Like AD, I've come to

erica20 — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 19:09:02 +0000

Like AD, I've come to appreciate our nudger-in chief.

I often wish he'd use his skills to do more, and I could argue that his responses to the big money interests and certain FP challenges have been weak, but I must admit that once he does take some ground, he doesn't give it back. Which is good.

I think if progressives had understood this better, earlier, we might have been more willing to get out ahead of the President instead of waiting for him to take charge. It's a lesson that I've learned now, and I'm only sorry that I didn't quite figure it out earlier in life. (Like sometime during a much earlier Presidential administration.)

Thanks for sharing your

AmericanDreamer — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 18:25:47 +0000

In reply to On this Second Inauguration: Our Chance to Hope Again

Thanks for sharing your reflections, Ramona.

One of the characteristics of this president's time in office so far--the opacity of his "true" intentions, values and programmatic goals--has the benefit of giving him more flexibility to shift his rhetorical and programmatic emphasis. Recalling the comments of some who referred to him as a "Republican" not so long ago, I wonder if hearing or reading his speech on Monday prompts them to the same thought? Can anyone imagine a President Romney giving this speech?

I am among those who have been holding out hope that, like so many of his predecessors have, this president will not only more consistently and assertively pursue the kind of agenda suggested in his speech, but also learn the technique of this impossible job better as he goes along. I like what I've been seeing over the past couple of months. I like the way he is handling the gun issue--we'll see what comes of it in Congress. But he has made clear that he is going to act regardless of whether Congress does or not. I like the firmer stance he is taking on the debt ceiling and budget issues generally. I like what appears to be more confident, sure-footed and assertive public outreach in recent months.

His handling of the issue of gay marriage and civil unions seems under-commented upon. His timing strikes me as impeccable. He has wisely opted not to get out in front of this issue too fast but is letting the highly visible evolution in our society in favor of greater overall liberality on these matters take its course without getting in the way of this cultural locomotive which he has helped nudge along. When George Will writes a column saying the opposition to gay marriage is literally dying off, that is a sign that the GOP at the national level is likely to be disinclined to go on the attack at all frontally on this issue. More culturally conservative states will continue to maintain restrictions. But that, too, will change in many places over the next 2 or 3 decades. The gay marriage issue is a huge story in part because it is a dog that, at the level of influencing national political outcomes in major ways, simply is not barking. It seems to have been no handicap at all to the president's re-election, almost surely favoring him on balance in relatively low visibility ways. It's an increasingly beleaguered and shrinking, though still volatile and vocal, minority which is struggling to come to terms with these seismic changes. The GOP seems to have taken a long, hard look at whether to try to use this as a cultural wedge issue in a national political campaign and said no, we'll pass on this one.

My vote for Obama was a

Aaron Carine — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 14:54:49 +0000

In reply to On this Second Inauguration: Our Chance to Hope Again

My vote for Obama was a lesser evil vote, but he's better than I thought he was. In 2011 he was talking about cuts in aid to the poor and the sick, but now he says he will protect those programs. In domestic matters he has a properly bleeding heart; in foreign affairs he isn't dovish, but still more dovish than the Republicans. We could do worse.

dagblog - Comments for "On this Second Inauguration: Our Chance to Hope Again"

Like AD, I've come to

Thanks for sharing your

My vote for Obama was a