General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: I am without a doubt, unequivocably, unapologetically, and enthusiastically voting for Obama in Nov! [View all]stupidicus
(2,570 posts)as I've advised my lefty allies elsewhere almost from the start of his first term, I don't really think that we're gonna see the real BHO until his second, because that's when he'll start focusing on his legacy, as opposed to merely reacting to and working on the mess he was handed. My pov towards him pretty much mirrors your own, starting with the low expectations to begin with. I guess what differentiates us the most, is the fact that I can't muster the enthusiasm you seemingly have.
My hope has long been, and the rightwingnuts have been fully cooperative in, his evoluting into something else of the more transformative kind I always thought he had the potential for, and hopefully will become if as I've long suspected and predicted, the dems retake the house and retain the senate. Total defeat of the rightwingnuts in that form this fall should signal to him that he's on the wrong side of history with compromise rather than the change he initially ran on, therefore giving us far less to be pissed or disappointed over legislatively in the next four years.
The reason why I don't share your enthusiasm, is much the same reason I don't and never have fallen starry-eyed in love. The higher you go and invest in things emotionally, the harder the fall when it happens. He was a much better choice than Mr "bomb, bomb Iran!", as he is over the Mutt, or any rightwinger to me, but I could never get excited about him like I would someone like Kucinich with whom I share so much with.
I think that best explains the level of the lack of enthusiasm in many -- unlike you and I, they really hadn't studied nor knew the person they were voting for in terms of his political persuasions. For example, the opinion and or pursuits he needs most (well, other than his silence of global warming, which dwarfs all others put together imo, given the stakes) to shed imo is this.
"Too many of us have been interested in defending programs the way they were written in 1938."http://www.tinyrevolution.com/mt/archives/000867.html one of the many reasons his conduct this term should come as no surprise to anyone as you noted, that paid attention. The only surprise to me has been things like all the droning, kill lists, etc.
My attitude towards his accomplishments is pretty much here http://consortiumnews.com/2012/04/19/measuring-obamas-record/ It's not his domestic efforts I have much/the most problem with (other than his silence on global warming) , but rather the foreign policy ones. As we know, we need more bread and butter, not guns and wars. I couldn't help but notice the author excluded any mention of that from the piece, and I sincerely hope his pursuits in that department don't become "historically significant" should that pursuit continue.