Well, I disagree. I actually explained in some detail that I wanted responses that went to the heart of what makes somebody a successful President. Not something that happened during the Presidency that someone liked. Obamacare may be something that many people like, but I remember that in 2009 it was pretty much inevitable that some kind of universal health care reform would happen. It was just a question of how extensive it would be and how intelligently designed. From my point of view, Obama's involvement was limited to a few speeches which he probably felt was sufficient to rally the public support needed to get the job done. I think most Democratic Presidents, given the majorities he had in Congress, as well as the enormous good will he had at the beginning of the term, would have done a better job. As it is, it came within a hair of collapsing altogether, and it certainly has had major problems and been a political albatross for Democrats to boot.
A successful President shapes public opinion, as well as Congressional opinion, towards policies that he thinks are good for the country. He also, when necessary, makes politically unpopular decisions for the good of the country. I didn't see that with Obama. I saw him essentially be in reelection campaign mode for his entire term, and he did a poor job of persuasion. In only one regard was he good at persuasion. He was good at persuading people to vote for him. He wasn't even good at persuading people to vote for other Democrats.
As for what it would take for me to admit I was wrong? Well, at this point, there would have to be evidence that he made all kinds of tough decisions behind the scenes and decided - for the good of the country - not to boast about those decisions in public. I am doubtful that such evidence exists. He seems like the kind of guy who would happily sacrifice national security to burnish his image as a leader.
. Hopefully, I'll learn from this.
