Just What We Were Afraid Of
Hope is a great thing, I guess. I'm not that enthused by it.
It's not what brought me to support Barack Obama, but eventually I did. He connected for me on 'changing the way Washington does business' and 'protecting the Constitution'.
So I got over my reservations about him -- that he is not as liberal as I would like, that he didn't vote on the Kyl/Lieberman amendment re: Iran, that he is a compromiser, that he is talking about working with Republicans like its a good thing. And I put aside my fears that his talk might not match his actions, and that if he was elected he might not be more liberal than we thought, but less.
and now this... FISA
Could Obama have disappointed us any more deeply so quickly?
Harry Reid has been consistently craven and useless on standing up to them and for us. So it is not surprising that he actually allowed this bill to come up instead of quashing it easily by shelving it. Reid and his ilk may believe that the people support what they've been doing, that the people will be angry if they don't "fix" FISA, BUT Barack Obama should know better.
Even a double-digit lead in the polls can be erased by election time. If Obama doesn't listen to the Democratic base he may lose us -- if not to McCain, to apathy. Standing up for the Constitution goes beyond the base, though. Not only Democrats, but Independents and disillusioned Republicans have been looking to Barack Obama to stand up and be the change. He has to realize this.
And he should realize he does not need to pander to the right-wing, the party powerful, the minority of ignorant conservatives he will never win anyway, or even the media. He has succeeded despite them and because of us and he has to be what we all hoped he would be.
It's not what brought me to support Barack Obama, but eventually I did. He connected for me on 'changing the way Washington does business' and 'protecting the Constitution'.
So I got over my reservations about him -- that he is not as liberal as I would like, that he didn't vote on the Kyl/Lieberman amendment re: Iran, that he is a compromiser, that he is talking about working with Republicans like its a good thing. And I put aside my fears that his talk might not match his actions, and that if he was elected he might not be more liberal than we thought, but less.
and now this... FISA
Could Obama have disappointed us any more deeply so quickly?
Harry Reid has been consistently craven and useless on standing up to them and for us. So it is not surprising that he actually allowed this bill to come up instead of quashing it easily by shelving it. Reid and his ilk may believe that the people support what they've been doing, that the people will be angry if they don't "fix" FISA, BUT Barack Obama should know better.
Even a double-digit lead in the polls can be erased by election time. If Obama doesn't listen to the Democratic base he may lose us -- if not to McCain, to apathy. Standing up for the Constitution goes beyond the base, though. Not only Democrats, but Independents and disillusioned Republicans have been looking to Barack Obama to stand up and be the change. He has to realize this.
And he should realize he does not need to pander to the right-wing, the party powerful, the minority of ignorant conservatives he will never win anyway, or even the media. He has succeeded despite them and because of us and he has to be what we all hoped he would be.
