When Obama came into office, everyone was excited about the change that they thought was coming. People were eager to see someone take office that would put an end to the old way of politics and usher us into the new generation. Sadly, that didn’t happen. Instead, the only thing that seemed to change was the roles that each party played in the same old arguments people had been having for nearly a decade.
Back when Bush was President, the left was quick to throw all sorts of insults and accusations his way. They’d say that his policies were ruining the country and even went so far as to compare him to Hitler. The right countered this by saying that any disagreement with the Commander in Chief was unpatriotic. Not surprisingly, the left called BS on this sentiment.
Once Obama came into office, the two parties flipped. Now, it’s the right making all the crazy accusations while the left says that any dissent is unpatriotic. Again, comparisons to Hitler are being made, despite the fact that neither one has any basis in reason or common sense.
You’d think that one of the two parties (and I don’t care which one) would look at the other side and say, “you know, if the roles were reversed, I wouldn’t behave like that”. If nothing else, it would allow them to take the high ground and talk about how they were above that sort of thing. Instead, both parties do exactly what they were complaining about the other party doing just a few short years ago.
Both Presidents have also fallen victim to ludicrous conspiracy theories. After 9/11, there was a movement that pushed the idea that Bush was the true mastermind and that it was some sort of inside job.
Obama has had to deal with what’s been dubbed the “birther” movement, a group that questions Obama’s claim that he was born in Hawaii and has often called for the man to release his birth certificate. Once Obama did so, they said that it was fake. Face, meet palm.
Oh, that brings up another point, the opposition calling the validity of the President into question. With Bush, it was the extremely close election of 2000, where he lost the popular vote, but managed to win the electoral college. Obama has had to deal with similar complaints, from his flubbing of the oath on inauguration day to the aforementioned birthplace debate
This weird reflection became most apparent with the whole Libya fiasco. You’d think that the right would be all over this. Toppling a dictator and fighting for freedom is what they’re all about. Yet, when Obama sent troops in, they chided him for not having an exit strategy. The left responded by saying that going against the president on this is un-American.
Didn’t we just do this!? When we were promised change, I don’t think anyone thought that the only thing that would be changing was the positions of the politicians. This isn’t progress, it’s a remix.
It’s like, once Obama took office, someone in Congress stood up and yelled, “change places!” Then, members of both parties ran to the other side of the room and started reading the opposing party’s script.
David Finniss - David Finniss is a writer who lives in Wichita. He has written for a variety of web sites such as Associated Content and Examiner. He also ...
