Opinion: Obama’s chance
Bruce Walton
Bruce Walton is a sophomore news major and columnist for the Daily Kent Stater. Contact him at [email protected]..
When I saw the vice presidential debate on Thursday, I was impressed. Joe Biden and Paul Ryan were gentlemen throughout the whole debate. Though I could do without Biden’s snide body language, for the content of what they both were saying I was very pleased.
However, that being said, I must disagree with Paul Ryan in his opening speech of the debate where he said, “President Obama — he had his chance. He made his choices. His economic agenda, more spending, more borrowing, higher taxes, a government takeover of health care — it’s not working.”
I’m not going to fight about what Obama’s done; I think he has done as well as he could for this country in the time that he has been in office, and that is debatable among other people. But you can’t look at me with a straight face and say that for the last four years, Republicans gave Obama a chance to do something for this country, that they have given him their time and patience and have nothing to show for it.
It is the Republicans who did not give him a real chance. Obama is their commander-in-chief, but he was not their leader. Most Republicans did everything that they could to stop anything that Obama supported. Obama was opposed at every corner from most Republicans almost every time he tried to pass some sort of legislation. He did his best to get the both sides to agree to a bill, including the health care bill.
Not to mention when many of the Republicans in Congress signed a pledge to oppose any and all tax increases, they shut the door on compromise. It is clear that most of the Republicans in Congress have put polarization above their civil duty towards meeting in the middle to any degree.
In an interview two years ago, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said in an interview for the National Journal, “The single most important thing we want to achieve is for President Obama to be a one-term president.”
Such commitment for such a petty goal. You’d think he would vow to save the economy by any means necessary, even sacrificing his pay for the welfare of the lower class. But making Obama a one-term-president? Yeah, that’s a better commitment to your time as a public servant of the people.
You can say that you didn’t like what Barack Obama wanted to do. You can say he hasn’t stuck to his promises. That’s fine; you are entitled to your opinion. But you cannot tell me that the Republicans gave him a chance, because they didn’t. If Republicans gave Obama a fair chance to do what he had to do with his ideas to save the economy and improve America, then I’m Dr. Seuss.
To give someone a chance, you let them
pass or let them sit.
Republicans did not, so they’re full of shit.
Elections will be over in a month or two.
So don’t lie to us, and we might vote for you.