I would like everyone who is willing, to write a comment explaining your understanding of President Obama. Not your judgement of President Obama. Your understanding of President Obama. What makes him tick. How does he think? What does he feel? What are his priorities? What are his motivations? What are his stengths and weaknesses? What do you think he thinks are his strengths and weaknesses. Leave out the condemnation or praise, please. Just say what you think... not of him, but of how you think he comes to say and do the things he says and does. Specifically, as President. This is not an excersize in putting the President on trial, rather an excersize in understanding him.
The reason I am asking for this is because I want Daily Kos to be able to influence President Obama more than it does and the first step in influencing someone is understanding them.
Please, don't respond to other comments. I don't want this to be a fight. I am honestly interested in the insight of every single person on Daily Kos. I expect that you will think of more things to say after your comment, please write it in another comment in response to your first and so on and so on.
I will start below by offering my first thoughts about President Obama. Please, don't comment on my thoughts, just write your own. I promise that I won't comment on your comments. I want what you really think no matter what. I think that if we just let each other speak at length and really listen to each other that we all have something valuable to offer.
Here goes. I look forward to reading your comments!
I think that he is a problem solver by nature. I think he genuinely cares about people. I think he is movatived, by both his nature to solve problems and by his care for people, into acting to attempt to solve people's problems. I think that when he would say during the campaign for President that he was running for President to solve big problems that have been kicked down the road for decades that he was with that statement most exactly revealing himself.
I don't think he can be bluffed more than once. He's really super fast at understanding people. But he can be brazely lied to and betrayed. He has an enduring belief that he can bring out the best in people which sometimes blinds him to seeing a betrayal coming. Sometimes. You know, it might not actually be so much of a belief that he can bring out the good in people as it is a belief that he can manipulate people into acting in a way that brings about good.
Demonzing him is hurtful and offensive, but he knows the truth of himself and he can dismiss what people say about him. I don't think he can be motivated by being demonized. He does like being liked, but I think it's less important to him how people feel as it is how it affects his ability to achieve his goals to solve problems for people. I think he has had too many experiences with people who were pissed at him as he helped who in the end were thankful that he did what he thought was best instead of what they were asking from him. He does tend to think he has a pretty good idea of how to help people. I think it's what he is certain he is best at.
He is probably actually a liberal democrat in his heart, but a moderate in practice because... well, frankly, there are not enough liberals in congress to be more than a moderate. I think he is exactly capable of stream rolling over people who won't work with him, if he can... and it doesn't matter who they are. I think that if he could have gotten single payer health care he would have: however, he would not have immediately instituted it, because it would actually have been too disruptive to the economy and probably would have led to a massive voter backlash (which he got just for doing Mass Care).
I think that he is over his head as President, but less than 3 out of the last 4 Presidents. Maybe not so much now and maybe he wouldn't have been so much if he hadn't had such a disaster occuring when he started. He's a super fast learner and he is so determined to succeed that he doesn't let pride get in the way of getting help from people who can do things better than he can. He takes pride in having been able to help, but he does like sharing credit because he doesn't care who came up with the solution... only the effect of the solution.
His bargaining approach is not what most people think it is. Which is why most people are baffled by it and honestly shocked when it works. He doesn't play 11th dimension chess, but yes, he does play chess. Sometimes he wins, sometimes he loses. He does play to win and he doesn't quit... even if it means putting something on a back burner until he can better handle it.
He doesn't use his big guns until he has to. But he will use them.
He is far more frustrated by what he hasn't been able to do than anyone else. And I don't think anyone should consider health care reform finished if he wins a second term.
Alright. That's my start. :)