Disclaimer: If we had a more progressive congress we would not have nearly as many problems as we do now and the Republicans in office deserve most of the blame (at least if talking about politicians) for the current political mess. However, I do not think the president is effectively dealing with them and not all of my issues with President Obama stem from the Republicans. Also, I am not citing sources on my information here because, frankly, there are too many things. If anyone questions facts I present, let me know in comments and I will find sources (though if you wish to further question that I ask that you also back up your point). Also, I welcome different opinions and I invite you to share other things that you think Obama has done well.
There is quite a lot of back-and-forth about President Obama in progressive circles, at least the feminist and queer/trans ones that I follow online. I have also noticed many of my friends calling out people on the left who dislike Obama. So, I would like to weigh in on my specific views on President Obama.
First and foremost, in 2008 I supported and voted for Obama. I would have voted for him in the primaries had I registered in time.
My feelings now are a little different. First and foremost, I must acknowledge that I am more left-wing than I was in 2008. Obama the candidate would now be too moderate for me and Obama the president is certainly not progressive enough.
I support many of the things Obama has done. He was working to improve our international relations. He has done many things to support LGBTQ people. Examples include DADT (though I am very anti-military), stopping the defense of DOMA (the Defense of Marriage Act must go, regardless of my views on marriage) and supporting its repeal, changing passport regulations for trans people, attempting to change hospital visitation policies (I have heard that it didn’t do much—I would love if people could weigh in on that), allowing HIV+ people to come to the U.S. (not exclusively queer/trans, but significant), appointing queer and trans people to his cabinet, and more. He also signed the hate crimes bill (though others before him did most of the work on that), but I have mixed views on hate crimes that I may discuss later. These are, regardless of what many queer bloggers might say, significant to the LGBTQ community—they are more than “cookie crumbs.” I think he could do more to advocate for LGBTQ people, but, all-in-all, I am not displeased with the LGBTQ-related work that he has done.
However, my politics go beyond LGBTQ-focused legislation. Here is where I have issues with the things Obama has and has not done. Obama has escalated the war in Afghanistan and has sent troops into Libya, Pakistan, and Yemen. We are still engaged in combat in Iraq. Though he said he would shut down Guantanamo Bay, it is still active. While he was trying to improve our international relations, which we really need, I am under the impression that he has not done too much more on that front since early in his presidency (please correct me if I am wrong—I am relying on the oh-so-reliable media for this). He has not nearly taken a hard enough stance on offshore drilling, even immediately after the oil spill in the Gulf. In general, his public stance and effort on energy is not nearly where it should be. Obama also extended the “Patriot Act.” His administration defended the epically failing “war on drugs,” even after a UN group detailed why it is not working.
I think health care was kind of a disaster. Yes, most of the blame lies with Republicans and much of it on “blue dog Democrats.” However, he was attempting to negotiate with people who would not negotiate. I hate politics and don’t know too much about them, but the fact that he took the public option off the table with nary a fight was ridiculous. In the end, I hope the bill paves the way for better health care later, because I don’t think it does much right now. Obama’s extension of the Bush tax cuts is also inexcusable. Yes, again the Republicans deserve much of the blame, but his negotiations started in the middle while the Republican negotiations started much further right. That is NOT the way to negotiate. I am very nervous about the negotiations regarding the debt ceiling—I will acknowledge that changes to Medicare and Social Security aren’t necessarily terrible, but Obama’s track record on negotiating with the Republicans is. I appreciate his attempt to be bipartisan, but it’s not working. He should change his strategy. When the U.S. becomes LESS progressive in ways, yet we have a purportedly progressive president, there is a major issue.
I also think Obama should lend more of his voice to issues like reproductive rights, racial justice, and immigration justice. I seem to recall a major part of his campaign centered on access to higher education—I have seen minimal aid to students seeking higher education in the last four years (were Pell Grants increased, decreased, or both?).
One could justifiable argue that Obama is better than McCain, Palin, Bacchmann, etc. That is DEFINITELY true. However, that doesn’t mean I can’t call Obama out on his shit. I ALSO don’t think “better” is necessarily “good enough.” Yes, the legislative branch of the government has made things very difficult for Obama, but I don’t think he has responded as well as he should.
People may wonder what I plan to do in 2012. I want a president who fights hard for justice—as hard as if not harder than opposing sides. I want a more progressive president. I don’t want one who is ready to expand conflict, cave to oil companies, or not do enough to help the lower classes of this nation. I also want to change the two-party system (as well as the voting system) in this country. Will it actually change? Who knows? More people seem to vote for third-party candidates every election. So, I will vote for the candidate who most represents my views. Will that deny my vote from the more progressive mainstream candidate and give it to someone who has no hope of winning this cycle? Most likely. But, things are not changing as I want them to (not simply “moving too slowly”), and I have a right to vote for the candidate who most represents me.
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