Obama (and Romney) Reconsidered

Where does "hope" end and "fear" take over?

Nearly two years ago, in January of 2011, I wrote an article I called Obama in 2011 (it's linked here) in which I stated my problems with some of Obama's actions and/or policies. My principal points were these (quoted directly from that previous article):

1. "Obama’s military policies really haven’t differed much from George W. Bush’s." 

2. "His stand on presidential power and privilege isn’t much changed from Bush’s, either."

3. "And as far as health care goes, Obama’s changes aren’t as sweeping as either he or his detractors would have you think."

...and I made a few other points, concluding that Obama was "... a flawed President but not a bad one." That's an opinion that I still hold to this day. But where my natural cynicism has fuller reign these days, I was a bit more optimistic then, writing "You see, hope is the key. I will vote for hope over fear any day."

And I concluded the article with this: "Hope trumps fear. At least it should."

It's a sadder world for me these days, for reasons that have nothing to do with the Presidency, but reasons that cannot help but color my judgment. I am no longer given to flights of guarded optimism. I no longer feel that hope trumps fear. In fact, looking at this current Presidential race I find myself driven less by the hope of what Obama might accomplish than by the fear of what Mitt Romney might do with the job.

I still stand by my opinion of the three areas, stated above, where I feel that Obama has let us down. I can't say I'm comfortable with them...but I firmly believe that Mitt Romney will do far worse.

I look at Romney's proposed increases in military spending, far beyond what even the Pentagon wants, and I feel fear. I don't see Romney as someone who will let all that shiny new hardware sit idle; the temptation to use it will be strong with this one.

I shudder at the thought of putting that much political power into Mitt Romney's hands, because he clearly wants it and clearly does not know what to do with it. I think he sees the Presidency as a platform from which to launch an assault on issues he opposes, against the will of the majority that he pretends to serve. (Also, he has shown himself as willing to say anything to get that power. Literally anything; his repeated attempts to publicly lie about his record have demonstrated that.)

Which leaves the health care question. "Obamacare" so closely resembles "Romneycare" (the health care plan he championed as Governor of Massachusetts) that the differences are hard to discern without a microscope, yet Romney continually derides the President for socializing medicine through Obamacare while simultaneously claiming to have fixed health care in Massachusetts by doing the same damn things. This leaves me wondering exactly what health care under Romney might be like, whether he win return to his (mostly) sensible stance of several years ago or will take the more conservative, hard-line stance he championed until a few weeks ago, when he again did a 180 and became "Moderate Mitt" because "Conservative Mitt" wasn't polling so well.

Excuse me; I think my cynicism is showing.

(You should know why health care is so important to me; I am someone who relies heavily on Medicare just to survive and without it I won't last long. I believe, after careful consideration, that Mitt Romney would kill me.)

One statement from that old article I stand firmly behind, one that is as true now as ever, the sentence that began that article: "I am not so optimistic as to believe that hope will always triumph over fear, nor am I cynical enough to believe the opposite is true." Though I find myself being driven more by fear than by hope, I find that I still can hope, still do hope, that tomorrow will be a better day than today.

I no longer feel that hope necessarily trumps fear. But I still think it should.

The Blues Viking
The opinions here expressed are mine and if you don’t like them you can get your own damn blog.