But there is more to it than that, and, as tempting as it will be for many of his supporters to blame racism when he faces the almost insurmountable challenge of trying to be re–elected in the midst of an economy that is, arguably, worse than it was when he took office, blaming racism shows a stunningly naive world view — and an ignorance of history that is shocking. At the very least, it dismisses the role white voters played in his election in 2008. It was nice to have all those young voters and liberal voters and black voters energized, but Obama simply could not have been elected without the support of white voters.
If they abandon him in 2012 — and I think many will — racism will not be the culprit.
Barack Obama has a record in office and, whether he wants to or not, he will be judged by that record. He will also be judged by certain standards of presidential ethics, which, admittedly, have taken something of a beating in recent decades.
But, no matter what kind of beating the truth may have endured, the truth is still the truth. A president cannot run away from the promises he made when he sought the office — and what he has done — or failed to do — when he seeks re–election to that office.
- Barack Obama insisted that, under his leadership, the unemployment rate would never exceed 8%. But it has never been below that figure in his presidency — and it has often been much higher. Now he wants voters to believe he has a plan to create jobs. If he has a plan that he really believes will create jobs, why did he wait so long to introduce it?
- "Barack Obama will double the Peace Corps to 16,000 by its 50th anniversary in 2011 and push Congress to fully fund this expansion, with a focus on Latin America and the Caribbean."
- Obama also promised to raise the minimum wage to $9.50 an hour — which would help those financially strapped Americans who are lucky enough to still have their jobs. But it hasn't happened.
- As a presidential candidate, Obama pledged to close the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, yet it remains open more than 2½ years into his presidency. What's more, about six months ago, Obama announced "policy changes" that appear to clear the way for military trials to resume there.
- Obama also promised to support a manned mission to the moon by 2020 — a promise he abandoned a year into his presidency (when, it is worth noting, Obama's party still controlled both houses of Congress by wide margins).
I cannot tell a lie.
I cannot tell the truth.
I cannot tell the difference.
(Sometimes I think I should have been a political cartoonist.)
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