[Displaced Flames fan]

Originally Posted by Iowa_Flames_Fan

Isn't it possible to just think that Obama is much better than his predecessor (or than his alternate choice, for that matter) without that meaning that we have to anoint him the messiah of American political culture?

I feel like there's a utopia fallacy at work here--like because Obama hasn't instantly fixed every problem, therefore he's garbage.

Personally, I never expected him to fix every problem--nor did I expect to agree with everything he does. I never saw him as anything other than a politician.

This health care thing is turning into a fiasco, much as it did for Clinton, but I think only the stodgiest people can hold an executive officer solely responsible for something that was crafted by a legislative body. Anyone who really knows how American politics works also knows that Obama can't control the details of the health care plan--and unfortunately, the rule that "the devil is in the details" counts double for anything involving health policy.

My expectations for Obama were, frankly, pretty modest. He walked into a difficult job, and was instantly faced with a huge array of Hobson's choices left for him by Bush, who pretty much kicked the can down the road on any number of issues. I did expect that he would be a much, much better president than Bush was or than McCain would have been. So far, I'm not disappointed.

Think of it this way: someone has to have the political courage to take on the third rail that is health care. Obama has tried; that took a lot of guts. It doesn't look like the solution will truly solve America's problems, but it's likely to help, even if only a little bit. I think it's pretty stubborn to keep complaining about it--since he's the only one who wasn't too much of a coward to at least try. Bush would have done nothing. McCain would have done nothing. I fail to see how that would have been better.

I never said he was garbage. My post did nothing more than outline why Vulcan didn't need to provide proof of his claim. I did it for him.

I voted for Obama and still have high hopes.

Please don't tell me you are running to Vulcan's defense!