I stuck my neck on the line for Obama's presidential run and put hours upon hours into knocking on doors, convincing friends and colleagues and many more hours in a GOTV phonebank. What did I get for my hard work and passion for change?
First Obama said he was closing Guantanamo Bay. That didn't happen. He campaigned on the Public Option, then dropped it as a bargaining chip before he really started negotiations. He campaigned against the insanity of "drill baby drill" and then lifted the moratorium on off-shore drilling, just in time for the BP disaster. He caved on that worse than a massey energy mine collapse. He made a strong campaign argument and subsequent arguments for eliminating the Bush Tax cuts for the wealthy. Adding $700Billion to the deficit, he argued, would be irresponsible and devistating to our already faltering economy. He caved on that too. I stood up for Obama even through the HealthCare debate, swallowing hard on the notion of the "perfect being the enemy of the good." But I can't do this any more. I can't continue to stand up for this president upon whom I'd rested my confidence and hope. If he won't stand up for the ideals I believe in, the ones he campaigned on, why should I stand up for him? I may even still vote for Obama in 2012, fearing a possible Palin presidency. But I'm not sticking my neck on the line for him, and I won't put my reputation on the line for someone who abandons his ideals, and mine, when the going gets tough.
Remember when Obama met with Republicans during the HealthCare debate and took them all to school on national TV? What happened to that president? Why didn't he show up for the Tax debate?
That said, does anyone have tips for cleanly removing the three Obama bumper stickers from my car?
UPDATE: Judging by the thrashing I'm getting in the comments, I probably should have just kept my mouth shut. Or maybe I should have let the diary sit for 24hrs before I posted it. I understand that McCain/Palin and the R's are far worse than Obama. I get that. For those of you who see the cup as half-full, I respect and admire your optimism and your ability accept the cards we've been dealt. Perhaps my expectations are too high and my ideals too immovable. But where and when do we draw the line?