There is a lot of talk out there today about progressives being upset regarding Obama's cabinet picks. They feel that Obama has talked the talk of being a liberal but has not walked the walk. The disappointment within the blogosphere in the last couple of days even pushed Steve Hildebrand into writing an article for the Huffington Post. He was the deputy national campaign director of Barack Obama's presidential campaign. In it, Hildebrand directs comments to Obama's progressive critics. He says:
I could go on and on. The point I'm making here is that our new president, the Congress and all Americans must come together to solve these problems. This is not a time for the left wing of our Party to draw conclusions about the Cabinet and White House appointments that President-Elect Obama is making. Some believe the appointments generally aren't progressive enough. Having worked with former Senator Obama for the last two years, I can tell you, that isn't the way he thinks and it's not likely the way he will lead. The problems I mentioned above and the many I didn't, suggest that our president surround himself with the most qualified people to address these challenges. After all, he was elected to be the president of all the people - not just those on the left.
In reading his comments as well as having heard/read much of the disappointment from the far left over the past six months or so, I wondered whether the people who are so disappointed in Obama's more center than left decision making actually ever truly saw him as extremely liberal? Was it real, or was it just their hopeful projections?
I voted for Obama and I am so happy that he won and will be our next president, but I never really saw him as a leftist liberal. I never got that picture. I know that the right tried to portray him as such, but I never got that image. To me, he always seemed to be a bright, articulate, educated man who will do what he has to do to try to make things better.
Perhaps it was the issue surrounding gay marriage that confirmed my belief that the Obama/Biden ticket was not as liberal as some may have thought. The idea that marriage should only be considered a marriage if between a man and a woman, was the one issue that the Obama/Biden and McCain/Palin ticket had in common. It was actually Hillary Clinton who had more liberal views regarding gay marriage. I also felt that Obama probably would not have belonged to the church that he did if he were very liberal. There is a difference between a place of worship saying that they support gay marriage, than saying that they support programs that assist people with HIV.
Well, when it comes down to it, I am proud to say that Obama is President Elect, but I guess that I never saw him as liberal as some other voters may have. Perhaps some were looking at what they hoped to be there, rather than what actually was.
I could go on and on. The point I'm making here is that our new president, the Congress and all Americans must come together to solve these problems. This is not a time for the left wing of our Party to draw conclusions about the Cabinet and White House appointments that President-Elect Obama is making. Some believe the appointments generally aren't progressive enough. Having worked with former Senator Obama for the last two years, I can tell you, that isn't the way he thinks and it's not likely the way he will lead. The problems I mentioned above and the many I didn't, suggest that our president surround himself with the most qualified people to address these challenges. After all, he was elected to be the president of all the people - not just those on the left.
In reading his comments as well as having heard/read much of the disappointment from the far left over the past six months or so, I wondered whether the people who are so disappointed in Obama's more center than left decision making actually ever truly saw him as extremely liberal? Was it real, or was it just their hopeful projections?
I voted for Obama and I am so happy that he won and will be our next president, but I never really saw him as a leftist liberal. I never got that picture. I know that the right tried to portray him as such, but I never got that image. To me, he always seemed to be a bright, articulate, educated man who will do what he has to do to try to make things better.
Perhaps it was the issue surrounding gay marriage that confirmed my belief that the Obama/Biden ticket was not as liberal as some may have thought. The idea that marriage should only be considered a marriage if between a man and a woman, was the one issue that the Obama/Biden and McCain/Palin ticket had in common. It was actually Hillary Clinton who had more liberal views regarding gay marriage. I also felt that Obama probably would not have belonged to the church that he did if he were very liberal. There is a difference between a place of worship saying that they support gay marriage, than saying that they support programs that assist people with HIV.
Well, when it comes down to it, I am proud to say that Obama is President Elect, but I guess that I never saw him as liberal as some other voters may have. Perhaps some were looking at what they hoped to be there, rather than what actually was.
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