The People must do this or no one. All the People of the United States for that more perfect Union of  Justice, Tranquility, Defense, Welfare, and Blessings of Liberty.

It's us or no one. The time is now.

President Barack Obama, with First Lady Michelle Obama, greets a young boy during the
Cannon Ball Flag Day Celebration at the Cannon Ball powwow grounds during a visit to the 
Standing Rock Sioux Tribe Reservation in Cannon Ball, N.D., June 13, 2014. 
(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)