How's that hopey changey stuff working out now?

(Jim Morin)

Of course, that's Caribou Barbie's line. "How's that hopey changey stuff workin' out for ya?"

Well, not so bad since the election, huh?

But I note that no one is smiling in the cartoon above. After all, it was the result of a lame duck Congress, and the next two years are looking to be complete disasters. If all this activity had happened before the election,... well, that's water under the bridge, isn't it?

But it's a lot different from two years ago, when Democrats were excited about this bold, young, charismatic leader and Republicans were desperately trying to recover from the disasters they created when they led the country. How things have changed!

It's hard to change established opinions, and unfortunately, the past two years have left progressives unhappy and the far-right euphoric. If you look at it rationally, a lot of good things got accomplished. But this is politics. And politically, the Democrats blew it. Obama blew it. There's just no way around that.

But it's only the end if you give up. I was impressed with the lame duck Congress, and if the Senate can reform their idiotic filibuster rules (which will take only a majority vote on the first day of the new Congress), that will impress me, too (although it won't do nearly as much good as it would have a year ago).

Obama,... I don't know. Obama is still blaming his supporters, it seems - still willing to bend over backward for his enemies, while angrily fighting the people who elected him. Worse yet, he's buying into right-wing rhetoric, into their historical revisionism, even. What happened to that bold, charismatic leader we saw in 2008?

It's not too late. But Obama needs to understand what's gone wrong. And he needs to change. He needs to fight, and he needs to make sure he's facing the right direction when he does. Most of all, he needs to lead!  Congress can't lead our nation (especially not now, when the GOP has taken control of the House). It takes a President.

I hope that Republicans are in for a rude surprise the next two years - and that we progressives are pleasantly surprised. Maybe the right-wing has underestimated Obama. Maybe the mouse has decided to act like a lion, to be a lion. I sure hope so. This lame duck session has been a nice start, but only a start. And most of that has been Congress, not the President.

Indeed, the main contribution from Obama was that tax cut "compromise" that infuriated the left. Maybe it was necessary. Maybe it won't come back to bite us all in the ass two years from now. I sure hope so! But at the very least, it wasn't the kind of change this nation really needs. Making a compromise from the worst of the Democrats and the worst of the Republicans might indeed be possible. But is it wise?

I don't know. Let's hope we've all underestimated Barack Obama.

(John Darkow)