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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsWhy It Was an HONOR to Vote for Obama for a Second Term

Looking forward to a fantastic second term with our re-elected President Obama.
Politicususa:
Ive already voted. I voted for President Obama. Thats probably a given, since I am neither insane or misinformed. However, I didnt do it with less enthusiasm than I would have in 2008. I did it with more. This is the only time in my lifetime that Ive had this kind of reaction to a President, though I voted happily for Clinton both times. This is different. Obama is my kind of leader. He is the President I would have created were I given the opportunity. He is all that a great leader should be. He is a big person, not prone to pettiness. He put this on display by reaching out to Chris Christie who had been bashing him on the trail. A strong leader should be guided by principle over personal grievances. Obama has shown that he is over and over again.
Obama has the temperament of a brilliant leader. He walks softly but carries a big stick. He treats disagreement as a challenge and opportunity instead of something to be shut down. He conducts himself with the grace of forgiveness and the power of someone who believes that injustice must not stand. Obama remembers where he came from and he carries those understandings to his shaping of domestic policy. He believes in the American dream and values hard work and opportunity. He is the personification of the American dream, in fact. He knows he didnt build that on his own. As a woman, the fact that the Obama administration has done more for womens rights than any other moves me. But I also notice how he treats his wife and girls. I see the respect he has for his equally brilliant wife. I see a man who married up, proudly (by up I refer to her strength and intelligence, not economic status or beauty though she does have the latter to spare).
Maybe part of my feelings for this president come from an inherent understanding of the way he thinks because its similar to the way I think (similar but much more brilliant. I am no strategist, for instance). I can see where hes going in advance and I find myself laughing at how he brings others along while the media buys the narrative that he just came to this idea, when Im pretty sure he didnt. A few examples the media has bought that Obama hasnt done much for left wing causes, but they clearly have no idea what he buried in the stimulus package a veritable gift basket of liberal goodies that explains why the right hates it so much. Addressing climate change, rebuilding infrastructure, and more. Shhhh, dont tell anyone. While others believe that he just came around to gay rights, I suspect he was already there. If you read his books, he talks about his ability to position people. Take that along with his belief that the people need to demand the change, that his is how government should work, and you have a recipe for a leader who offered himself up as the example of the reluctant to the party but now glad to be there guest. In reality, Obama has a long history of very liberal beliefs that he smartly hides beneath a centrist style of governing and a fiscally responsible approach to the budget.
And perhaps that is why I enjoy him so much. I am not a strategist and Im terrible at playing politics. To see a charismatic leader take liberal ideology and cleverly embed it into our cultural beliefs, thereby making permanent change instead of reactionary change, is just breath taking. Obama mainstreams liberal beliefs. He makes the public cry with him, yes, tax the rich! Yes, gay marriage! Yes, feed the poor! Yes, womens rights! Yes, end the wars! All the while, he never gives away the game. He genuinely extends his hand across the aisle so that his own party is angry, only feeding the narrative that he needs for cover. He tried. He tried so hard. And he does try, and he does offer olive branches the left doesnt like, but he does so with an eye to balance and pragmatism. Still, its good optics if youre paying attention. He leaves the obstructionists with no cover.
cont'
http://www.politicususa.com/honor-vote-obama.html
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Why It Was an HONOR to Vote for Obama for a Second Term (Original Post)
Segami
Nov 2012
OP
texpatriot2004
(15,321 posts)1. Yes it was
Thanks for sharing this