Not The Change I Was Expecting

Written by: Thomas Janowski on Aug 10, 2009 7:38 PM EDT

The September 2009 issue of the Advocate is out, no pun intended.  The cover features a stylized photo of Obama and the word NOPE under it.  Without reading the story, the message is immediately and undeniably negative. 

The biggest change I'm running into since the swearing in of Obama as our President-after-Bush is the fighting and negativity among Democrats.  It's downright scary at times.  So scary, in fact, that many of my fellow activists are now among those people I try very hard to avoid. 

Enough people find it necessary to totally trash President Obama because he hasn't done everything they expected or they wanted in his first 6 months in office.  It seems everyone expected immediate perfection and now are thoroughly disappointed with everything that is less than perfect in their eyes. 

The biggest dividing line that I see is in the health care issue.  For so many people, it is the "single-payer or nothing at all" issue.  While someone like me will accept strong reform, stopping short of single-payer, as long as it includes the "public option".  But already, I feel as if many fellow Democrats have written me off because of this more relaxed stand on single-payer. 

The gay community is growing more bitter about gay marriage and "Don't Ask, Don't Tell".  While these are extremely important issues, as a gay man, I still say, "it's the economy, stupid".  I could lose my job in October and it is far more important for me to have continued employment and health care than it is to have the right to marry.  Food or marriage...think about it...and prioritize...and realize that Obama is on the right track.

Obama has been in office just over 6 months.  Give the guy a break.  Instead of immediately joining the ranks of those who are cutting him down, why not simply offer him and your other representatives your support on the issues important to you.  If Obama and other elected officials don't hear from you on a continual basis, they will not know what you are thinking. 

Our President needs our support and guidance.  Cutting him down in public just makes the Republican hopeful for victory in 2012.  Think about it.

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