What’s the Deal?

I wonder how many Americans today are watching the news, reading the tabloids, and scratching their heads thinking, “What happened to Obama?” When he started his campaign, he was a rising star. He promised change, and the majority of Americans, including an unprecedented amount of youth, believed him. He was the knight in shining armor that our country yearned for. Now, he is the Ruiner. What happened?

The seeds of President Obama’s downfall were planted when he vied for, and ultimately passed, a universal health care bill. That’s when the word “socialist” started being associated with his administration. But why? I understand that people want to have the freedom to chose what health care they want, and whether or not they want health care at all, but what’s so bad about having it? Would people rather be swamped with expensive medical bills than pay for insurance? By the amount of criticism the bill has received, it seems so.

What critics didn’t seem to understand, and seemingly still don’t, is that until the bill was passed, the United States was the only developed country without a universal health care program.  While people in our country grow ill and are unable to do much about it, citizens of countries like Sweden, United Kingdom, and Japan, enjoy a system where their government handles all their medical needs, and sometimes at an even better quality than that found in the United States. So was Obama really such a tyrant to pass the bill? You decide.

That’s another thing that gets me. Hardcore opponents of Obama and his administration, namely, the Tea Party, have reduced themselves to calling Obama names. I’ve heard things such as “socialist”, “king”, “dictator”, and “tyrant”. These people are quite obviously misinformed.  A good example of a socialist/dictator leader is Adolf Hitler, and what did he do? He ruled his nation through fear, started a world war, and ordered the alienation of genocide of a single race. Has Obama done anything remotely similar to these? I think not. Obama wasn’t quick to send troops and start another war in the Middle East when bloody government crackdowns occurred in Libya and Syria. And he’s doing his best to dumb down the amount of troops in Afghanistan, which is what the American public wants, isn’t it? Doesn’t sound like a dictator to me.

So, on what grounds is Obama, in any sense of the words, a “tyrant”, “dictator”, or “king”? I don’t think I have to remind anyone that an actual king rules absolutely, and has opponents of his government jailed or executed. If our nation was really ruled by a monarchy, the Tea Party would slowly be picked off, and Obama wouldn’t be up for re-election next year. The people would have to riot and protest to get him out of office, like Egypt, Tunisia, Syria and Libya.

So despite the demonizing going on, people have to remember that we are still in America, that the Constitution is still valid, and that we can vote our elected officials out of office. Obama isn’t the Ruiner of the United States, he is the president and nothing more. And if you don’t like him, stop name calling and instead, vote.

Posted in: Essays