Obama Has Earned a Second Term, Let’s Get Him There

1 year ago

A political strategist explains why the president needs our support

What a year. We saw the rise and fall of Herman Cain. Rick Perry had a major brain freeze on national TV. Donald Trump flirted with running for president only to be schooled in what it takes by the current occupant of the White House. Newt Gingrich is a frontrunner for the GOP nomination. Mitt Romney’s chameleon like approach to politics has people asking just who is he and what does he stand for? Anything?

Then there’s Congress, being steered by a large and extreme group of Tea Party House Republicans who brought us to the brink of a government shutdown and a historic default on our financial obligations. It is fitting that we saw one last temper tantrum from House Republicans before Congress adjourned. This time, holding up a bipartisan agreement to temporarily extend the payroll tax-cut and unemployment insurance, before caving once political pressure became too much to bear.

Through it all President Barack Obama has showed himself to be one of the few adults in the room. The challenges he faced this year, on top of the challenges he inherited, like an economy on life support, a broken health care system, a massive deficit, and America’s engagement in two wars, were unprecedented. Add to that, congressional Republicans openly rooting for him and his policies to fail, and it is pretty clear he was dealt a tough hand.

There are many Americans who are frustrated with Washington. For hard-working folks trying to provide better futures for their kids, all they see is a dysfunctional political system inhabited by politicians more interested in playing games than getting things done. Many thought President Obama’s historic election would be transformative – that Washington would suddenly change overnight.

Unfortunately, this hasn’t happened yet and may never happen, but that doesn’t mean we should abandon Obama. Quite the contrary, through all of the noise from the Tea Party, questions about the President’s Americanism, ridiculous right wing claims that he is socialist, through it all, the President has fought for an agenda that benefits all of us, not a select few.

(MORE: Obama's Biggest Black Critics of 2011)