BARACK OBAMA -
Fatherless Father of our Country.
There is a weakness to President Obama's communication skills that he cannot be held responsible for. He has never experienced the interaction between a boy and his father. He has never had the comforting reassurance of a dad when he gets hurt or is having a tough time. He has never had the backing of a man to protect him. He hasn't had the experience of challenging his father as he grows to manhood. He therefore doesn't know how much children need to be led.
He is the Father of our Country now. After all, that is what our President represents. He is the head of our household. He is leaving most of his friends and all of his enemies and the public at large (I hate the term 'ordinary folks) frustrated because he doesn't know how to PUT HIS FOOT DOWN in a public way. He is leading us by making us do the work without giving us something to hold onto emotionally. We are looking to him for what others may call leadership, but in this context, I call parenting. He doesn't realize how well people react to emphatic leadership - more important, he doesn't realize how much we need it. George W. had that strength to a great extent and was able to make Congress and the general public bend to his will - primarily because he grew up with a strong Father to look up to. If his ideas were better and less destructive and less snide, he would have been a great leader. As it is he led us off a cliff.
Barack Obama simply missed that side of life. He has a very strong will and ideas and welcomes challenges from dissenters, as well as advocates and the general public. Because he is confident of his own abilities with an ego strong enough to withstand harsh criticism, he is open to ideas as few Presidents have ever been. This is a great attribute for which we should all be grateful.
He is also a professor of the Constitution. Because of great compassion and concern for people, as practical a politician as he is, he is also an idealist. The hope he inspired in us is the hope he has himself. As the song goes "Sometimes I feel like a Fatherless child, a long way from home". If only he had had that part of life he would be better able to understand the underlying truth that leaders can lead because followers are looking for someone to follow.
Followers, unfortunately, are often unsure of themselves without their leader. That is one of the reasons that the Church and other traditions work so well. And most people don't pay enough attention to know who to follow when there are choices to be made.
It's amazing how badly we listen and how little we remember. President Obama is going to continue the war in Afghanistan. This has many people disappointed in him. Let me state that I am against the war; nonetheless, why is anyone surprised that Obama is behaving this way? Why should anybody say they have lost faith in him because of this action? Did anybody listen to any of his speeches and debates before you voted for him? He clearly stated over and over again that he was NOT AGAINST WAR; he was against stupid wars like Iraq. He clearly stated over and over again that the real war is in Afghanistan. Another campaign promise being kept: getting out of Iraq and more action in Afghanistan! It may be the wrong decision, or at least the wrong decision to many of us, but it should not be a reason to be disillusioned.
Also. BTW, he was obviously not a far left politician. Much more moderate than many people expected; remember the press and pundits complained he was too cautious and laid back during the campaign. Perhaps the inspiration we all felt has been a bit tarnished by meeting the realities in Congress and the World - the same realities that all new Presidents have faced. We go in with great hopes and are lucky if we can accomplish a small part of our ambitious ideas. Obama has already accomplished more of his campaign promises than any other President in recent memory. The problem we all face in judging him is that many of his accomplishments are hidden behind the curtain of being unmeasurable; what would the economy be like without Obama's intervention, how much worse would the job situation be, how much of health care legislation will work? Take a deep breath, cross your fingers and ignore the press and pundits for a while longer. Pragmatic as he can be, Obama can, nonetheless, become one of our greatest Presidents. After all, he is open to criticism and change and makes a genuine effort to keep his hand on the needs of the people who live beyond the beltway.