Good article in Salon today by the always insightful Thomas
Frank on what the Obama presidential library of the future will contain. Frank
guesses that much of the museum will be devoted to hyperventilating over the
Republicans in Congress and the obstructions they threw up at every turn of
Obama’s presidency. Frank argues, and I think most progressives would agree,
that Obama could have and should have done much more to fight the bastards
rather than constantly wishing for the never attainable consensus he always
seems to want. He simply hasn’t pushed hard enough for his agenda, hasn’t gone
to the American people a la Reagan, hasn’t gotten angry, and therefore, hasn’t got
much to show for the last six years.
No one expected Obama to walk on water or perform miracles.
All we hoped for was that he would follow through on his pledge to change the
destructive course set by Bush and Cheney and point America in a new direction.
He hasn’t done that. He hasn’t even really tried to do that. If I were to
design the Obama presidential library, it would be a very large room with
nothing in it. Hidden speakers would play Obama’s speeches in an endless loop.
Inspiring, hopeful words with nothing concrete to show for it.
