Back when Obama was just a candidate in the Democratic Primaries, I said that I though one of the problems was that if he didn't win the primaries or the election, there would be a lot of young voters who feel the system let them down.
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That didn't happen then. But it happening now. The post-election actions of Obama - while perfectly understandable as a politician - has let them down. Obama is, first and foremost, a politician angling to get re-elected. And, in our country in the our time, that means beholden to a rich a powerful group of lobbyists. Perhaps not the same lobbyists as the Republicans, but not the young or hopeful voters that elected him.
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He kept his promise to leave Iraq, only to schootch the troops around to Afghanistan into an even more un-winnable war. Arguably, his and Bush's quick work saved Wall Street Banks - but made no change to obscene payment schemes and money shuffling. The stimulus may have shortened the recession - and kudos to him there, but nothing in the bill was transformative.
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The only things, that I know, he has done on Health Care are 1) to let Congress write it (a mistake as big as Bill letting Hillary write it) and 2) cut a deal with Pharmacy companies to support the bill in exchange for not allowing in cheaper drugs. We heard about the deal before we heard about any plan. That is putting the lobbyist befor the voter.
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He is a fine President. The Right's crazy and pathological attacks on him not withstanding (he is accused of being a Nazi for wanted to pass Health Care Reform - which I don't recall was a Nazi priority!), he is a fine President.
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But he isn't the change people wanted. Maybe it's early - but the actions don't live up to the promise. He didn't grab the opportunity he had. Maybe he didn't realize he had only moments with the public. But much of his base has lost jobs and heard nothing. Much of his base wanted direction - and hearing nothing, turned back to their iPods. Much of his base wanted action - and heard "wait". Some of his base expected his promises to be kept, and were laughed out and excluded by the White House politicians.
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He is a fine President, but he is a very smart man who has wasted an opportunity to be so much more. And so, right now, I think that makes him a disappointing president, if not a failure.
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I hoped for more, but I expected this. For me, this is a lot like my dad. A lot of hot air and no follow through. It isn't killing me - I grew up secure in the knowledge that people will say anything to get where they want. And, once there, forget how they got there.
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Sorry Mom, I guess you could have voted for McCain with no difference.