Abandoning All Hope: The Obama Tragedy

The events of the day are becoming a tragedy only fit for Shakespeare's pen.

In Wisconsin, collective bargaining agreements and Unions are being shamelessly attacked by Republicans. In Libya, protesters in favor of democracy are being ignored. Two terrible situations on opposite sides of the world and the situations themselves are not the most frustrating issue.

The one thing that both have in common is the deafening silence of our President.

If successful, the attack on collective bargaining will demolish an American institution and a strong-arm of the Democratic Party in this country. Obama has been a silent witness to the potential demise of his own party, to say nothing about the demise of one of the basic rights American workers fought so hard to establish.

The chaos in Libya has the old regime weaker than ever and revolution is certainly on the horizon. When strong support for the people’s movement in Libya was needed, Obama read a meek press release that lasted all of five minutes and walked away.

Walked away is much of what this administration has done. Like the old westerns my parents and grandparents watched, the President rode into town guns-a-blazing. They seemed to have ridden out of town just as quickly as and much more quietly than they came in.

It was Dante that put fence-sitters, neutrals and cowards in the same place: on the edge of hell and just inside the sign that said "abandon all hope ye that enter here." At this point in his presidency, I'd put Obama near that sign with the other neutrals because that’s all the American people have seen him be.

Rome is burning, Mr. President. It’s time to stop looking towards 2012 and re-focus on the peril around us now.

No one has said it better than Jim Garrison (President, State of the World Forum and Wisdom University; Author, 'America as Empire'):

“Obama will certainly go down as the first black American president, and this is how he will probably be remembered in the history books. But in terms of the actual significance of his leadership and what he substantively has done during his tenure, feckless -- which means 'unable or unwilling to do anything,' or 'lacking the organization necessary to succeed' -- is the only apt word."


When Obama campaigned with buzzwords such as hope and change, we voted for him to be an agent of the change we saw in him. He hasn't delivered on much of it lately though. The sad reality is that Obama entered the White House with more political capital that any president in recent memory. While he has in some ways tossed his political weight around effectively in areas such as health care reform and the repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell, he has squandered so much more of that capital worrying over Republican "friends", being pragmatic and consensus building.

His potential for transformational greatness has been short circuited by an unwillingness or inability to actually lead. He has somehow lost himself in short term tactical calculations and in the self-delusion that he is somehow a grand conciliator, someone who will preside over squabbling Democrats and Republicans. Given the realities of both parties, combined with his own deficiencies, nothing could be farther from the truth. What is needed in the presidency is a leader, not a referee.

There is still time though. There is still two years (and hopefully another four after that) for the Obama we all were inspired by on the campaign trail to ride back in to town. There is still time to rip the neutrality of this administration out of the jaws of Dante's hell. We need a leader to put the fire out now, before all that's left is smoke and ashes.