Get real - Obama is not a socialist

To those critics of Obama who claim he is, the president is NOT a socialist. He, like all presidents before him, has been entrusted with the continuation and survival of American capitalism. Franklin Roosevelt faced similar accusations from his political opponents on the Right. Lyndon Johnson was so concerned that his Great Society would be branded socialist that he was prepared to escalate the war in Vietnam to prove he was tough on communism. So Obama wants to extend health care to over 40 million Americans who have no, or limited, access to medical treatment. Socialist or living up to the notion that all Americans should enjoy "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness"? So the state has bought into major companies and financial institutions. Would you rather they went under? Or would you like the system that was clearly not working to carry on? Would you prefer Chinese style capitalism - that comes without the added benefit of liberal democracy? These are extraordinary economic times that require state action - to keep your fingers crossed in the hope that the market will sort itself out is ridiculous. It did not work in the early 1930s and it would not work now. But that does not make Obama a socialist.

Rebooting the Presidency

One thing that has become apparent in the first 100 days of the Obama presidency is how little we had come to expect from the presidency. Bush had lowered the bar so low. Many Americans said about Bush - when he was popular - that they felt he was like them, that he was the kind of guy you would want to have a drink with (somewhat ironic given that he was a reformed alcoholic). He was not an intellectual - and many Americans liked that. In a sense he reminded them of Reagan - he had a clear vision of the World that could be edited down to one side of A4. Obama is the opposite. You might go to a basketball game with him, but you wouldn't go bowling. He has rebooted the notion of the presidency as being an office that deserves, and certainly requires, intellect - and that it commands a degree of respect. It is not an easy task, but he has an opportunity to restore greatness to the office, harnessing the responsibilties that go with that to improve the lives of all Americans and to maintain progress in the great adventure we call America.