When President-elect Obama became "just" "plain" President Obama, I wasn't watching. Because I was finishing off work and heading home, not because I wouldn't have been tuning in the way Sharon (who rushed home to take it in on CNN) did. The fact that I couldn't go through the warehouse without being "treated" to right-leaning yak radio station talkSPORT (which, being in bed with Rupert Murdoch, has always been not exactly pro-the man who copyrighted the phrase "Yes we can") certainly didn't help - what's Obama accomplished they ask? Well, for a start he hasn't been a codeword for asshattery like the predecessor.
But forget them, and forget the kind of political discussion in the letters pages of the likes of thelondonpaper. (As Sharon pointed out, during our own lifetimes you couldn't have gotten racially-mixed casts on South African TV shows of the past the way you can on current ones like Isidingo and Generations.) Focus on the millions thrilled, and not only in the US or Kenya. Focus on his packing more inspiration and intelligence in one minute than his predecessor managed in eight (and arguably more than 60) years. Focus on real hope. And focus on... positivity. After eight long, long years, the mood's finally gotten to change. And that's no bad thing.
6 comments:
"The fact that I couldn't go through the warehouse without being "treated" to right-leaning yak radio station talkSPORT (which, being in bed with Rupert Murdoch, has always been not exactly pro-the man who copyrighted the phrase "Yes we can") certainly didn't help - what's Obama accomplished they ask? Well, for a start he hasn't been a codeword for asshattery like the predecessor."
Where's Phoenix Wright when you need him to point and yell, "OBJECTION!" George W. Bush did good things. There was Operation Red Dawn, which resulted in the capture of Saddam Hussein. There's the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, which has provided treatment for, prevented the disease for, and given care to 19 million people worldwide. There was the U.S. government response to the September 11 attacks, which helped save the lives of survivors and has prevented further acts of terrorism on American soil. And there's Medicare Part D, which cut the costs of perscription drugs for Medicare beneficiaries. I know the popular thing is to look at the Bush administration as the glass being half empty, and while there were mistakes made, there were plenty of positives, which I don't even have the time to write up about.
Still, congratulations, Barack Obama. This country has taken giant leaps in breaking out of the shackles of oppression that once chained the African-American population, and I think Obama will do great things (key word being, "Think").
Be that as it may, I'm afraid Bush's negatives pretty much outweigh his positives on the world stage (and, it would seem, domestically)... the capture of Saddam Hussein didn't make much if any difference in the end, for instance.
Admittedly his manglings of the English language plus his down-home accent tended to signify "moron" to many people, which can't have helped his image.
How about we just agree to disagree?
That suits me. Besides, it is possible to be anti-Bush and still be a complete asshole, otherwise known as Piers Morgan Syndrome.
Hope and positivity are great things.
Let us be happy that the world is changing to adapt to these things.
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