"If I could get done what I think needs to get done in four years, even if it meant that I was only president for four years, I would rather be a good president — to take on the tough issues for four years — than a mediocre president for eight years"
This was President Obama's response to a question about whether he would seek reelection in 2012. The question came after Obama gave what was apparently a rousing and well received 21 minute speech in Costa Mesa, California, covering a variety of topics including health care, education, energy, taxes, and government spending.
First of all, who has the balls to ask that question to someone who has not even been in the Oval Office for two months? And second of all, might a question with a little more substance, say a question about health care, or immigration, or even the AIG bonuses, not be such a waste of breath?
But the real wildin here is in Obama's hard line answer. The man has been preaching service and sacrifice from on high, and it seems that he is prepared to walk the walk: doing what he thinks is best for the country whether or not its his own political best interest.
When JFK got elected president, hat makers were pissed off because he was to be the first President not to wear a hat. Why should this scare hat makers? Because the President was the "model citizen," and if Jack didnt rock a fedora, it was curtains for the hat as a staple in mens fashion. So can Obama do for the American culture of self-interest what Kennedy did for the hat?
2 comments:
Very very thoughtful analogy TD. Are you like one of those smart guys or something?
I think it's a nice thought, but it's Obama being the deft politican he is. He's said before that certain reforms would take years to get rolling. Besides it matters who the GOP has running, and Obama's popularity in three years.... Though, I do think there may be something to this, and that's LBJ not JFK. LBJ didn't seek reelection (if i remember right), even though he helped institute great strides in social reform. Vietnam kept him down, and certainly escalations in Afghanistan or initiations in Iran can become equally unpopular and intractable. Might be wrong about LBJ though.
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