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Obama Will Be One of the Greatest (and Most Loved) American Presidents
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2PreciousBlessings
The Perfect Pair
Member since 5/06 19861 total posts
Name:
Best Wife & Mommy
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Obama Will Be One of the Greatest (and Most Loved) American Presidents
By Frank Schaeffer (The Huffington Post)
Great presidents are made great by horrible circumstances combined with
character, temperament and intelligence.. Like firemen, cops, doctors
or soldiers, presidents need a crisis to shine.
Obama is one of the most intelligent presidential aspirants to ever
step forward in Amer ican history. The likes of his intellectual
capabilities have not been surpassed in public life since the Founding
Fathers put pen to paper. His personal character is also solid gold.
Take heart, America : we have the leader for our times.
I say this as a white, former life-long Republican. I say this as the
proud father of a Marine. I say this as just another American watching
his pension evaporate along with the stock market! I speak as someone
who knows it's time to forget party loyalty, ideology and pride and put
the country first. I say this as someone happy to be called a fool for
going out on a limb and declaring that, 1) Obama will win, and 2) he is
going to be amongst the greatest of American presidents.
Obama is our last best chance. He's worth laying it all on the line
for.
This is a man who in the age of greed took the high road of community
service. This is the good father and husband. This is the humb le
servant. This is the patient teacher. This is the scholar statesman.
This is the man of deep Christian faith.
Good stories about Obama abound; from his personal relationship with
his Secret Service agents (he invites them into his home to watch
sports, and shoots hoops with them) to the story about how, more than
twenty years ago, while standing in the check-in line at an airport,
Obama paid a $100 baggage surcharge for a stranger who was broke and
stuck. (Obama was virtually penniless himself in those days.) Years
later, after he became a senator, that stranger recognized Obama's
picture and wrote to him to thank him. She received a kindly note back
from the senator. (The story only surfaced because the person, who
lives in Norway, told a local newspaper after Obama ran for the
presidency. The paper published a photograph of this lady proudly
displaying Senator Obama's letter.)
Where many leaders are two-faced; publicly kindly but privately feared
and/or hated by people closest to them, Obama is consistent in the way
he treats people, consistently kind and personally humble. He lives by
the code that those who lead must serve. He believes that. He lives it.
He lived it long before he was in the public eye.
Obama puts service ahead of ideology. He also knows that to win
politically you need to be tough. He can be. He has been. This is a man
who does what works, rather than scoring ideological points. In other
words he is the quintessential non-ideological pragmatic American. He
will (thank God!) disappoint ideologues and purists of the left and the
right.
Obama has a reservoir of personal physical courage that is unmatched in
presidential history. Why unmatched? Because as the first black
contender for the presidency who will win, Obama, and all the rest of
us, know that he is in great physical danger from the seemingly
u nlimited reserve of unhinged racial hatred, and just plain unhinged
ignorant hatred, that swirls in the bowels of our wounded and sinful
country. By stepping forward to lead, Obama has literally put his life
on the line for all of us in a way no white candidate ever has had to
do. (And we all know how dangerous the presidency has been even for
white presidents.)
Nice stories or even unparalleled courage isn't the only point. The
greater point about Obama is that the midst of our worldwide financial
meltdown, an expanding (and losing) war in Afghanistan, trying to
extricate our country from a wrong and stupidly mistaken ruinously
expensive war in Iraq, our mounting and crushing national debt,
awaiting the next (and inevitable) al Qaeda attack on our homeland,
watching our schools decline to Third World levels of incompetence,
facing a general loss of confidence in the government that has been
exacerbated by the Republicans doing all they can to undermine our
government's capabilities and programs... President Obama will take on
the leadership of our country at a make or break time of historic
proportions. He faces not one but dozens of crisis, each big enough to
define any presidency in better times.
As luck, fate or divine grace would have it (depending on one's
personal theology) Obama is blessedly, dare I say uniquely, well-suited
to our dire circumstances. Obama is a person with hands-on community
service experience, deep connections to top economic advisers from the
renowned University of Chicago where he taught law and a middle-class
background that gives him an abiding knowledgeable empathy with the
rest of us. As the son of a single mother, who has worked his way up
with merit and brains, recipient of top-notch academic scholarships,
the peer-selected editor of the Harvard Law Review and, in three giant
political steps to state offic e, national office and now the
presidency, Obama clearly has the wit and drive to lead.
Obama is the sober voice of reason at a time of unreason. He is the
fellow keeping his head while all around him are panicking. He is the
healing presence at a time of national division and strife. He is also
new enough to the political process so that he doesn't suffer from the
terminally jaded cynicism, the seen-it-all-before syndrome afflicting
most politicians in Washington . In that regard we Americans lucked
out. It's as if having despaired of our political process we picked a
name from the phone book to lead us and that person turned out to be a
very man we needed.
Obama brings a healing and uplifting spiritual quality to our politics
at the very time when our worst enemy is fear. For eight years we've
been ruled by a stunted, fear-filled, mediocrity of a little liar who
has expanded his power on the basis of creating fear in others.
Fearless Obama is the cure. He speaks a litany of hope rather than a
litany of terror.
As we have watched Obama respond in a quiet reasoned manner to crisis
after crisis, in both the way he has responded after being attacked and
lied about in the 2008 campaign season, to his reasoned response to our
multiplying national crises, what we see is the spirit of a trusted
family doctor with a great bedside manner. Obama is perfectly suited to
hold our hand and lead us through some very tough times. The word panic
is not in the Obama dictionary.
America is fighting its 'Armageddon' in one fearful heart at a time. A
brilliant leader with the mild manner of an old-time matter-of-fact
country doctor soothing a frightened child is just what we need. The
fact that our 'doctor' is a black man leading a hitherto white-ruled
nation out of the mess of its own making is all the sweeter and raises
the Obama story to that of moral allegory.
Obama brings a moral clarity to his leadership reserved for those who
have had to work for everything they've gotten and had to do twice as
well as the person standing next to them because of the color of their
skin. His experience of succeeding in spite of his color, social
background and prejudice could have been embittering or one that
fostered a spiritual rebirth of forgiveness and enlightenment. Obama
radiates the calm inner peace of the spirit of forgiveness.
Speaking as a believing Christian I see the hand of a merciful God in
Obama's candidacy. The biblical metaphors abound. The stone the builder
rejected has become the cornerstone... the last shall be first... he
that would gain his life must first lose it... the meek shall inherit
the earth....
For my secular friends I'll allow that we may have just been
extraordinarily lucky! Either way America wins.
Only a brilliant man, with the sp irit of a preacher and the humble
heart of a kindly family doctor can lead us now. We are afraid, out of
ideas, and worst of all out of hope. Obama is the cure. And we
Americans have it in us to rise to the occasion. We will. We're about
to enter one of the most frightening periods of American history. Our
country has rarely faced more uncertainty. This is the time for
greatness. We have a great leader. We must be a great people backing
him, fighting for him, sacrificing for a cause greater than ourselves.
A hundred years from now Obama's portrait will be placed next to that
of George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and Franklin Roosevelt. Long
before that we'll be telling our children and grandchildren that we
stepped out in faith and voted for a young black man who stood up and
led our country back from the brink of an abyss. We'll tell them about
the power of love, faith and hope. We'll tell them about the power of
creativi ty combined with humility and intellectual brilliance. We'll
tell them that President Obama gave us the gift of regaining our faith
in our country. We'll tell them that we all stood up and pitched in and
won the day. We'll tell them that President Obama restored our standing
in the world. We'll tell them that by the time he left office our
schools were on the mend, our economy booming, that we'd become a
nation filled with green energy alternatives and were leading the world
awa y from dependence on carbon-based destruction. We'll tell them that
because of President Obama's example and leadership the integrity of
the family was restored, divorce rates went down, more fathers took
responsibility for their children, and abortion rates fell dramatically
as women, families and children were cared for through compassionate
social programs that worked. We'll tell them about how the gap closed
between the middle class and the super rich, how we won health care for
all, how crime rates fell, how bad wars were brought to an honorable
conclusion. We'll tell them that when we were attacked again by al
Qaeda, how reason prevailed and the response was smart, tough, measured
and effective, and our civil rights were protected even in times of
crisis....
We'll tell them that we were part of the inexplicably blessed miracle
that happened to our country those many years ago in 2008 when a young
black man was sent by God, fate or luck to save our country. We'll tell
them that it's good to live in America where anything is possible. Yes
we will.
I enjoyed this article!!
Message edited 11/6/2008 8:35:04 AM.
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Posted 11/6/08 8:33 AM  |
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|
Long Island Weddings
Long Island's Largest Bridal Resource |
heathergirl
Cocktail Time!
Member since 10/08 4978 total posts
Name:
American mouth
|
Re: Obama Will Be One of the Greatest (and Most Loved) American Presidents
Posted by GaryElla
By Frank Schaeffer (The Huffington Post)
Great presidents are made great by horrible circumstances combined with
character, temperament and intelligence.. Like firemen, cops, doctors
or soldiers, presidents need a crisis to shine.
Obama is one of the most intelligent presidential aspirants to ever
step forward in Amer ican history. The likes of his intellectual
capabilities have not been surpassed in public life since the Founding
Fathers put pen to paper. His personal character is also solid gold.
Take heart, America : we have the leader for our times.
I say this as a white, former life-long Republican. I say this as the
proud father of a Marine. I say this as just another American watching
his pension evaporate along with the stock market! I speak as someone
who knows it's time to forget party loyalty, ideology and pride and put
the country first. I say this as someone happy to be called a fool for
going out on a limb and declaring that, 1) Obama will win, and 2) he is
going to be amongst the greatest of American presidents.
Obama is our last best chance. He's worth laying it all on the line
for.
This is a man who in the age of greed took the high road of community
service. This is the good father and husband. This is the humb le
servant. This is the patient teacher. This is the scholar statesman.
This is the man of deep Christian faith.
Good stories about Obama abound; from his personal relationship with
his Secret Service agents (he invites them into his home to watch
sports, and shoots hoops with them) to the story about how, more than
twenty years ago, while standing in the check-in line at an airport,
Obama paid a $100 baggage surcharge for a stranger who was broke and
stuck. (Obama was virtually penniless himself in those days.) Years
later, after he became a senator, that stranger recognized Obama's
picture and wrote to him to thank him. She received a kindly note back
from the senator. (The story only surfaced because the person, who
lives in Norway, told a local newspaper after Obama ran for the
presidency. The paper published a photograph of this lady proudly
displaying Senator Obama's letter.)
Where many leaders are two-faced; publicly kindly but privately feared
and/or hated by people closest to them, Obama is consistent in the way
he treats people, consistently kind and personally humble. He lives by
the code that those who lead must serve. He believes that. He lives it.
He lived it long before he was in the public eye.
Obama puts service ahead of ideology. He also knows that to win
politically you need to be tough. He can be. He has been. This is a man
who does what works, rather than scoring ideological points. In other
words he is the quintessential non-ideological pragmatic American. He
will (thank God!) disappoint ideologues and purists of the left and the
right.
Obama has a reservoir of personal physical courage that is unmatched in
presidential history. Why unmatched? Because as the first black
contender for the presidency who will win, Obama, and all the rest of
us, know that he is in great physical danger from the seemingly
u nlimited reserve of unhinged racial hatred, and just plain unhinged
ignorant hatred, that swirls in the bowels of our wounded and sinful
country. By stepping forward to lead, Obama has literally put his life
on the line for all of us in a way no white candidate ever has had to
do. (And we all know how dangerous the presidency has been even for
white presidents.)
Nice stories or even unparalleled courage isn't the only point. The
greater point about Obama is that the midst of our worldwide financial
meltdown, an expanding (and losing) war in Afghanistan, trying to
extricate our country from a wrong and stupidly mistaken ruinously
expensive war in Iraq, our mounting and crushing national debt,
awaiting the next (and inevitable) al Qaeda attack on our homeland,
watching our schools decline to Third World levels of incompetence,
facing a general loss of confidence in the government that has been
exacerbated by the Republicans doing all they can to undermine our
government's capabilities and programs... President Obama will take on
the leadership of our country at a make or break time of historic
proportions. He faces not one but dozens of crisis, each big enough to
define any presidency in better times.
As luck, fate or divine grace would have it (depending on one's
personal theology) Obama is blessedly, dare I say uniquely, well-suited
to our dire circumstances. Obama is a person with hands-on community
service experience, deep connections to top economic advisers from the
renowned University of Chicago where he taught law and a middle-class
background that gives him an abiding knowledgeable empathy with the
rest of us. As the son of a single mother, who has worked his way up
with merit and brains, recipient of top-notch academic scholarships,
the peer-selected editor of the Harvard Law Review and, in three giant
political steps to state offic e, national office and now the
presidency, Obama clearly has the wit and drive to lead.
Obama is the sober voice of reason at a time of unreason. He is the
fellow keeping his head while all around him are panicking. He is the
healing presence at a time of national division and strife. He is also
new enough to the political process so that he doesn't suffer from the
terminally jaded cynicism, the seen-it-all-before syndrome afflicting
most politicians in Washington . In that regard we Americans lucked
out. It's as if having despaired of our political process we picked a
name from the phone book to lead us and that person turned out to be a
very man we needed.
Obama brings a healing and uplifting spiritual quality to our politics
at the very time when our worst enemy is fear. For eight years we've
been ruled by a stunted, fear-filled, mediocrity of a little liar who
has expanded his power on the basis of creating fear in others.
Fearless Obama is the cure. He speaks a litany of hope rather than a
litany of terror.
As we have watched Obama respond in a quiet reasoned manner to crisis
after crisis, in both the way he has responded after being attacked and
lied about in the 2008 campaign season, to his reasoned response to our
multiplying national crises, what we see is the spirit of a trusted
family doctor with a great bedside manner. Obama is perfectly suited to
hold our hand and lead us through some very tough times. The word panic
is not in the Obama dictionary.
America is fighting its 'Armageddon' in one fearful heart at a time. A
brilliant leader with the mild manner of an old-time matter-of-fact
country doctor soothing a frightened child is just what we need. The
fact that our 'doctor' is a black man leading a hitherto white-ruled
nation out of the mess of its own making is all the sweeter and raises
the Obama story to that of moral allegory.
Obama brings a moral clarity to his leadership reserved for those who
have had to work for everything they've gotten and had to do twice as
well as the person standing next to them because of the color of their
skin. His experience of succeeding in spite of his color, social
background and prejudice could have been embittering or one that
fostered a spiritual rebirth of forgiveness and enlightenment. Obama
radiates the calm inner peace of the spirit of forgiveness.
Speaking as a believing Christian I see the hand of a merciful God in
Obama's candidacy. The biblical metaphors abound. The stone the builder
rejected has become the cornerstone... the last shall be first... he
that would gain his life must first lose it... the meek shall inherit
the earth....
For my secular friends I'll allow that we may have just been
extraordinarily lucky! Either way America wins.
Only a brilliant man, with the sp irit of a preacher and the humble
heart of a kindly family doctor can lead us now. We are afraid, out of
ideas, and worst of all out of hope. Obama is the cure. And we
Americans have it in us to rise to the occasion. We will. We're about
to enter one of the most frightening periods of American history. Our
country has rarely faced more uncertainty. This is the time for
greatness. We have a great leader. We must be a great people backing
him, fighting for him, sacrificing for a cause greater than ourselves.
A hundred years from now Obama's portrait will be placed next to that
of George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and Franklin Roosevelt. Long
before that we'll be telling our children and grandchildren that we
stepped out in faith and voted for a young black man who stood up and
led our country back from the brink of an abyss. We'll tell them about
the power of love, faith and hope. We'll tell them about the power of
creativi ty combined with humility and intellectual brilliance. We'll
tell them that President Obama gave us the gift of regaining our faith
in our country. We'll tell them that we all stood up and pitched in and
won the day. We'll tell them that President Obama restored our standing
in the world. We'll tell them that by the time he left office our
schools were on the mend, our economy booming, that we'd become a
nation filled with green energy alternatives and were leading the world
awa y from dependence on carbon-based destruction. We'll tell them that
because of President Obama's example and leadership the integrity of
the family was restored, divorce rates went down, more fathers took
responsibility for their children, and abortion rates fell dramatically
as women, families and children were cared for through compassionate
social programs that worked. We'll tell them about how the gap closed
between the middle class and the super rich, how we won health care for
all, how crime rates fell, how bad wars were brought to an honorable
conclusion. We'll tell them that when we were attacked again by al
Qaeda, how reason prevailed and the response was smart, tough, measured
and effective, and our civil rights were protected even in times of
crisis....
We'll tell them that we were part of the inexplicably blessed miracle
that happened to our country those many years ago in 2008 when a young
black man was sent by God, fate or luck to save our country. We'll tell
them that it's good to live in America where anything is possible. Yes
we will.
I enjoyed this article!!
 
So very well written and candid!
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| Posted 11/6/08 8:42 AM |
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GoldenRod
10 years on LIF!
Member since 11/06 26792 total posts
Name:
Shawn
|
Re: Obama Will Be One of the Greatest (and Most Loved) American Presidents
As much as I hope Obama will do some good things, it is way too early to be putting him on a pedestal and building a monument to him.... Let's see how many promises he can keep, let's see him in the Oval Office, let's see what policies he makes, let's see how he handles crises, etc.
We won't know how good/bad a President he is until he demonstrates what kind of President he is.....
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| Posted 11/6/08 8:46 AM |
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Goobster
:)
Member since 5/07 27557 total posts
Name:
:)
|
Re: Obama Will Be One of the Greatest (and Most Loved) American Presidents
Posted by GoldenRod
As much as I hope Obama will do some good things, it is way too early to be putting him on a pedestal and building a monument to him.... Let's see how many promises he can keep, let's see him in the Oval Office, let's see what policies he makes, let's see how he handles crises, etc.
We won't know how good/bad a President he is until he demonstrates what kind of President he is.....
ITA, sheesh, let's let him DO something first before we go predicting and making him out to be our savior. With all this in mind, people are setting themselves up to be let down.
Message edited 11/6/2008 8:56:24 AM.
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| Posted 11/6/08 8:52 AM |
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MarisaK
HELLO Manolo !!
Member since 5/06 14562 total posts
Name:
Marisa
|
Re: Obama Will Be One of the Greatest (and Most Loved) American Presidents
Posted by GoldenRod
As much as I hope Obama will do some good things, it is way too early to be putting him on a pedestal and building a monument to him.... Let's see how many promises he can keep, let's see him in the Oval Office, let's see what policies he makes, let's see how he handles crises, etc.
We won't know how good/bad a President he is until he demonstrates what kind of President he is.....
I agree - He's obviously extremely intelliget, well spoken and poised (which is a FAB change from the current guy in the oval office  )
But to put him up on a pedistal to be one of the GREATEST presidents before he's even sworn in ??? Bit of a stretch IMO .........(and no, I was not a McCain supporter)
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| Posted 11/6/08 8:54 AM |
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DirtyBlonde
*****
Member since 11/07 7344 total posts
Name:
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Re: Obama Will Be One of the Greatest (and Most Loved) American Presidents
let me preface this by saying that I voted for Obama and support him 100% and i feel a great sense of hope for this country -
i find this thinking to be dangerous - i don't think that we should build him up this much because we will only be disappointed.
let's wait for the first 100 days to pass - the time is ripe for a great president but that's not something that we can fully determine that this point.
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| Posted 11/6/08 8:55 AM |
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GioiaMia
Let's Go Rangers!
Member since 1/07 14818 total posts
Name:
|
Re: Obama Will Be One of the Greatest (and Most Loved) American Presidents
I am very excited to see what the man I did not vote for can bring to this country and I do have high hopes BUT this:
Speaking as a believing Christian I see the hand of a merciful God in
Obama's candidacy. The biblical metaphors abound. The stone the builder
rejected has become the cornerstone... the last shall be first... he
that would gain his life must first lose it... the meek shall inherit
the earth....
is a bit much.
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| Posted 11/6/08 8:57 AM |
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Linda1003
love my 2 boys
Member since 8/08 10923 total posts
Name:
Linda
|
Re: Obama Will Be One of the Greatest (and Most Loved) American Presidents
Posted by Goobster
Posted by GoldenRod
As much as I hope Obama will do some good things, it is way too early to be putting him on a pedestal and building a monument to him.... Let's see how many promises he can keep, let's see him in the Oval Office, let's see what policies he makes, let's see how he handles crises, etc.
We won't know how good/bad a President he is until he demonstrates what kind of President he is.....
ITA, sheesh, let's let him DO something first before we go predicting and making him out to be our savior. With all this in mind, we are setting ourselves up to be let down.
ITA....He's just the president elect...not president yet...let's see what he actually does before we say he will be one of the greatest presidents of our time. To be honest.. Im not a supported, obviously but I hope he is....this country is slowly failing and I would love someone to pull us out.. but as a pp said...we may be in for a real let down..there is a lot of work to be done.. let's hold of all the praise until we see if he can acutally "change" the country for the better. This is just very very premature.. don't ya think.
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| Posted 11/6/08 8:58 AM |
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2PreciousBlessings
The Perfect Pair
Member since 5/06 19861 total posts
Name:
Best Wife & Mommy
|
Re: Obama Will Be One of the Greatest (and Most Loved) American Presidents
Posted by GoldenRod
As much as I hope Obama will do some good things, it is way too early to be putting him on a pedestal and building a monument to him.... Let's see how many promises he can keep, let's see him in the Oval Office, let's see what policies he makes, let's see how he handles crises, etc.
We won't know how good/bad a President he is until he demonstrates what kind of President he is.....
I agree as well. I do think the article is more of a good description of Obama's character.
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| Posted 11/6/08 9:01 AM |
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rojerono
Happiest.
Member since 8/06 13803 total posts
Name:
Jeannie
|
Re: Obama Will Be One of the Greatest (and Most Loved) American Presidents
Posted by DirtyBlonde
let me preface this by saying that I voted for Obama and support him 100% and i feel a great sense of hope for this country -
i find this thinking to be dangerous - i don't think that we should build him up this much because we will only be disappointed.
let's wait for the first 100 days to pass - the time is ripe for a great president but that's not something that we can fully determine that this point.
I agree. It's a very nice article... but that's a bold prediction to make before the man steps foot in office.
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| Posted 11/6/08 9:07 AM |
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CroatianBride
Our Angel Ivanka Rose <3
Member since 7/07 2031 total posts
Name:
Tat
|
Re: Obama Will Be One of the Greatest (and Most Loved) American Presidents
Posted by GoldenRod
As much as I hope Obama will do some good things, it is way too early to be putting him on a pedestal and building a monument to him.... Let's see how many promises he can keep, let's see him in the Oval Office, let's see what policies he makes, let's see how he handles crises, etc.
We won't know how good/bad a President he is until he demonstrates what kind of President he is.....
I agree 100%, this article is a bit much for someone who just was elected 2 days ago.
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| Posted 11/6/08 9:09 AM |
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mrsej
The cutest!
Member since 1/07 2495 total posts
Name:
Mommy
|
Re: Obama Will Be One of the Greatest (and Most Loved) American Presidents
It is also from the Huffington Post - which is like bill o'reilly writing an opinion piece on why mccain would have been the greatest presidents.
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| Posted 11/6/08 9:30 AM |
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Re: Obama Will Be One of the Greatest (and Most Loved) American Presidents
The potential is absolutely there for him to be in the history books as one of the true greats. But I agree- he's not even in office officially yet.
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| Posted 11/6/08 9:52 AM |
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MissRadiant
Happily Ever After
Member since 9/08 2534 total posts
Name:
N
|
Re: Obama Will Be One of the Greatest (and Most Loved) American Presidents
Great article.
I may possibly be the biggest Obama supporter there is and although I agree with what the author said, there is a lot of backlash that comes with it. I think that right now people may be looking at Obama as a savior and that in turn can set him up for failure. We have to be realistic in our expectations of him as a human being and as our President. Do I think he will do a great job? I hope so, hope is what made me vote for him and hope is the happiness that I felt when they announced him the winner. Hope is the feeling that things will get better for us as Americans. Hope and doing a great job is also extremely subjective to an individual and the circumstances that they are in.
As much as most of us can hate the job that W did there are plenty of people who think he was great.
I do love the positive energy that most Americans are sharing around him. Just by being elected Obama made history. His election gave the ordinary american the "I can do it" mentality. The same way it takes a village to raise a child it also takes a village to fix our country. I think with the proper cabinet we can do nothing but excel as America and go back to the place where we once were.
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| Posted 11/6/08 10:02 AM |
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cjik
Welcome 2010!
Member since 2/06 8879 total posts
Name:
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Re: Obama Will Be One of the Greatest (and Most Loved) American Presidents
I did like some parts of this piece, particularly the mention of his decsion to do community service rather than rake in big bucks as a lawyer. He could have pursued that path, but he did not, and I found it ironic that the McCain campaign tried to present him as an elite candidate, who does not understand the problems of the working class or the disenfranchised. Also sad that this choice was ridiculed by some of the Republican elite.
But, that said, I do think it's dangerous to put him on a big pedestal. He is bound to make mistakes, possibly some big ones, and the more he is made into a demi-god, the more disappointed people will be when he shows he is, well, human.
But thanks for posting all the same. I have heard some of these things before, but it's good to read them again.
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| Posted 11/6/08 10:06 AM |
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stickydust
Now a mommy of 2!!!
Member since 4/06 3164 total posts
Name:
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Re: Obama Will Be One of the Greatest (and Most Loved) American Presidents
I think this is a question to be decided by history - after the fact. He has not even been sworn in. It is the American way to build people up and them tear them down - I hope this will not be the case. Also I hope it does not become the case where you want someone to be so great so in your eyes they can do no wrong. Either scenario is wrong and we should just let him take office and see where it goes...
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| Posted 11/6/08 10:19 AM |
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Ophelia
she's baaccckkkk ;)
Member since 5/06 23378 total posts
Name:
remember, when Gulliver traveled....
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Re: Obama Will Be One of the Greatest (and Most Loved) American Presidents
I agree.
I think by putting him on a pedestle we are very much in danger of doing the very thing we LOVE to do...tearing him down when he doesn't meet OUR (inflated, unrealistic??) expectations.
I don't want to do that to him. it would be a terrible disservice.
He has my hope and faith...and my service as an employee of the Federal Govt.
I hope people understand the difference between vision and reality...we elected him for his vision, for his ideas of what WE can do TOGETHER. it would be exceedingly unfair to now place the burden of our expectations soley at his feet.
we need to all lift our crosses and walk WITH him.
Message edited 11/6/2008 10:37:36 AM.
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| Posted 11/6/08 10:24 AM |
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MommaG
Yay Spring!
Member since 5/05 5133 total posts
Name:
Gloria
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Re: Obama Will Be One of the Greatest (and Most Loved) American Presidents
"His personal character is also solid gold."
Sorry - can't say I agree with this. And I agree with the PPs - he hasn't done anything yet but make promises. Give the guy a chance to prove himself first.
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| Posted 11/6/08 10:33 AM |
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evenedan
Need a little sunshine
Member since 9/05 3843 total posts
Name:
D
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Re: Obama Will Be One of the Greatest (and Most Loved) American Presidents
Posted by DirtyBlonde
let me preface this by saying that I voted for Obama and support him 100% and i feel a great sense of hope for this country -
i find this thinking to be dangerous - i don't think that we should build him up this much because we will only be disappointed.
let's wait for the first 100 days to pass - the time is ripe for a great president but that's not something that we can fully determine that this point.
Exactly! I voted for Obama, got emotional when he won, cried during his speech and am over-the-moon excited about his upcoming presidency. But this article is way over the top.
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| Posted 11/6/08 10:54 AM |
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Re: Obama Will Be One of the Greatest (and Most Loved) American Presidents
Posted by Goobster
Posted by GoldenRod
As much as I hope Obama will do some good things, it is way too early to be putting him on a pedestal and building a monument to him.... Let's see how many promises he can keep, let's see him in the Oval Office, let's see what policies he makes, let's see how he handles crises, etc.
We won't know how good/bad a President he is until he demonstrates what kind of President he is.....
ITA, sheesh, let's let him DO something first before we go predicting and making him out to be our savior. With all this in mind, people are setting themselves up to be let down.
ITA. It's like saying he will be the next Jimmy Carter and will possibly be one of the worst presidents in recent memory. You can predict all you want, but once he gets started in January and some time goes by, lets see what he accomplishes and measure his success upon that.
Message edited 11/6/2008 11:15:01 AM.
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| Posted 11/6/08 11:14 AM |
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