Have you ever dealt with a parent who refuses to treat their screaming, four-year-old brat as a child? These parents try to reason with their children, to “treat them like adults.” Of course, they ought to treat their children as children because the little bastards are children. The portions of their brains that handle negotiation and cooperative thinking haven’t yet even fully formed. These children scream in movie theaters, restaurants, Kwanzaa feasts probably, and anywhere else where I might dare attempt to read a copy of Newsweek in peace. While these brats scream, their parents try to bargain with these volcanic tykes. My point? Those screaming toddlers are the current Republican Party. Those parents trying pointlessly to treat them as adults? They all perform a spot-on impression of President Obama.
Throughout his presidency, Obama has tried to treat his political opponents not as opponents, but as adults with viable—even if opposing—points of view. In a perfect world, this behavior would make him a role model. We do not live in such a world.
For years now, the Republicans have made it crystal clear that they will never cooperate with Obama. Their only goal is to prevent Obama from achieving anything so he will consequently lose his bid for reelection. They’re screaming four-year-olds, demanding that they get their way. Obama is the unrealistic parent, believing that he can achieve with them a mature compromise.
As much as it turns my stomach to say it, Obama is going to have to start swatting butts and suspending cookie privileges. “No Barney, until you finish fixing the national budget.”
Obama’s desire to create a compliant environment could cost him, and it could cost many Americans. The American voters see him as the one “in charge.” The final authority figure. As George W. Bush put it, “The decider.” He’s not. He shouldn’t be.
In America, we have a balance of power. You may recall Checks and Balances from your high school government class. The president only represents one-third of that system. The other two hold him in check. Granted, his portion of power is heavy for a single person to possess, but he is not the final voice of say-so.
The false impression that the president is the “decider” misleads voters to buy into the Republican game of Wreck Our Business and Blame it on Our Manager So One of Us Gets His Job. No business but the American government would ever reward such strategy.
Obama’s only chance of winning back his fans comes at the cost of treating adults as children, of acting as if he is the final authority.
It pains me to admit it, but Obama dropped the ball when he first slid into office. He had a majority in the Legislative Branch. He should have used it. Only recently has he started to show some serious backbone and a willingness to push back when his political opponents bully him. His recent rejection of the Keystone XL Pipeline is one example. The pipeline would have run oil from Hardisty, Canada to Houston, but the House gave Obama a deliberately insufficient amount of time to determine the pipeline’s environmental impact. If Obama approved the pipeline, House Republicans could say that Obama recklessly endangered the environment. If Obama rejected it (as he did), those same Republicans could say that Obama killed a bill that would have created thousands of jobs (as they did).
Reports have surfaced that “Big Oil” threatened to support attack ads against Obama if he vetoed the bill—as if these people would have supported him otherwise. I’m proud to say that Obama stuck to his guns and refused to pass the bill. However, this close to the next presidential election, his actions may prove too little too late.
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