A commenter on Balloon Juice offers this spot-on analysis of critics of the Obama administration:
I think the frustration that supporters of the president have (at least it is for me) is that his critics give him credit for nothing. NOTHING.
He gets a health care reform bill passed that is sweeping in scope and more than anyone has done in decades. And the left-wing critics say “Not enough.”
He gets a stimulus bill passed that pretty much kept a massive recession from getting worse and all the left-wing critics said was “Not enough.”
He’s on the verge of getting DADT repealed through law as opposed to using a reversible executive order and all the left-wing critics say is “Not enough.”
He gives a speech that talks about peak oil, points out how government corruption played a role and begins to lay out the way forward towards an alternative energy future and all the left-wing critics say is “Not enough” while having orgasms to Rachael Maddow’s satisfying-but-completely unrealistic “Fake President” speech.
Never mind Lily Leadbetter, killing the F-22 (something BUSH couldn’t do), expanding SCHIP, credit card reform, tobacco regulation…but no, it’s not enough. It’s NEVER enough with some people.
There is legit criticism to be made when it comes to President Obama, especially in the civil rights arena. But to hear the WATBs on the left tell it, he hasn’t done a damn thing. And that is simply not true.
For the last couple of days, I've been reading comments from people who reacted to the president's address by predictably declaring, "I'm not voting for him anymore!" And, "We need a primary candidate for 2012!"
Ridiculous.
I had it out on Twitter recently with one of the bloggers who's routinely referred to with the "zilla" suffix on his first name. Why? Because he decided to use the vaguely offensive blanket term "Obama lovers" for anyone who defends the president. Right, so anyone who's interested in taking a pragmatic approach to evaluating the president's decisions -- anyone who recognizes that this president is one of the smartest leaders on the planet -- anyone who understands that this president, for the first time EVER, has repeatedly announced an end to the Reagan Revolution while promoting the positive aspects of government -- anyone who understands the realities of politics and that taking down this president could pave the way for Wingnut President X -- is suddenly defined by one of the most widely-read, well-respected bloggers on the intertubes as an "Obama lover."
And this kind of thing achieves... what? Hipster cred? Probably. But I assure you, taking down this president and his supporters with exclusively critical screeds every day will not elect more liberals. Certainly not more liberal presidents. If a Republican is elected next time around, even the most centrist policies of this administration will be rolled back and destroyed within the first 100 days. Guaranteed.
But at least some of these firebaggers and PUMAs have vented their self-defeating rage.