The Difference Between Barack Obama and George W Bush
Gas prices topping four dollars. The worst environmental disaster in U.S. history. Declining U.S. influence around the globe. Which President oversaw these things?
When gas prices reached record levels during Bush's presidency, I was quick to say that he didn't appear to care. Then he launched an investigation into the whole thing, and eventually gas prices reached a level comparable to when Bush entered office ten years ago, at least for a little while. I don't know if his investigation had anything to do with it. So far, President Obama's comments have been equitable to "I know that gas prices suck right now." No word on what he is going to do about it, but it is once again becoming unbearably expensive to fill one's car up with gas.
When Bush was in office, I was all over him about his environmental policies. Then his successor had the worst environmental disaster in U.S. history happen under his watch--in the second year of his presidency. Despite what he promised, President Obama has not "kicked B.P.'s ass." Bush pushed around the idea of drilling in the Arctic, and I went crazy on him, but in the end, who will have the better environmental record? That Arctic drilling never happened. There are still a lot of tar balls floating around the Gulf of Mexico.
The IMF has projected that China will financially surpass the United States in 2016. I'm not sure what the President is going to do about that.
Obama has arguably acted unilaterally (think Libya) just as much as Bush had.
President Obama's ferocious critics foam at the mouth that he is a Muslim terrorist, socialist, communist, Nazi, fascist, Kenyan-citizen, God-hating, tree-hugging, baby-killing, inhuman cyborg. Bush's most rabid critics (and this is a group that has included me in some of these respects) accused him of being an idiotic, evil-genius, environment-hating, Nazi, facist, war-mongering, fundamentalist, oil-loving, 9/11 plotting Cheney-puppet.
Here's the truth:
Both guys are just dudes. Both of them want the best for the country, and both of them are doing everything they know or can think of to achieve this.
Bush didn't plan 9/11.
Obama doesn't want to assign your children lifetime careers the moment they come out of the womb.
Bush doesn't want to bulldoze and pave over every green object that he sees.
Obama doesn't want to sacrifice your children on an altar to Molech.
President Obama can't fix every problem no more than Bush could.
President Obama isn't the source of every problem no more than Bush was.
They aren't saviors.
They aren't villians.
They are each just as good as any of us.
They are each just as big a knucklehead as any of us.
Chill out.
Be rational.
It's not that hard.
I need to remember this, too.
When gas prices reached record levels during Bush's presidency, I was quick to say that he didn't appear to care. Then he launched an investigation into the whole thing, and eventually gas prices reached a level comparable to when Bush entered office ten years ago, at least for a little while. I don't know if his investigation had anything to do with it. So far, President Obama's comments have been equitable to "I know that gas prices suck right now." No word on what he is going to do about it, but it is once again becoming unbearably expensive to fill one's car up with gas.
When Bush was in office, I was all over him about his environmental policies. Then his successor had the worst environmental disaster in U.S. history happen under his watch--in the second year of his presidency. Despite what he promised, President Obama has not "kicked B.P.'s ass." Bush pushed around the idea of drilling in the Arctic, and I went crazy on him, but in the end, who will have the better environmental record? That Arctic drilling never happened. There are still a lot of tar balls floating around the Gulf of Mexico.
The IMF has projected that China will financially surpass the United States in 2016. I'm not sure what the President is going to do about that.
Obama has arguably acted unilaterally (think Libya) just as much as Bush had.
President Obama's ferocious critics foam at the mouth that he is a Muslim terrorist, socialist, communist, Nazi, fascist, Kenyan-citizen, God-hating, tree-hugging, baby-killing, inhuman cyborg. Bush's most rabid critics (and this is a group that has included me in some of these respects) accused him of being an idiotic, evil-genius, environment-hating, Nazi, facist, war-mongering, fundamentalist, oil-loving, 9/11 plotting Cheney-puppet.
Here's the truth:
Both guys are just dudes. Both of them want the best for the country, and both of them are doing everything they know or can think of to achieve this.
Bush didn't plan 9/11.
Obama doesn't want to assign your children lifetime careers the moment they come out of the womb.
Bush doesn't want to bulldoze and pave over every green object that he sees.
Obama doesn't want to sacrifice your children on an altar to Molech.
President Obama can't fix every problem no more than Bush could.
President Obama isn't the source of every problem no more than Bush was.
They aren't saviors.
They aren't villians.
They are each just as good as any of us.
They are each just as big a knucklehead as any of us.
Chill out.
Be rational.
It's not that hard.
I need to remember this, too.
Comments
Of course, I need to do a better job of remembering these things about random people myself, since I do have thoughts I shouldn't about someone else's lack of mental capacity at random times during the day -- usually while in a moving vehicle. ;)
- Jess
Beautiful post.
right after I read it I saw this:
http://www.theonion.com/video/troubled-democrats-to-undergo-party-counseling,20260/
Heh.
davidloti=davidloti
And that Onion clip was hilarious!