I Regret My Vote For President Obama

I regret the vote I cast for Barack Obama. There, I said it. No, not in November 2008. Democratic Candidate Obama was an easy choice over Old Man "Get Off My Lawn." My misjudgment occurred earlier, on May 6, 2008 in the Indiana Presidential Primary contested between Obama and Clinton.

A general election victory for either candidate would have been landmark from a historical perspective. Hilary Clinton's campaign had been cynical and self-righteous. She became easy to dislike. Meanwhile, Barack Obama delivered soaring speeches that promised revitalizing hope and fundamental change. Both of those things were in dangerously short supply across George W. Bush's America. I wanted to believe. But I failed to recognize that Mrs. Clinton was the more Progressive choice.

Ultimately, I blame myself. Critics warned that Candidate Obama was a blank screen upon which we projected our own ideas and ideals. And, man, was I ever guilty of that. Of course, he broke campaign promises. I'm told that's what politicians do. Disappointments abound: No accountability for thieving Wall St. thugs. No acknowledgement or precedent to prevent future torture. No government transparency. No Dream Act. No repeal of the devastating Bush tax cuts for the obscenely wealthy. Et cetera. I may write more on this later, once I further understand the details of this 'Debt Ceiling' capitulation.

But the reality that has been most disappointing to me, I could not have possibly foreseen. Candidate Obama was a fighter. He could take a punch, and respond. President Obama refuses to fight. The crazed Tea Party, and the tattered remains of the establishment Republican Party, throw tantrums and take the country hostage time and again. On each occasion, they get nearly everything they want and offer nothing in compromise. Jimmy Carter is starting to think this is a weak Presidency.

It's either that, or Barack Obama has been a center-right conservative all along. Perhaps he is a fighter, just not for me or the principles I hold dear. Maybe I'm just now opening my eyes too see the truth.