It’s not just the number of promises he’s keeping or breaking, but which ones.

I just a few minutes ago got an email from my school district payroll department answering questings that were pouring into the county office about why our net pay is going down. The answer: new year -> new IRS tax tables. I seem to remember a promise about how taxes would go down for 95% of Americans. (I know, it would take more research to find out if my taxes are actually going up or if they just adjusted the formulas to calculate witholdings, but it still makes my take home pay less, in any case.) And of course, there are plenty of revenue generators in the works that will hit the middle class, such as the tax on ‘cadillac’ health plans.

He promised two years ago to have the discussion/debate on health care reform be open and include everyone with a stake in it (he even specifically mentioned C-SPAN). Instead, we’re getting a closed door conference to reconcile the Senate and House bills, with White House officials, congressional leaders, and who knows who else involved, but it is anything but open.

Most of all, he promised ‘change’. And it was clear that he wasn’t just promising changes in policies, but changes in the actual manner of governing. More open and honest, less influence from special interests, less partisanship. How many independents sick of the crap in Washington did he pull in with those promises, no matter how unrealistic it was to expect him to carry through? I didn’t vote for the man because I didn’t believe he would keep those promises, and I see now that I was right.

As far as foreign policy goes- nothing different really, but it has been about the same with every president.

Yesterday I got an aardvark question: Who exactly are the group ‘Beatles’ and who was in it?

At the risk of repetition I’d like to point out that the US now has a Black President. I smile as I happily type that sentence. Laugh, almost.

It’s possible that the simple fact of President Obama has meanings different to different ages. For those of us over 60, it’s a damn miracle that he’s there at all. The glow of it won’t fade quickly.

The younger ones rightly want a list of what he’s achieved so far.

That is huge. The struggle was worth it.

http://www.msadesign.com/msadesign/Blog/Entries/2009/12/26_The_Dream_Shall_Never_Die.html

(I hope I didn’t screw up posting that link, if so, sorry, Greg).

Guantanamo closed (not yet), withdrawal from Iraq (not yet), focus on Afghanistan (o.k.) – he can claim progress.

Disappointment on DADT & gay marriage, which he might have done more to support. A Latina Supreme Court justice – nice to see, hope it has a positive effect.

Stimulus & bail out – he can claim that without them, things would be much worse than 10% unemployed. Anger on bankers’ bonuses & what appears to be a Treasury-Wall Street alliance.

He has dismantled a lot of the repressive Bush apparatus (torture etc.) but he has left the capability there for a new Republican President to revive it. He needs to establish legislative barriers against any such event.

In summary, he has accomplished a lot for a moderate left-of-centre politician. Big threats are the economy & Afghanistan – I suppose “could try harder” should be the comment here. In many ways, the signs are good but the jury will not come in until 2012. Personally, I think he is shaping up as a “good President”. “Greatness”? – too soon to say.

Best news is that his support and popularity are still high – approximately 50% popularity rating is better than Reagan’s at this stage. 30% of Americans named Obama as the (living) person they most admire – next was G.W.Bush at 4%, with McCaine nowhere. No sign of a substantial Republican contender for 2012, unless you take Sarah Palin seriously. Possibly Palin will run as a 3rd party “Tea Party” candidate.

Sorry. The mendacity gets to me.