President Obama is not listening

I watched part of President Obama’s comments about the debt limit on CNBC yesterday. (7/11/11) I wish that I were more comfortable when I listen to our President. The way that he speaks is so calm and soothing that it gives the impression that he listens and actively considers all sides. But WHAT he says does not give this message at all.

I was particularly disturbed by his comments about the Republican resistance to his proposal to raise taxes. President Obama was implying that it was irresponsible for the Republican leadership to give in to the fringe elements within their party and hold a hard line against raising taxes. Accusations frequently can tell more about the accuser than the accused. The disdain he holds for the Republican actions was not hidden very well. Yet at the same time, is this not what he himself is doing?

The Republicans were elected saying that they would fight any and all tax increases. They are holding to their ideology. President Obama does not agree with this ideology and is fighting it to the best of his ability. Is this not what Republicans are doing as well? And it is irresponsible to fight for what they believe in? Disdain for others views and beliefs leads to lack of listening and a feeling of superiority. The passage of Health Care demonstrates how that very same leadership knows what is best for us. I have an idea: Why doesn’t he sign a bill that does what he wants and the public can figure out what it does later? Oh, because he needs help getting that bill on his desk. Now that is listening and consideration for the other views that conflict with his. No wonder our country is so divided.

To top all of this off, I thought that President Obama had saved us from falling off an economic cliff? That in 2009 when the ‘stimulus’ bill was signed that we were saved from the disaster that had been left to him by ex-President Bush? Now we face a new economic disaster if the debt ceiling is not raised? And of course, President Obama knows the right thing to do, better than those who hold opposing views. This is why he is fighting all the way to the end and may have to enact the 14th amendment, in order to get around the ‘irresponsibility’ of the Republicans. Only if he can’t get enough of what he deems necessary. After all, extreme situations call for extreme measures. That economic cliff has come back and we just may have a constitutional crisis on our hands in order to deal with it. I guess the ‘fix’ in 2009 was only temporary. Like so many other ‘solutions’ that our government offers. This economic cliff is because of ex-President Bush and the Republicans. After all, their economic policies are ‘irresponsible’.

I understand the concerns about the limits on the national debt. I understand why many believe that it should be raised. I am willing to make a deal in that limits upon spending and taxes are mandatory with any allowance in raising the debt ceiling. My views are in conflict with our President. And I am irresponsible for pressuring my representatives to fight for my viewpoint? I have another idea:

Why does the House not pass a bill that gives me what I want and President Obama can figure out what it does after he signs it? This is why I have dug in on my viewpoint. Not because I am unwilling to compromise. It is because I am unwilling to compromise with the Obama administration. If you don’t listen, you can’t continue to expect the other side to listen. The backlash from the Obama administration and what it has been doing has not really even begun yet. You know what they say about payback. It can be a real bitch.