The Obama Way

Every one of us likes to be a back seat driver, to second guess the coach, to think we have a better way.

I have been an Obama supporter since he started what most people thought was an impossible dream; his quixotic campaign for the presidency. No one really thought he had a chance, not even me.

After 9/11 who would vote for an Obama? or Osama?, or someone with the middle name Hussein. Laughable. What about the Reverend Wright controversy, or the charge he "pals around with terrorists"?

What drew so many of us to support him financially and with our "blood, sweat and tears"? How did he topple two unconquerable political forces, first the unstoppable Clintons who fought it out to the last primary; and then immediately turn to duel it out with the dirty political jugernaught created by Karl Rove and Dick Cheney.

This is what I believe about our President:

a) He is 10 times smarter than I think he is and 100 times smarter than I am. In his mind he is way ahead of all of us. When he has dinner by himself in the West Wing there is more brain power in that room than was in Independence Hall when our Founding Fathers signed the Declaration of Independence.

b) As he has made clear since he started the campaign for President, he will change Washington and there will be no more politics as usual.

What is so frustrating to us is that NONE OF US can imagine any OTHER KIND OF POLITICS than "business as usual". Unfortunate as it is, we all believe in MAJORITY RULE. Although we don't like to admit it we believe that Dick Cheney is right when he says that all you need to govern is 50% plus one vote and the rest of America can go to Hell.

It will take time to abolish the mindset of "business as usual" in Washington. Liberals, Conservatives, Democrats, and Republicans are all shaking their head thinking President Obama is a nut case. Its one thing for this man with an Islamic sounding name, a mutt with a black father and a white mother, to beat TWO unstoppable political machines to become president. Now this NAIVE greenhorn thinks he can actually change how Washington DC works.

Cossacks and Rednecks, Wall Street and Main Street, Peace Activists and Neo-Cons beware. Politics as usual is on its last breath. Partisanship is dying and the consensus that only a community organizer can bring to a society is the NEW POLITICS.

c) President Obama does not run from a fight. He gave 'em as much as he took in the 2008 Election. He won't be pushed around. He listens to everyone, until he sees consensus and once he has a plan that is supportable by ALL "sane" people regardless of party, and he agrees with it, HE WON"T BACK DOWN and he is unstoppable.

As far as Health Care, by the end of the year, President Obama WILL negotiate an agreement reconciling the work of the five committees of Congress. All credible, thoughtful Representatives and Senators regardless of party will agree with it. As a good community organizer, President Obama will not talk specifics on any of the plans until he negotiates a final agreement that Congress passes. However, if the leaders of the Republican Party abandon common sense, and take the side of the wing nuts, that is their death wish and they have to suffer heavy consequences.

Health Care this year is ESSENTIAL and WILL HAPPEN. But the way it is achieved will be the "Obama Way", which does bring on THE END OF POLITICS AS USUAL IN WASHINGTON.