Is Obama a Progressive or A Traditionalist?

[LoveLife&Laughter]

The country seems to be split evenly by their opinion, "What is America?"

1/2 claims Obama is trying to change the country.  The other 1/2 + me believe Obama is not trying to change America, but is trying to save the America I grew up with.

I don't believe there is an argument that dysfunctional Congressional politics is a result of an argument about the role of religion and centralized government in our country.  It started during the Revolutionary War years, came to a head again like an infected boil on ones ass during the Civil War years, and now here we are again.  The first time the Confederacy had to be dissolved, the 2nd time the Confederacy failed by force of arms, and the Republicans who called themselves Whigs were so conspicuously dysfunctional, they had to rename themselves "Republicans".  And here we are ...

Who are we?  Who are they?

[Trish]

I agree with you. At heart I think he would like to be more Progressive, but a good portion of this country is wary of him. They know he's black, they suspect he's Muslim. He's been accused of many things that a white president would never be accused of. So, being a wise man  he has to proceed with more caution than he would like. I'm ashamed of this "good Christian nation". The Civil War has been over for nearly 200 years. I think they can stop fighting it now.

[ProblemAgain]

you think so? Terry Glover, an editor for Ebony magazine, has died from colon cancer at the age of 57. this is a short news article about her passing....but read the comments under the story....and tell me racism is not alive and well in america

http://news.yahoo.com/terry-glover-ebony-managing-editor-dies-57-03...

[Woody Woods]

The country has gone through many changes since its beginning. The Founding Fathers would probably not recognize the country today as it was when they wrote the Constitution, Bill of Rights and the Declaration of Independence. Although the Constitution provided us with many freedoms, many of those freedoms at that time weren't directed at women and people of color. Many of those who help compose the Constitution were slave owners and women weren't allowed to vote. So many of those freedoms had to be fought for by other Americans to include ALL Americans. Even the Native American wasn't considered American. Many Americans within America have had to fight for their rights as Americans so many times. Along the way, even with more and more immigrants coming to this country, there was always an underlying resentment by those who came before. Many disliked the Irish immigrants, the Italian immigrants, the Polish immigrants, the Chinese immigrants, the German immigrants, etc. But because of the freedoms here....stated in the Constitution, all new immigrants were able to somewhat blend in, get their education and contribute to the growth and success of the country....join the military and even defend the country in several wars. Slavery was defeated, the country was re-united but there were those who still held a resentment towards blacks and other people of color, jews...and those who fought to abolish slavery. Some of that resentment still exist today. There's still a segment of this society who still have a dislike for many people of color, jews and don't think that women should be treated as equals to men. Also, through out history when things weren't going so well for some folks....unemployment, shortages of housing, etc., the blame was sometimes put on the newest group of immigrants. Although many Chinese helped build the Continental Railroad, the Exclusion Act was enforced to ban Chinese immigration....which lasted for 10 years. And during WWII internment camps were set up for Japanese Americans, who lost the homes and jobs and businesses...mainly because these Americans looked different and were of Japanese heritage. I don't remember any internment camps being set up for any German Americans....lol. Although this is a great country, it has had its faults. And if someone points out those faults....even though they are patriotic Americans, there's another segment of society that's ready to call them anti-American or unamerican quickly. In my opinion for anything or anyone or any county to remain great, you have to recognize the faults, point them out and work to correct them.

After many years of racism, Jim Crow laws, segregation.....in 2008 an African-American was voted President of the USA. Something I thought I'd never see in my lifetime and my mother was positive would never happen at any time...lol. Unfortunate for him, he took office at a terrible time and had many things against him...politically, economically, militarily, socially, racially, etc. No president faced so many challenges during my lifetime or maybe even in the history of the USA. And it was said publicly by those against him that they were going to destroy him. The nation was pretty much divided politically before, but this created a whole new set of things to discredit an elected official. Questions about his religion, his birth, his grades, his nationality, calling him a socialist, marxist. It was mind boggling....lol. I have no problem with someone disagreeing with me about my political views....and there are some policies that I even disagree with Obama on. There were some policies I agreed on with George Bush and many I disagreed with. But never did it ever cross my mind to call him a socialist or marxist....lol. Never.

The country is divided somewhat now, but I think many are beginning to see that some of Obama's domestic policies are working. It takes a lot longer to rebuild something than it does to tear it down. How anyone could expect the economy to turn around in 4 years still amazes me....but that's me. It took many years of unnecessary spending that lead up to the recession and the turn around was not going to be quick. Plus the country is going through another change as far as immigrants are concerned. Having lived in California for over 30 years, I knew and saw the increase in the number of immigrants from not just Mexico but from South and Central America also. This was nothing new. But there is a segment in society that wanted everyone to panic like it all happened over night...lol. And some in society don't want women to have control over their own bodies and made the whole abortion issue a religious issue for some....not a personal issue. I know there are those who will totally disagree with me and may even call me a socialist or marxist or unamerican....me, a Vietnam Vet who wanted to re-enlist after 9/11 but couldn't because I was too old...lol.

America was built on ideas, different opinions, compromise, fighting for our own rights internally....so that ALL Americans are represented in our government and by the government. But that seemed to have been lost by many....many on the far right and many on the far left. And the Republicans need to get in step with the rest of the country if they expect to win anymore elections. They were beginning to isolate people...ignoring a large portion of the American electorate that may not have said much, but they were listening and heard nothing from the right. And the Demos are going to have to realize that they can't just rely on a certain segment of the population in the future, people are now going to have to see results.....not promises.  And yes......here we are. The Repubs still stammering and stuttering wondering what went wrong. I can tell you what went wrong......just look at all of those who participated in the Repub primary....from Rick Perry to Herman Cain.......and Romney. Are you kidding me?????? Were they trying to kid the American  public?????  So here we are.....a country divided, but I think there is hope....hope before the end of Obama's last term......and I also mean hope for the Repubs. But this is just my opinion.......only time will tell.

I have rambled on enough............lol   

[LoveLife&Laughter]

Trish, Terry, and Problem all make good points, but in my extensive travels around this country when I was working and before Obama was elected I didn't think it was racism as much as a bunch of folks still ps'd that they lost the (Civil) war.  Those guys are still running around with "Freedom" signs and "Don't Tread on Me" flags, besides the Confederate Flag.

African (Americans) could be more like "Collateral Damage" in the "Southern" obsession with less (centralized) government.  After the War, the KKK  was brutal towards blacks, but not so much their being black as the "South's" message to President Johnson that they may have lost the War but they still were not going to accept Johnson's "The Reconstruction".  It was open hunting season on "Republicans" as well as "Blacks" back then, and this obsessive behavior has been festering ever since, especially since Lyndon Johnson's Civil Rights Act, except all the Southern Democrats switched to Buckley's (Racist) Conservative Party after 1964.

[Dennis Barsten]

The problem, as I see it, is too many people still want to live in the old Aguilera society of the past…When Free White Men Ruled Over Society…! The war between the states took that away from them…And yet they have survived for over 200 years now, still prodding their Good O’Boy ways…

Yes, problem there where internment camps for Germans and Italians, POW’S here in America, locations keep secret due to possible escapees‘…LOL

[Trish]

Do you think that they honestly think that way of life will ever come back? It's time to get over it. I had black neighbors. They were fine generous people.

[Dennis Barsten]

Of course their centralized solvent of life is TAKE BACK...? 

[ProblemAgain]

POW's are different than americans of certain ethnic origins

[Lifesighs]

I think Obama has a tendency to cave to far to the other side instead of holding his ground, he also telegraphs that he will cave in before it's necessary. He is a fine man and a good president but I would like to smack him over not holding strong on health care.

[Woody Woods]

LOL.....I know what you mean.....

[ellevan]

I am right there with you.  I wish he would hold his ground and realize that there are a LOT of us who would have his back, even if we aren't billionaires.

[exedir]

The Civil War or the War between the States was just over 147 years ago, in April 1865 at Appomattox Court House where Lee and his officers were allowed to keep their weapons by Grant.  The worse battle of that war was fought 150 years ago at Antietam in September, 1862 where over 32,000 were killed, lost or causalities between the Union and the Confederacy forces and tomorrow is the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proc lamination that made slaves in the south, free. 

We have come a long way from those days, much has happened to the country since then including  the election of an African-American president.  But all prejudices and acts of discrimination against color, ethnicity and national origin has not been eliminated and probably will not as a matter of how a person feels and feels about others.  What we have done is make most of those prejudices and acts of discrimination a part of law when it comes to how people must deal with each other.

So, as to how we feel about each other, we are divided.  We are divided in many ways as to opinion and attitudes of how a government should act and when it does act what it should do for the people and the country.  Currently we are engaged in what the government should do as to funding itself and what should it do with the funds it does have.  Many believe that the government as a government is wasteful and at worse, confiscatory  using it's powers to reallocate income from those that produce to those that do not.  While others demand government perform in a social compact to support and provide for those with less, less wealth and less opportunity to get wealth to live and otherwise prosper in the society.

As to what we have experience longer; prejudice and discrimination or, poverty  is as old as the chicken or the egg.

What we have proved is that even the wealthiest, democratic and powerful country in the world can't solve all the problems of its people and society, certainly when divided and when not focused on the common welfare as a united people.