-->Mindless Media Chatter

     So once again we sit on the eve of another presidential election.  As is usually the case, we are bombarded with media coverage everywhere we turn.  Many would argue that the many sources of information at our disposal today give “us the people” access to the best information about what is really happening in our democratic society.  Furthermore, our media also keeps tabs on our elected officials so we can hold them accountable for representing us as we intended when we voted for them.  However, does there come a point when the endless chatter becomes so overwhelming that “we the people” can’t hear, or worse yet, don’t want to listen anymore?  Unfortunately, I have reached this point yet again mostly because I no longer feel that the information is truly helpful when it comes to my decision making process.   I have grown tired of the endless commentary over what I consider irrelevant or “nit-picking” dialogue that contributes nothing to the issues at hand.  Therefore, I find myself challenged to truly find a source that helps me “cut to the chase” and analyze the facts in a straightforward manner.  Consequently, I was pleasantly surprised by a blog I read recently by Victor Davis Hansen entitled, “A PresidencySquandered.”

     My Hansen addresses the issue of Obama’s presidency to date, more specifically; he analyzes his true performance in his first term in office.  What I found refreshing, is how Mr. Hansen spells out in a logical, supported manner why he feels President Obama’s presidency to date has been disappointing; even if I don’t totally agree with his opinion.  The blog opens by stating, “The Obama narrative is that he inherited the worst mess in memory and has been stymied ever since by a partisan Congress.”  Mr. Hansen also goes on to point out that, “Never has a president entered office with so much goodwill from so many diverse quarters…rarely does a president enter office with a majority in both the House and the Senate.”  Consequently, I found myself remembering that time, and the overwhelming feeling of hope many of us had when Obama won the election; especially on inauguration day.  So what happened, and why do so many, like Mr. Hansen, now feel that this president has wasted his time in office?  How do we go from such optimism to utter disappointment today?  Furthermore, how do we end up blaming one man for the failure of an entire government?

     Mr. Hansen points out that the media couldn’t get enough of President Obama in the early stages of the Presidency.  He goes on to say that the worst of the financial collapse and biggest part of the recession were almost over in the early months of the new administration.  This may be true, but I don’t think many would argue that the aftermath is still being felt today, and that the domino effect of problems that have occurred have challenged not only the President but also many financially bright minds here at home and around the world.  We can point fingers at the past Bush Presidency for creating the mess, and claim that President Obama was stuck with the mess and has done a poor job fixing it, but in my opinion, this is futile and counterproductive.  As a voter, I want to understand why we can’t seem to fix the problems, and avoid further fall out regardless of who the president is.  Isn’t it up to all of us in this great nation to rally together, and demand that the people we elect “work together” to run this country, and find legitimate solutions to any issue we face? 

     Hansen’s blog also addresses Obama’s heritage briefly, and goes into greater detail about issues of foreign policy and the war in Iraq, oil exploration, Obamacare, and the issue of bipartisanship.  There is no doubt he makes some clear valid points.  However, he sums up his argument by stating that, “Barack Obama chose to ram down the nation’s throat a polarizing, statist agenda, energized by the sort of hardball politics he had learned in Chicago.  Rather than bring the races, classes, and genders together, he gave us an us versus them crusade.”  This is a point where Mr. Hansen and I do not agree.  In my opinion, none of us will ever truly understand what it is like to work in the political theatre in Washington or the world.  However, it has become clear that our branches of government do not work as a team.  Furthermore, I also believe, that many of our President’s have been elected because they represented change, for one reason or another, that the voters desired at the time.  I am sure these men truly believed in their ability and desire to succeed.  However, running this government is not a one man show, and I feel that working with Congress has become the biggest obstacle when it comes to getting things done, and not the fault of one President.

     I voted for President Obama, and I am disappointed by the results of his first term in office, and I am worried about the present and future position of this country.  However, unlike Mr. Hansen, I do not hold the President solely responsible for the failures of the last four years. Unfortunately, all I hear in the media, and from the debates, is that we have problems but virtually no substantive answers on how we solve them.  We just seem to rehash the same issues over and over again.  Furthermore, I am extremely tired of the political theatre that plays out on television.  What I want to hear moving forward is how are we going to fix the problems, and legitimate plans to succeed.  Furthermore, I believe, that the problem with solving our problems is us because we have lost sight of the fundamental values our society was built on.  We have forgotten that this country was founded by people who understood the importance of working together, setting aside differences and personal agendas for the overall good of everyone which meant making compromises and tough choices.  Unfortunately, unless our elected officials get back to a teamwork approach to running this country, and we are prepared to make sacrifices, we will continue to be disappointed by whomever we vote in as President, and no amount of mindless media chatter will ever change that.