Why is the President Having so much Trouble

Because he is a liar and he is trying to spend to much money we do not have.

 

I think there are a few reasons but one big one was self-serving power grabbing attitude of the democrats. I think many of them felt that their moment had finally come and every liberal idea or agenda that they had every longed for became something they were not going to compromise on. The extreme liberal wing of the party just became inflexible of any moderation and they became bully's while going about pushing their agenda. Basically they collapsed from within. All they had to do was compromise a little, work with the moderates in their own party and allow the moderate republicans to be part of the process and they could have gotten more done.

They didn't do any of that. They displayed their arrogance proudly to the county and now it is too late they have blown their chance.

We are all very lucky they are so incompetent.

 

Here are my somewhat random thoughts on this:

President came into office during a troubled time, but major parts of the agenda he is promoting do not address the problem he faces. That is, his health care program does not end the war(s) or reduce the deficit. So, his program simply does not follow.

The president actually DID pass the most critical thing that he needed to do; he shored up the financial system, though this process had begun under his predecessor. He has tried to associate a change in health care as the same type of emergency needing critical action, but the public is not buying it.

The president misinterpreted his election as a mandate for his program. When Reagan came into office, he was preceded by his own rhetoric that he had preached for years--"government is not the solution; government is the problem". However, his rhetoric was not empty. He had a specific plan: 10% tax cuts for three years to spark the economy. His plan passed, though somewhat modified and it worked as the economy bounced back tremendously. Obama, on the other hand was preceded by his rhetoric but has struggled to explain what exactly he wants to do and why it will work. He cannot explain what he wants to do in explicit terms because it is against the thinking of the average person.

Few presidents come into office with a preset agenda that they actually accomplish. The ones who are considered great, usually came into office with a plan (or without much of a plan) but were faced with unexpected circumstances and rose to the occasion. Lincoln said something to the effect "I have not controlled events, but events have controlled me." Outside of the intervention of unusual events, our system of government is purposely designed to frustrate change. So a man who comes to office promising "change" is bound to be frustrated.

 

What am I, chopped liver? :laugh:

 

I was just kidding because you thanked swaimj. Somehow humor never plays well in this format.

 

I think the real problem is Obama and the Democrats are being weak and are giving in to right-wing pressure and watering things down. Almost everything has been made so weak when there are much better progressive options. In financial reform, we need to bring back Glass-Stegal and prohibit banks from doing risky investments with consumer deposits. Even John McCain wants to do that. However, are the Democrats willing to stand up and do that? No. The way you get bipartisanship on that is you say to the Republicans, "Are you going to stand up for the American people or are you going to side with the banks?" And call them out on it. We've seen the Democrats capitulate on almost every major area of reform so far.

 

Agreed.

Agreed. You're ignoring one very significant fact thus far. The Republicans ARE standing up for the American people, and that's why 41 Republicans are making pretzels out of 59 Democrats.

 

Oh, let me clarify as I did not read the OP closely enough.

I am not now nor have I ever been an Obama supporter.

 

The way you get bipartisanship is for one side to give in. And if both sides think they're right, that they have what's best for the American people, then why would they ever give in.

Personally, I think one side is "righter" than the other, but that's not the point of the OP.

 

At the beginning of the campaign Obama probably underestimated the economic situation that he would inherit.

 

Obama's ideology is being thoroughly rejected.

He is either stupid or in denial.