“So, How’s that Hope and Change Working Out for You,” the bumper sticker read that I saw this morning driving in to start my day’s work.
Today, as you may have heard, was the first year in office mark for President Obama, and the exercise of free speech I saw on the bumper of the Ford Fusion in front of me, gave me pause.
First off, the fact that it was on a hybrid vehicle–normally a sure sign of a liberal at the wheel—made me wonder if the folks who voted for the president felt like they were getting the return on the investment they thought they would? So, I made a couple calls to some very Liberal friends I have here in Ashe and a few other towns I have spent time in, and the answers I received caught me off guard.
One friend, a college professor, told me that overall it wasn’t such a bad first year because of the enormity of the “problems he [Obama] found waiting on his desk and the reality that big problems take time to fix.”
An out of work bridge inspector I know thinks that the President would have done more domestically to put folks back to work, “but all he has done really is help out the fat cats in the CEOs’ offices in Detroit and on Wall Street, while I have to go on food stamps and work at ‘Rent-a-Drunk’ to buy my kids groceries.”
A Note: Rent-a-Drunk (not the company’s real name) refers to a day labor office in this guy’s town where the normal workforce is made up of folks who come in, make enough money to buy what ever substance they are addicted to, and then come back a few days later to make some more. I’ve worked there when in between jobs myself, (it will keep you from starving), but it’s no way to make a living.
Still another friend, a super-computer nerd as I call him, thought that he had done a spectacular job in “beginning to right the ship Bush almost sunk.”
A couple others had stronger opinions in different directions that I won't bore you with.
As for me, I’m no Obama apologist to put it mildly, but overall he’s not done any worse than other Presidents. He is at a 47 percent approval rate, which makes his the second lowest drop for a one-year president, just ahead of Ronald Reagan’s 45 percent and that turned out all right.
I think the big thing is that he came in promising so much; he really couldn’t make it all happen. Does that make him optimistic or a snake-oil salesman? The answer depends on who you ask.
The proof of his administration’s success must be weighed on the local level. This time though I’m not going to tell you what to think, just suggest some questions to ask yourself that may lead you to an answer of your own.
• How does your bank account look?
• Do you or someone in your neighborhood or church or bowling league have a child, parent, cousin, etc. in Iraq or Afghanistan?
• Have you lost your job?
• Is your business in danger of failing?
• Do you have any prospects for better employment?
• Can you afford healthcare?
• How well do you sleep?
After you answer these questions honestly, then ask one more:
What’s really different about today from Jan. 20, 2009, 2005 or 2002.
Let me know what you figure out, I already know the answer.
