One of the hallmarks of the Bush years was the systematic staffing of all kinds of agencies with people who had no interest in seeing them run properly.  Another way to put it is that they didn't believe government works and aimed to prove it.  Despite any of the problems I could name with the Obama administration, believing in the basic mission of government is a significant contrast.  It would be nice, since we're apparently stuck with a two-party system, if we could have a loyal opposition party that believes government should do things differently while still believing that there ought to be a government and that the mission of said government goes beyond protecting basic property rights for the property-laden.

The area where I probably have the greatest agreement with Obama is that he really seems to see government as having a role in creating fundamental advances in technology.  The government shouldn't make iPads, but it should make Internets, global positioning systems and space stations.  Of course, it could also borrow at zero interest and employ out of work laborers to repair our crumbling domestic infrastructure, but Obama wants to do that, too.  Actually, if the dude would back off of Alan Simpson's jock and shitcan terminally bad ideas like the disposition matrix, I wouldn't have many problems with his governance.

Of course, that still leaves the issue of Congress.  Anyhow, glad to hear you've finally learned to stop worrying and love the Obama.

Enjoyed reading this.

Seems like Obama is doing a good job.  He was prepared.  He's good at this stuff.

Con-Ed and AT&T are really ticking me off, though.  Obviously, they're not adequately staffed to get resources, for which they charge New Yorkers a premium, back online in a timely manner.  And yet both companies somehow have money to pay quarterly dividends to shareholders.

Agree with the points made.

However, if Romney loses, isn't it true that one of the nation's basic freedoms, enshrined by the Founding Fathers in the Constitution as boldly proclaimed by the Roberts court in Citizens United, would be dashed on the shoals of countless ballot boxes?

The American ideal would be set adrift that all things have a price, that dollars are speech, that God smiles on the wealthy, that the rich can silently and anonymously hold forth loudly and in triumph over the less chosen in selecting one of their own as the occupant of the highest office in the land. That principle cast asunder?  Like a Romney tax return, a Newt spouse or a Bain outsourced American job? I prefer not to believe that, until official results are in.