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Stephen LeDrew

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Obama, Stop Lecturing and Start Leading

Posted: 08/11/11 06:11 PM ET

Is Obama the 21st century's Woodrow Wilson? Smart, but over everyone's head?

The nation in crisis, the American president gives a special talk with his lips pursed and a disapproving frown -- a countenance of barely tolerating those idiots who conspire to make his life miserable.

But his words fall flatter than you-know-what on a plate. Mission to inspire? FAIL.

The U.S. is wallowing in one of its worst throes of confidence. Not only is the stock market loopy, Afghanistan defeating, job creation insipid, but its citizens are in real need of a tonic.

So what does Obama do? Not a lot. He delivers nostrums to the nation, looking ever so much like the Sunday school teacher that Wilson was, before jetting off to Camp David for the weekend!

My American friends argue that this president is the victim of some of the nastiest racism possible. There are people who would prefer to see the States go down rather than see him succeed.

Perhaps this is so, but Mr. President, rise to the challenge! Speak over the heads of those Washington pinheads and nitwits and speak directly to the American people. Show your 'audacity' with a message of hope (you remember that) and a plan to restore the lustre of your citizenry.

Have a plan to create the conditions for industry to flourish, a plan to cut down the mind-numbing bureaucracy that stifles the enterprise that made America great.

Stop wishing that everyone in Washington will suddenly stop what they're doing to hold hands and sing Kumbaya. Stop lecturing and start leading.

Obama knows the list of things to be done to allow the U.S. to soar. He just needs to get to it in order to help the American people escape the funk which is dragging down the spirit of the last best hope.

 
Is Obama the 21st century's Woodrow Wilson? Smart, but over everyone's head? The nation in crisis, the American president gives a special talk with his lips pursed and a disapproving frown -- a count...
Is Obama the 21st century's Woodrow Wilson? Smart, but over everyone's head? The nation in crisis, the American president gives a special talk with his lips pursed and a disapproving frown -- a count...
 
 
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mmxxmmxx
Opposing Creatures Everywhere All the Time
02:54 PM on 08/13/2011
The President is just fine. Considering all of the obstacles and full-on 24/7, 365, attacks by those who would not only destroy his Presidency (and have no qualms about taking the nation down as well), he is doing well. The past few weeks have been hard economically but never forget that it was designed and planned by that opposition. They are gleefully enjoying the credit downgrade by P&S; they revel in the high unemployment numbers and they hope for the country to experience as much pain and suffering as possible so they can gain control and erase as much social and economic progress achieved over the last 60 years as possible.The doubters and naysayers on the left who are disillusioned should stay as far away from talks about a third party as possible. Handing this nation over to the radical right would be such a horrendous disaster. I don't think we could ever recover.
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fromdnorth
OK I checked my micro-bio (didn't know I had one
02:52 PM on 08/13/2011
Obama hes given a nod to the Republicans by inviting them to his cabinet ( they said yes then NO)
Wall street,
Insurance companies by not going single payer
Tea Party by nominating their judge, deporting Mexicans etc. and the all in unison said "no way Jose"

So now its his turn to give them the finger...
But his mother taught him that if you pay nice, they will come around...
So he continues...
Guess he does not like power too much...
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janetislight
Liberal/Progressive/Socialist. Deal with it.
01:58 PM on 08/13/2011
I really liked this post. It should go straight to the President's desk, with all of our names on it. The President is smart, has surrounded himself with some pretty smart people and has the ability to go down in history in a fantastic way. Stand up Mr. President. Do what you know is right! Be who you are and quit letting other's "author" who you are. If you would do just that, we would be sooooo behind you that you would be carried on the wings of our resolve and respect.
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mustardhead98
Professional Fine Artist
11:52 AM on 08/13/2011
Listen: if he hasn't "gotten to it" after three years, I hate to break it to you, but he's not going to. He's had opportunity after opportunity to show his leadership-the people have begged, cadjoled and supported him way past the time they should have and he STILL is incapable of being the leader of the USA.

Obama can't lead. It isn't a skill he has and everyone would have known this had they looked at his record pre-election. Liberals who are unhappy with him (and rightly so) say well I have to vote for him as the alternatives are even worse. So I say to them, a democrat challenger needs to rise up and get this guy out of office.

Better yet, an independent who has the leadership skills and the gift to be able to unpolarize this nation......
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HUFFPOST COMMUNITY MODERATOR
eyelashviper
In wilderness is the preservation of the world
11:14 AM on 08/13/2011
Suggested summer reading for President Obama....."The Art of War".
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paid troll
i couldn't find an XXXL flag costume
10:33 AM on 08/13/2011
he should, you would, i could. shoulda woulda coulda. support your president and elect some real democrats who will back him up.
so much criticism, but no action at all from the chair force.
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Kristopher Leang
training to take down the elite
11:14 AM on 08/13/2011
ya the political american is a very confused deranged person who contributes and creates their own political animosity then wonders why?
09:02 AM on 08/13/2011
Obama leads just fine. Amurkans are too stooopid to follow.
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Whistlejackett
Hey stop doing that
02:44 AM on 08/13/2011
Obama, stop acting like a President, and just be one, you are ok. Forget the tensions, apply the whip.
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trusk
06:50 PM on 08/12/2011
If being "over our heads" is code for "clueless", then I agree with you.
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Retrofuturistic
see things as they really are
05:44 PM on 08/12/2011
The best thing Obama could do for the country would be to withdraw, now, from the 2012 race, and give his party time to come up with someone better.

If not that, then we need a progressive third party NOW.
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BrandoLives
07:19 PM on 08/12/2011
Got any suggestions for anyone viable for the Democrats? Not mocking you...just curious.
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Retrofuturistic
see things as they really are
02:25 AM on 08/13/2011
Just off the top of my head--- Sherrod Brown, James Carville, Bernie Sanders, Barney Frank, Dennis Kucinich, Howard Dean, Hillary Clinton, Bob Fitrakis. Lots of good people out there....
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08:16 AM on 08/13/2011
the very best would be Elizabeth Warren
08:11 PM on 08/12/2011
That's exactly what LBJ did. He made collossal errors in judgement and communication about the Viet Nam war, but was man enough to recognize that he had lost the support of the American people. And he will always be remembered for his tremendous unparalleled civil rights and Medicare accomplishments that he had a direct strong hand in forging through the Congress.

But, oh by the way, as long as we continue to elect the President by the Electoral System, we will never have more than two sustainable political parties at a time. Direct popular vote with proportional representation is the only way to build multiple-party coalition government that is practiced widely elsewhere. The Founding Fathers wrote a brilliant Constitution, but the Electoral System was their greatest blunder outside of not outlawing slavery.
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nypapajoe
04:44 PM on 08/12/2011
If this is how the President responds to a bunch of Republican fanatical defenders of the wealthy elite and their corporations I can not expect him to act any differently to an invasion by a foreign power! We are doomed! I'm tied of defending his presidency or lack of! It's embarrassing that instead of supporting his agenda we have to wonder, what is the president thinking or is he? Because no one holding the most powerful position on this planet would be bowing down to a bunch of tea bagger puppets that are being manipulated by the ultra rich right wing! No one! Well except Obama because to date he has given these clowns everything including the kitchen sink!
05:22 PM on 08/12/2011
So you think the president should treat Republicans in Congress, who were elected into office by their constituents (who are American citizens), should be treated the same as foreign invaders?

Maybe you try thinking before posting next time.
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BrandoLives
07:21 PM on 08/12/2011
Maybe he should...If he approached these battles more like WAR and less like Romper Room...
07:15 PM on 08/12/2011
That's because he represents "tea bag light."
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mddunnings
03:38 AM on 08/24/2011
WOW! I see it must be idots hour on this site today. I will check back in when the sane people have returned. What a bunch of idi...
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04:42 PM on 08/12/2011
I thought his speech yesterday showed he has some fire.

I'm hoping his people are keeping him apprised of what America is saying about his lack of leadership, how we progressives and supporters are screaming for some action, a serious jobs bill, we want him to continue the fight with Republicans over raising revenues. We can't let that one go by, we have to have that fight, right up until we win it. The country is in trouble, in part because of the unfunded Bush tax cuts to the tune of $4T over 10 yrs.

We have a revenue deficit.

We have to rail against the Norquist Pledge for it's conflict of interest with the oath of office. There is a crying out for President Obama to take the lead, be the Man With The Plan. Fight for a Progressive agenda with all your might, President Obama, even if you think it's a losing proposition due to obstructionism. At least we can show the American people what the Republicans really want for America, and voters will turn against them.
Sergeant
Dress Right
05:45 PM on 08/12/2011
"The country is in trouble, in part because of the unfunded Bush tax cuts to the tune of $4T over 10 yrs. "

At least be candid. These are now the Obama tax cuts.
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06:03 PM on 08/12/2011
True!!! Although I don't like to mention it....
02:01 AM on 08/13/2011
the asterisk you omitted would precede this contextual note: obama was given the choice of raising everyones taxes, or no ones. this was the gop, earning its reputation for entitled petulance. obama, against his wishes, in the absence of unilateral abilities, chose the lesser of two evils. you can call the tax cuts for the 98% "the obama tax cuts," and those for the top 2%, "the boehner tax cuts."
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mustardhead98
Professional Fine Artist
11:58 AM on 08/13/2011
Oh pleeze. You guys have been begging him for three years now to fight, to take the lead et al. It just isn't going to happen. Can you not see that now?? He doesn't and never did have the experience or gift of leadership one needs to be president.

And so you thought his speech had some fire?? All I can do is roll my eyes at that as we've heard many a speech from Obama that "showed some fire" but the fire was put out quickly as soon as the teleprompter was turned off.
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04:02 PM on 08/13/2011
Well here's how I look at it:
I'd rather have Obama's people whose job it is to keep him apprised of public opinion and to keep him informed read my post and skip yours...
Your message seems to b "roll your eye and give up."

My message is "fight like h-ll, even if it looks like there's little chance of winning."
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DocJoseph
A bleeding heart will heal; a cold heart will not
04:14 PM on 08/12/2011
"Speak over the heads of those Washington pinheads and nitwits and speak directly to the American people."

I thought he did that. I can remember one line in particular, "Call your Senators and Congressmen to tell them" something about doing the right thing.

I know everyone says "what Obama should do", but I haven't yet seen a message to deliver that makes sense.

"Have a plan to create the conditions for industry to flourish, a plan to cut down the mind-numbing bureaucracy that stifles the enterprise that made America great."

Can you translate that for me? It sounds like political speak, and I hear rushing hot air.
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raker
03:24 PM on 08/12/2011
Great post. All true. But the problem for me, the scary part, comes from considering that Obama is a smart man, still beloved and respected by many, with the will of most people on the Democratic side of policy considerations, and still Obama surrenders to the Republicans without so much as a flicker of resistance on every single issue. When the same thing happens over and over again, it's no accident.

The right will do ANYTHING to undermine the black man in the White House, to the point of self-destruction if necessary, and the president will do ANYTHING but take a stand, lest he be labeled an angry black leftist. The president's got experience that I don't have being black, so he should know by now that the right wing racists will never, ever respect him or accept him or say a kind word about him or give him an inch. He seems to be fighting for the respect of people whose respect no decent person would want.

Obama is a tragic figure who will be undone for being untrue to himself. Either that or he's just a right winger in hopey-changey clothing. Either way, we lose.
05:31 PM on 08/12/2011
My guess that deck you started with had 52 cards plus a couple of jokers. Now when all else is lost you play the race card which has been played ad neauseum when ever Obama comes under scrutiny. We know where the 2 jokers are hanging out at 1600 Pennsylvania ave. And you are pretty much thru that deck of 52 so please accept reality. Obama is a failure because he is " green" not because he is black.
02:13 AM on 08/13/2011
"coonskin", "your boy," "tar baby": 3 terms attached to barack obama last week by the gop. instead of acknowledging a growing iclination towards accepted racism in their party gets up in arms over the "race card". "hip hop bbq": fox networks description of obamas birthday party. you want it both ways, the undermining jabs and the righteous claims of colorblindness whenever it suits you. the bs criticism obama takes from the right every day is no less than you would have for a far more uncompromisingly liberal white president.
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mustardhead98
Professional Fine Artist
12:03 PM on 08/13/2011
Absolutely right!!
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mustardhead98
Professional Fine Artist
12:02 PM on 08/13/2011
If you would have taken out the racial points, your post would have made sense. I'm SO tired of people saying just because we don't support this president we're racist. The fact is, I don't support this president because he's inept. Period.

BTW he isn't exactly black. He is half black and raised by a white mother, white grandparents in a white society. Obama is more white than I am so all of this racist rhetoric is ridiculous.
01:54 PM on 08/12/2011
From the desperate days of the Hillary Clinton primary campaign which used religious and racial smears to the coded rant of Jim DeMint and many southern politicians and the racist rants of Donald Trump Obama has indeed been the victim of hatred but this can still not excuse his terrible compromised cabinet choices, his following the Bush foreign policy, his corrupt dealings with Big Pharma on health care, his capitulations to the the republican extremists on the tax cuts and the deficit and his refusal to put a specific and detailed plan for putting people back to work that would have the support of the American people who are far more progressive than he is.
Sergeant
Dress Right
05:46 PM on 08/12/2011
So was Bush. The vitriol was heated right here on good old HP. What was that? Racism?