GayPatriot

The Internet home for American gay conservatives.

Barack Obama: President of All Americans

by

Perhaps to the consternation to those who routintely defend me in the comments section, I had thought to refrain from criticizing the president-elect in the penultimate week (i.e., from January 6-13) of his tenure with that title.  After all, quite frequently in the two months since his election, I have found myself pleasantly surprised by his actions and even his rhetoric.

The two major mistakes he has made in putting together his Administration (failure to fully vet BIll Richardson and to consult Senate leaders on Leon Panetta) stand out in a largely smooth selection process where (with three significant exceptions), he has tapped a number of very competent (and mostly centrist) officials to serve on his team.

But, it’s more than just that.  Despite a rhetorically banal and occasionally self-serving victory speech on election night, Barack Obama has, in the transition process, shown that he intends to govern as the president of all Americans.  I don’t recall having a similar sense sixteen years ago when Bill Clinton was assembling his team.

He is meeting today with Republicans today on Capitol Hill. He has been careful not to say anything which might undermine the incumbent Administration as it responds to crises abroad.  He has risked offending his base by including a respected evangelical pastor in his inaugural ceremony.

To be sure, he has shown some flaws as president-elect which could prove weaknesses once he takes office.  He often comes across as aloof in his press conferences, often dodges tough questions and save the choice of Rick Warren to offer the invocation on January 20, has refrained from making difficult decisions.  That said, these flaws do not include a quality which marks many of his followers and supporters (and even the most recent Democratic president), a tendency to engage in petty partisanship.

I still have my concerns about Barack Obama and I dare say I won’t refrain from criticizing him for a full week, but I will say that his performance this past two months has allayed some of my fears about his ability to lead.  He has still left many questions unanswered about how he intends to govern, but, if the past two months have shown us anything, it is that Obama does see himself as president of all Americans.

And that gives me some hope that he might just be able to unite our nation and lead us through difficult times.

Comments

  1. And that gives me some hope that he might just be able to unite our nation and lead us through difficult times.

    Pretty words do not excuse damaging policy. With the policy Obama is promising to push, our nation should absolutely not unite behind him.

  2. Dan, I would agree with you except the following news just broke:

    “CNN – Obama Picks Gupta as Surgeon General Nominee”

    Sanjay Gupta? As SG? How much reefer did The Snob bring back from the islands, and how much of it did he smoke??

    Sorry, but with choices like this one, Panetta, Richardson et al, the guy has just lost whatever credibility he’s had. Which ain’t much.

    We’re screwed.

    Regards,
    Peter H.

  3. After seeing him campaign, I think Obama has shown himself to be the most sexist, ageist, homophobic, and now with Burris, even one of the most racist presidents. I’m a lifelong Democrat who voted for Hillary, but I couldn’t bring myself to vote for Obama. I’m not even going to give him a week, not with him silently standing by (Just watch this putt!) while children are dying in Gaza.

  5. I still think Obama is a hand-puppet. If he succeeds on my terms … expanding liberty and opportunity, reducing the footprint of government… then more power to him. There is nothing in his history or the policy positions he has taken that suggest this will be the case. And anytime he pushes this country toward socialism, I will oppose him the same fervor I opposed Bush’s policies of unchecked spending and wide open borders.

  6. oh, the choices we make. . .now if Sarah and John would have won. . .

    but wait
    Alaska authorities delayed arrest of woman connected to Sarah Palin–
    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/4144146/Alaska-authorities-delayed-arrest-of-woman-connected-to-Sarah-Palin-drug-investigator-claims.html\\

    and poor Levi . . . quit his job ‘in the oilfields’ because federal regulations require members of the program to have a high school diploma.

    Seems likes a call to some to quietly succeed from the union. Pick a state, Call up Ann C. and have AE do the cattle call.

    Or maybe you have to take in consideration, that maybe just maybe, calling Obama pretty brave to take on this challenges facing this great country and even the international community, his attempts to bring the nation together, and his ability to extend a hand across the aisle in a very sincere way. . .but I think a plan to succeed would suit some of the commentors here at GP.

    Patriotism is commonly defined as love of and/or devotion to one’s country. wiki

  7. but wait
    Alaska authorities delayed arrest of woman connected to Sarah Palin

    but wait

    turns out that’s just more liberal lies and false allegations:

    An inquiry Monday by officials for the Public Safety Employees Association concluded that investigators did not delay a search warrant for political reasons, said union president Rob Cox.

    Which is yet another example of rampant liberal corruption. How many lies have they told about Palin towards furthering their own powerlust? ALL debunked.

    and poor Levi . . . quit his job ‘in the oilfields’ because federal regulations require members of the program to have a high school diploma.

    Seems likes a call to some to quietly succeed[sic] from the union

    Perhaps to the party of Alec Baldwin. To sane people it seems like an asinine reason to SECEDE.

    Or maybe you have to take in consideration, that maybe just maybe, calling Obama pretty brave to take on this challenges facing this great country and even the international community, his attempts to bring the nation together, and his ability to extend a hand across the aisle in a very sincere way. . .but I think a plan to succeed would suit some of the commentors here at GP.

    “I personally believe that U.S. Americans are unable to do so because…ah some. ..people out there in our nation don’t have maps and…ah. …”

    anyone have a Rusty to English dictionary?

  8. I believe it’s called. “I can’t handle Dan making a positive post about Our lOrd and saviOur. Must attack someone rather than have rational discourse.”

    My translator has burned out trying to read adDave. sorry.

  11. “I can’t handle Dan making a positive post about Our lOrd and saviOur. Must attack someone rather than have rational discourse.”

    An accurate translation. Add to that, “I also have to make mean-spirited attacks against their family members, because I have no moral compass and no sense of decency” and you’ve summed up the oxidized leftoid’s nasty and petty comment.

  12. Sweet gumdrops of virgin whale boogers!!! Rusty has succeeded in swallowing himself whole and then crapping himself inside out.

    1) I suspect Rusty means secede instead of succeed.

    2) There is now no question that Sarah Palin is the greatest threat to liberalism that has ever walked the earth.

    3) Levi gets the governor’s daughter pregnant, takes responsibility, gets tripped up by federal regs and has a mother who is ensnared is a drug mess and our man Rusty revels in Levi’s misery because of his toxic hate for Sarah Palin. Whew! Hypocrisy, anyone?

    4) A plan to succeed secede would suit many at GP? What the heck is poor Rusty trying to say? Obama is our next President. We will stay right here, go to work, pay our taxes and use our first amendment rights to political speech.

    Rusty, please post your list of people of note who promised to leave the United States if Obama got elected. (You may recall that liberals promised to flee to Canada if BushHitlermonkey were elected or reelected. It turned out to be more gas and bluster from liberals.)

    Rusty, if you expect conservatives to rise to the toxic levels of hatred you leftists have displayed for eight years, you will be sorely disappointed. You see, conservatives use their minds and have principles. We don’t scream invective and foam at the mouth like liberals. You people can’t win in the court of ideas because you are all kindergarten taunt and playground cry babies who go ballistic if someone hurts their precious feelings. What a wuss poor Rusty is.

  13. I have no reason to believe he could lead his way out of a paper bag lit on fire. Don’t know about you, but I don’t find “Call me if you need me!” very inspiring.

    If he could pop off about Georgia, why not Gaza? He’ll comment about the Travoltas but not Israel?

  14. whoopsie. misspelled a word.

    ‘I have come up with a solution for myself. Until O is not the President, I am becoming a temporary British citizen.
    I do not like his choices at all.’ Comment by PatriotMom

  16. our man Rusty revels in Levi’s misery because of his toxic hate for Sarah Palin.

    I don’t know for sure that Levi is miserable, but you are correct that the oxidized one is a sick and disturbed individual if he derives joy in the troubles of others

    Anyway, back to Chairman Zero. He has a number of “only Nixon could go to China” opportunities. He could reform the education system, but it would mean taking power and privilege away from the mighty teacher’s unions. He could reform social security, but that would mean taking measures his own party opposes. He could lower the corporate tax rate to make American business competitive, but that would infuriate his left-wing base.

    If Chairman 0 is truly a courageous leader, and not just a hand-puppet of the Democrat establishment, he should do these things.

  17. Frankly, I don’t think Obama actually expected to win this when he first set out on his campaign for the demo nomination; more likely he was setting the stage for 2012. I think his poor selections (Richardson, Panetta) show his inexperience. Frankly, I think the reality of his win is just beginning to hit him, and I think he is scared shitless.

  18. Obama is not the president but he is practicing appearing presidential. I wonder how long into his actual presidency he will continue to pose and preen. At some point he will have to ditch being the den mother and take on the real job. When that day finally arrives, we will all get an unvarnished look at his leadership qualities. Until then, he is all ruffles and flourishes with abundant toadies to walk on and keep his robes from dragging in the dirt.

  19. He could reform social security, but that would mean taking measures his own party opposes.

    Actually, that would mean owning up to the fact that FDR screwed us over in that respect.

    I think his poor selections (Richardson, Panetta) show his inexperience.

    I think it shows his arrogance and condescension hoping nobody would notice. But of course we have a liberal (Richardson) is in legal hot water. Where’s the surprise in that?

    It’s either arrogance or tribute to Don Clinton-leone. Not sure which but either way, it’s not good.

  20. I don’t recall having a similar sense sixteen years ago when Bill Clinton was assembling his team.

    Considering the teams are roughly the same, you don’t appear to have a point. Obama (and/or his team) know(s) that he has to throw Republicans a bone or two to soften the opposition to his grand scheme. It seems to have worked here at GayPatriot.

  22. #20 – “It seems to have worked here at GayPatriot.”

    Not for me, Ignomius. I will always view Dhimmicrats with disdain and will work all my life to keep them a permanent minority in goverment.

    Now THAT is a change you can believe in.

    Regards,
    Peter H.

  23. Good lord the guy has done nothing except appoint old Clinton cronies to his cabinet. He has done nothing that would indicate a propensity for leadership . . . or anything else for that matter.

  25. #24 – Ignomius is a better moniker for you, mein freund. It merely reflects the vapidity of your posts.

    And trust me, I’m going easy on you in terms of nicknames – you should see some of the ones I’ve bestowed on other trolls of your ilk. They have been apt yet derogatory.

    Regards,
    Peter H.

  26. GPW, you prove again that you are one of the few rational people who communicate on here. Clearly there are some that aren’t at all interested in uniting the country unless that “uniting”means total control of the gov’t and public opinion.

    “Our lOrd and saviOur”

    Cute livewire, but it’s based on your inability to distinguish between hope and worship. Just as conservatives were happy when Reagan won and when GW won so to are liberals happy with Obama as the next president. To those of us who viewed the Bush years as a dark time for our country Obama represents a chance for that to change. I say a chance because no one man can do what needs to be done and first and foremost he is a politician and until the actions match the words we will not know. Despite predictions of doom and gloom by so many on here and other conservative blogs I believe that most US citizens are willing to wait and see and we know that the country will survive him just as it has survived the long unbroken line of politicians that occupied the Oval Office. If any of them has been viewed as the Messiah it was Reagan so I think that you should avoid throwing stones.

  27. filtered Sad to see that a rational post by GPW can devolve immediately into the same old tired rhetoric that only proves the concept of united is lost to many here. Then comes the juvenile name calling and the usual circle jerk.

  30. a different Dave:

    Many democrats piled on Reagan because they really saw him as an amiable dunce. Many democrats are convinced that GW Bush is stoopid and brain damaged from drugs. Many democrats see Sarah Palin as a Wasilla Hillbilly, a trailer park Barbie and a fundamentalist breeder without grace or a clue.

    Many of my fellow conservatives looked upon Bill Clinton as a grifter, a climber, and Slick Willie who was always daring people to catch him at his games. We also looked at Al Gore as a daddy’s legacy who had never done much more than occupy a seat. We saw John Kerry as the king of chutzpa with his Jane Fonda cohort turned man of Viet Nam valor and smartest military guy in Washington. John Edwards was a trial lawyer millionaire at the hands of a phony-boloney charge of medical malpractice. Obama, we know, could not have gotten noticed if he showed up in white skin and he ran entirely on hope and change and no specifics.

    Obviously, none of these candidates was in the lead to “unite” us. I go back to FDR and I do not know of a single President who ever “united” us. To me, that is really just so much psycho-babble, if not baby talk.

    Obama talked about “uniting” us like GW Bush talked about reaching across the aisle. We conservatives are natural skeptics, so we sat by quietly waiting for GW to get the message that Waxman, Shumer, Reid, Pelosi, Rangel, Conyers, Durbin, and gang don’t play that game.

    If you think that we have been waiting for the political Messiah to bring us together, you are remarkably unfamiliar with politics. Obama is my president. I will not abuse him gratuitously and I will give him credit where I think it is due. I would never treat him like Jim Webb treated GW Bush. I will give him a reasonable learning curve. I know that he is a puppy who caught the UPS truck and he has to figure out what to do next. He has no leadership experience. His paper trail is nearly non existent. But we must respect the office and perhaps Obama will be sobered by burden of history he has had thrust upon his shoulders. Hopefully, he will man up. Trillion dollar annual deficits as far as we can see is a heck of a start. He isn’t a community organizer trolling for federal funds anymore. That old pick-up is on blocks. Now he has to learn how to be the most powerful man in the world.

  31. heliotrope, I’m not the one that brought up the “messiah” stuff to begin with. It has been a common mantra on here, always as an insult to Obama and those who support him. Not sure if it’s ever happened before but I agree with everything else in your comment.