Barack Obama Needs to Step Up.

President Obama needs to be a leader, not a rationalizing academic.  We need it now.  And that doesn’t mean just slamming Health Care reform through the legislature without a care for the Republican side. That means sitting down with both sides, playing James Madison, and hammering out a compromise that, although it may not be exciting to either side, is acceptable to both.

Many Democrats, the administration included will ask why.  Why should they compromise when they are able to push through the legislation they want?  The answer, for the good of the country.

We are tired of polarization Americans can see that it permeates all aspects of our lives.  People no longer listen, they scream.  People no longer attempt to understand other views or even allow them to be given, they shout them down.  Young people seem to believe there are only two ways to view the world – as us or them.  Gone are the days when people said “Sticks and stones will break my bones, but names will never hurt me.”  Now all words are fighting words, unless they are our words.

Why is this insidious?  We are becoming a great big Jonestown (or should I say two Jonestowns).  Drink the cool aide or you are an outcast.  Drink the cool aide or no one will love you.  Drink the cool aide or you are evil and won’t make it to heaven.  Drink the cool aide or you are a traitor to everything for which we stand.

I am no Cool Aide drinker.  I want to hear what “they” have to say.  I will shout till I am blue in the face that the Emperor has no clothes, no matter the prevailing “wisdom” that says its a “new outfit.” President Obama, you need to lead us back to a better place, and you need to do it by defying your own party as well as the opposition.

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Comments

[JR]

Ruby - You may not have but I voted for him and contributed to his campaign. I think he needs to rein in his own party. It would be good for him, good for the democrats and good for the country. I think that the thing that his opposition fears the most is Obama taking charge and forcing the Nancy Pelosis of the world to compromise. If he did that and brought a bill that made sense he would gain credibiltiy. Otherwise its just Washington doing its usual thing.

[Ruby Findley]

When it comes to the health care bill I feel like the Democrats are using party differences to pass it through quickly saying that Republicans will never like what is in the bill because the Democrats want it, when in all reality NO ONE WANTS IT! The only people that want this bill to pass are people who have no plans on getting above the poverty line because they love government assistance. Thank you for talking about how Obama needs to step up! We need less whining from him, and more leadership, not dictatorship, but leadership.

[RyanT]

Well said!