Has Obama become just another politician?

It is becoming obvious that The Guitarman is starting to get a little too political for his own britches. That being said, I have to stay on topic for one more day.

There is an old saying that goes something like: There would be no politics without politicians. OK, I just thought of it. It is entirely possible that it has been said before so it could be an old saying, but it begs the question, ? As POCA rolls onward, the Permanent Obama Campaign Apparatus (with a nod to Steve Huntley for coining the phrase), complete with events scheduled around the country to celebrate his first year in office, maybe the question should be, was he ever anything else but?

On the radio this morning, I heard The Presidents press secretary doing the usual post election tap dance in response to the Republicans gaining the controls of New Jersey and Virginia. He said something to the tune of Obama "...not being a factor in the race." But I'll bet had the Dem's took those two gubernatorial races, the horns would be blowing from the tallest ivory towers in the White House. Maybe he was a factor indeed, for the other guys.

But the thing that really got me going was a comment The Prez made on the whole health care thingy. He made it clear that passing health care reform was urgent, and it needed to be done before the end of the year. Now is Obama doing this in the best interest of the country? Or in the best interest of his party? After all, 2010 is a critical election year for the senate, and no doubt most senators will vote whichever way will get them the most votes toward re-election, Democrats and Republicans alike. But is The President pushing hard for reform now so that it doesn't become a campaign issue next year? We need to get it right, which he has said in the past. We don't need the country's top politician playing politics on such a delicate issue. Even Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said, "We're not going to be bound by any time lines."

After Clinton's first 2 years in office, the country spoke, and gave the Senate majority to the Republicans. The White House is scrambling to try and keep this from becoming a repeat of 1994. But the country works better with checks and balances. Giving too much power to any one party can be hazardous to the country's health. In 2012 he will run for re-election, and in my eyes that is a good thing, mostly in that it will keep Hillary off the ticket for 4 more years. But what decisions will be made in the coming years that will be influenced by this? Please, Mr. President, can you just do what is in our best interests, elections be damned?


Side note: The Guitarman would like to thank shky69 for becoming his third follower. This entitles you to a free ice cream cone at the McDonald's of your choice. Just send me the bill.