Bob Herbert: Miracles Take Time

[babylonsister]

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/07/opinion/07herbert.htm...

Miracles Take Time

By BOB HERBERT
Published: March 6, 2009

Barack Obama has only been president for six weeks, but there is a surprising amount of ire, anger, even outrage that he hasn’t yet solved the problems of the U.S. economy, that he hasn’t saved us from the increasingly tragic devastation wrought by the clownish ideas of right-wing conservatives and the many long years of radical Republican misrule.

This intense, impatient, often self-righteous, frequently wrongheaded and at times willfully destructive criticism has come in waves, and not just from the right. Mr. Obama is as legitimate a target for criticism as any president. But there is a weird hysterical quality to some of the recent attacks that suggests an underlying fear or barely suppressed rage. It’s a quality that seems not just unhelpful but unhealthy.

Mr. Obama is being hammered — depending on the point of view of the critics — for the continuing collapse of the stock market, for not moving fast enough to revive the suicidal financial industry, for trying to stem the flood tide of home foreclosures, for trying to bring health insurance coverage to some of the millions of Americans who don’t have any, for running up huge budget deficits as he tries to fend off the worst economic emergency since World War II and for not taking time out from all of the above to deal with — get this — earmarks.

Earmarks.

More than 4.4 million jobs have been lost since this monster recession officially got under way in December 2007, and we’ve got people wigging out over earmarks. Folks, get a grip. Some earmarks are good, some are not, but collectively they account for a tiny, tiny portion of the national budget — less than 1 percent.

Freaking out over earmarks is like watching a neighborhood that is being consumed by flames and complaining that there is crabgrass on some of the lawns.

snip//

Maybe the markets are down because demand has dried up, because many of the nation’s biggest firms have imploded and because Americans are losing their jobs and their homes by the millions. Maybe a dose of reality is in order, as opposed to the childish desire for yet another stock market bubble.

Maybe the nuns in grammar school were right when they counseled that patience is a virtue. The man has been president for six weeks.

[Clio the Leo]

1. Thank you. All this 24/7 earmark freakage on the news was starting to do even MY head in.

Fortunately, it's time for my weekly 48 hour news break.

I think I'll go out and help stimulate the economy.

[babylonsister]

3. Ha! You go, girlfriend! Stimulate away!

We'll be doing some of that later, too.

[Vogon_Glory]

2. Economic Recoveries DO Take Time

Economic recoveries DO take time, and it's going to take a LONG time for the US to get out from under the follies that the anti-regulatory zealots in the Elephant Party set us up for.

I wonder how many of the older right-wingers currently trashing President Obama for not providing an instant economic turnaround will 'fess up to regularly using Reagan's 'Stay the Course' slogan during the mid-1980s?

Not too many of them, I'll bet.

[cspanlovr]

4. The difficult he'll do right now, the impossible will take a little while.

[cooolandrew]

5. What's with 'Mr. Obama' no one ever said Mr. Bush even just using his normally name would be less >

irritating. Just wish jounrlists would stop that it just seem a bit stupid if anything else.

[babylonsister]

6. He is "Mr. Obama". And President Obama. And Barack, to some.

I think either/or are a sign of respect. Don't know why that ruffles your feathers.

[immoderate]

7. The president is a citizen, one of the people. We should reinforce that.

--imm

[sufrommich]

8. Bob Herbert hits the nail on the head again and again.

He's one of my favorite commentators, he always gets right to the meat of the issue and does it with great skill.

[alcibiades_mystery]

9. A lesson for many on this board, to be sure

...

[midnight]

10. We apologize for being so damn needy and will try and

be more patient. Some of the impatient are losing their homes and jobs and can't feed their families. Some find waiting, while tax dollars are more quickly dispersed to the bankers in a matter of days, can also be dispersed that quickl for them. Those who are clinging to life hang in there. For those Rush supporters who find their billions evaporated and are becoming impatient for their billions to magically appear-get in line.

[firedupdem]

11. Thank you Mr. Herbert. There are suddenly many experts on

these issues that have all the answers, but didn't have a clue when everything started to go haywire. At the opposite end are those who warned of some of these crisis but still do nothing but stir negativity no matter what the President does. Six weeks isn't enough to solve every problem even if we had 5 presidents working on different issues at the same time.

[SeattleGirl]

12. Damn straight, Mr. Herbert!

Expecting Obama to get things all turned around overnight is like asking the Titanic to turn on a dime.

This ship has been sailing on a dangerous course for a long time, and it's going to take time for things to get turned around.

I wish it could happen overnight, especially for those losing their jobs, their homes, etc.

I understand the anger, but fuck, where were all the gnashers of teeth and renders of garments in the media and the Republican party over the past 8 years?

[Cha]

13. Rec'd~ Thank you Mr Herbert,

Someone needs to write some sanity in the corporatemedia!

Where was corporatemediawhoredom when bush was busy destroying our economy???????

[RepublicanElephant]

14. i miss seeing him on oblermann. i hope keith brings him back soon. nt

[FrenchieCat]

15. Glad to see that Mr. Herbert reads my DU threads!

LOL!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTdGJuDZp4I

[Number23]

16. "The man has been president for six weeks."

And yet, that just seems so terribly difficult for some people to comprehend.

Happy to rec. Thanks for posting

[ProSense]

17. "But there is a weird hysterical quality to some of the recent attacks that suggests...

an underlying fear or barely suppressed rage. It’s a quality that seems not just unhelpful but unhealthy."

I suspected that there was something not right about people who are claiming that a six-week old administration is a failure.

LOL!