Isn't It Time We Stop Being Nice?

I don't think I have, as of yet, called any of Obama detractors racists. For one, it is not nice and I'd prefer to give people the benefit of the doubt. Another reason, people have a right to disagree with the president. I do often.  I have to say that it is becoming more and more difficult not to call some of them racists.  I know a lot of liberal friend that complain about Bush a lot, I was right there with them. But those people who complained about Bush's policies on torture and the wars, also complain about Obama's policies on torture and the wars. Obama and Bush's policies are not that different on these matters. So I am not talking about them. These complainers are consistent. It is the non-consistent folks that are really becoming unbearable.  It is difficult to say that it is not race that is driving this, but if it isn't race, then what is it? Because it is certainly not reason.

One of the biggest complaints I hear about Obama is that he is a big spender, "a tax and spend liberal," that he doesn't care about the deficit. This would be a legitimate complaint if these same people were not quiet during the Bush Administration and his spending policies.  Before Bush W., every war time president raised taxes to pay for their war.  W. not only didn't raise taxes, but cut them and he had two wars to pay for. So if they were so concerned about the deficit then why were they quiet when Bush did it. They also complain about how Obamacare will add to the deficit (which by most accounts may not), but they were quiet ... again ... when W. rolled out Medicare Part D which wasn't paid for at all. I am glad that thousands of senior citizens have their prescriptions paid for by Medicare, but with Bush cutting taxes this is another huge deficit expenditure being paid for by Treasury Bills being bought by China. Why weren't the so-called fiscal wonks screaming about socialism then?  Not a peep.

If you are concerned about the deficit, what is worse taxing-and-spending or cutting-taxes-and-spending? When you do your personal finances for your household, what do you do when your expenses go up.  Do you cut your income like Bush did?

I come to this conclusion today because I saw a conversation between two of Facebook "friends" of mine who are really only associates, not really someone that I have any reason to call friends. They were "outraged" over the death of the four Americans in the Libyan Embassy attacks. Obama's "cover-up," according to these two guys was bigger than "Watergate." So I agree, Obama doesn't look good here and this is quite a tragedy and a screw up.  But I knew both of these guys during the Bush Administration. When  the 9/11 attacks, I didn't hear outrage toward Bush for the thousands, not four, victims. Also, I don't remember the outrage when Bush declared an expensive war in Iraq (with thousands dead as a result) based on faulty logic. Putting this in perspective, their outrage over four is ... well .. offensive.

I have this analogy:  if a black man steals a dollar and he is arrested, then a white man steals a million dollars and heads look the other way ... wouldn't the first thing you think of be racism?  For the last four years, I have tried to cling to some other reason for their outrage. Now I am tired of being nice. Being nice isn't working. I know you all may know someone like these guys, I suggest you do the same. I agree Obama is not perfect and a disappointment, but he is still a thousand times better than the alternative.