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    Obama Should Ditch the "Kumbaya" Messages

    By Jolie du Pre | Yahoo! Contributor Network – Thu, Jan 26, 2012
    This story comes from the Yahoo! Contributor Network, where individuals publish their unique perspectives on some of the world’s most popular websites.
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    COMMENTARY | A theme that President Barack Obama offered in the last election, and this election, is bipartisanship. President Obama would like nothing better than for the Republicans and the Democrats to work together to get American back on track.

    On Tuesday night, he gave his final State of the Union address before the 2012 election. Once again, bipartisanship played a role. "One of my proudest possessions is the flag that the SEAL Team took with them on the mission to get bin Laden. On it are each of their names. Some may be Democrats. Some may be Republicans. But that doesn't matter. Just like it didn't matter that day in the Situation Room, when I sat next to Bob Gates -- a man who was George Bush's defense secretary -- and Hillary Clinton, a woman who ran against me for president," as reported at the White House website.

    But who was listening? Bottom line: Democrats who support the president want him to remain in office. Republicans want him out. There's no room for bipartisanship with these two separate agendas.

    If Obama wishes to remain president, given the country's problems, he must convey strength. One of the biggest complaints that Democrats have had about the president is that he has oftentimes appeared like a puppet controlled by puppet masters. However, when Obama gave his final State of the Union address, we saw the toughness we came to know when he was battling for the White House in 2008. He was criticized as being inexperienced then. He's not inexperienced now.

    There's two frontrunners battling for the Republican nomination, Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich. Gingrich is not interested in "Kumbaya" moments with what he calls a "food stamp" and "Saul Alinsky" president. And neither, for that matter, is Romney.

    If Obama hopes to stay in the White House, he needs to push his message of what he wants, whether the Republicans agree with him or not -- such as provide tax cuts for middle and working class Americans, strengthening security at our borders, supporting clean energy, support for same-sex marriage, removing the rest of the troops from Afghanistan, etc.

    A "can't we all just get along" message sounds beautiful, but it won't work against a Gingrich or a Romney.

     

    8 comments

    • Maaack
      Maaack  •  Boston, Massachusetts  •  3 mths ago
      I love these liberals that act as if Obama is trying to placate Republicans. Obama urinated away most of his political capital and is now stonewalled by a GOP controlled congress of his own making. PEOPLE stepped in to stop the President's agenda. The author wishes the President to "convey strength" which would be a welcome change seeing as he has repeatedly been too weak to realize his policies since 2010 are not a mere signature away.

      He could possibly show the strength to work with lawmakers to find some sort of reasonable middle ground. So if the Tea Party says no more taxes and they have enough votes to stop the bills, why continue whining about it? Why not show enough strength and leadership to work with what you have available?
    • OreoBoots
      OreoBoots  •  3 mths ago
      Why would anybody on earth want to be George Soros' Puppet ?
      • Maaack
        Maaack 3 mths ago
        It's a good paying gig! Especially since you know the (supposedly non-existent) WEALTHY libs must be incredibly generous with their money if one assumes they live up to their populist rhetoric!
    • Bill
      Bill  •  Dallas, Texas  •  3 mths ago
      Personally I don't see how anyone could make things worse! If he gets in for a second term, there will be no holding him back this time. Your religious freedoms, your right to bear arms and protect yourself and family will be gone, he will continue on the road for obamacare and stuff it right down our throats. The Muslims and Gays will have a field day, there will be no stopping them and Obama will continue on the road with the socialists, marxists, communists, and continue to protect the terrorists. Not to mention the outlandish style that michelle and him live by taking almost 200 vacations since he has been in office and she is on a rampage of buying everything that isn't tied down compliments of the taxpayers. If he is reelected which I don't think that will happen, you can pretty well figure that our Constitution and Bill of Rights will be changed and obsolete, he will get rid of it all. He wants to be a dictator and he's about one step away from that expectation!!!!!!!!!!
    • Wow2
      Wow2  •  3 mths ago
      He IS a puppet for the far-left, arrogant, partisan liberals who want to stay up front. Their way or the highway - he's just doing what they say. He's not the perfect fit for them yet, but he's supported by the socialist and communist parties, too. Just liberal policies, forget others - the great divider and chief.
    • Bill
      Bill  •  Dallas, Texas  •  3 mths ago
      It just depends on what the American people decide when it comes to letting Obama back in office for another four years to finish what he has definitely started, a complete annilation of our Constitution and Bill of Rights. His attack on our religious freedoms, the right to carry and arm ourselves against Predators, his apologizing to the Communist countries for America and the bowing to the Middle East shieks. America has never bowed to anyone and has been the leader to all nations until Obama was elected. It's time to wake up and realize that the American people made a tremendous mistake when Obama was elected, but we have a chance to change that and start back on the road to recovery. If he is not defeated in November, I can guarantee the dark ages will reappear and our nation as we have known it will forever be lost to this dictator!!!!!!!!!!!!
      • Jaycee
        Jaycee 3 mths ago
        You sound like a crazed lunatic!
      • Bill
        Bill 3 mths ago
        To Jaycee: I only sound like a crazed lunatic if you are far left liberal who has send for the last three years what obama has done to this country and still you look the other way and care less. I'm sure you are not as old as I am, so you haven't seen what my wife and I have seen, but there's one thing about obama that you can never get around, he loves Socialism, has a cabinet full of socialists, communists, marxists, and has many friends who are terrorists. You are talking about a man that has 37 czars and not one of them believes in the Democratic process, they would rather take our guns, our religious freedoms, and you can be asured that if he gets another four years they will be loading your butt up in boxcars and sending you away for an extended period of time. I've seen your kind before, they were the ones that stood by when the nazis were taking control in Germany and refused to leave or do anything about it! Thank God we have Christians, Catholics, Jews, Irish, Germans and other nationalities that will stand up and say no obama, you can't have our country no matter what the price!!!!!!!!!!!
    • Everyone Lies
      Everyone Lies  •  New York, New York  •  3 mths ago
      obama will work together with congress, as long as he does whatever he wants no matter what!
      • Maaack
        Maaack 3 mths ago
        He has yet to work with congress since the mid-term elections. Before that he had his thug-life Chief of Staff visiting congressmen naked in the gym to whip them into line. I LOL at the fools that listened to Rahm only to get tossed out the next term.
    • Diablito
      Diablito  •  Los Angeles, California  •  3 mths ago
      I think Romney would just make things worse...
      • Maaack
        Maaack 3 mths ago
        Yeah...for welfare recipients looking for a raise!
      • Diablito
        Diablito 3 mths ago
        Maaack is wack
    • R. Salley
      R. Salley  •  Boulogne-Billancourt, France  •  4 mths ago
      Agreed!
     Post a comment
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