"Obama’s toughest political problem may not be coping with the increasingly marginalized G.O.P. but with an America-in-denial that must hear warning signs repeatedly, for months and sometimes years, before believing the wolf is actually at the door."
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Why do you think that so many Americans are totally disinclined in facing up to reality, but instead, just pretend that everything is fine. Is this the legacy of religious teachings that teach them to live in fantasy and teach negative hatred toward Democrats, not to be strong positive citizens?

Hellooo

Americans have a rich heritage of individual rights from English common law and rugged individualism, which I suppose results from the pioneers of settling in this place. "The uniquely American morals and opinions, Tocqueville argued, lay in the origins of American society and derived from the peculiar social conditions that had welcomed colonists in prior centuries. Unlike Europe, venturers to America found a vast expanse of open land. Any and all who arrived could own their own land and cultivate an independent life. Sparse elites and a number of landed aristocrats existed, but, according to Tocqueville, these few stood no chance against the rapidly developing values bred by such vast land ownership. With such an open society, layered with so much opportunity, men of all sorts began working their way up in the world: industriousness became a dominant ethic, and "middling" values began taking root." Alexis de Tocqueville - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Just curious, how do you define a "strong positive citizens"?

George that was the old America. The post WWII America ;instead of rejecting the worse of European society seems to be drifting closer to it. If you took the word America out of the quote and replaced it with Europe ,no one would blink an eye... head in the sand Europe is undeniable.

The quote in the posting is cited from Frank Rich of the NY Slimes.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/22/opinion/22rich.html

Frank chicken-little Rich sees the economy as an apocaliyptic occurrence.From that perspective anyone not running around in a panic must be in denial .I think the biggest danger is government over reaction creating the possibility of extending the economic downturn .

Rich, besides being the doom-monger he is, is also covering for Obama's switch from hopenchange to politics of fear. So instead of the public expecting the "leader of the free world" to play the part of national cheerleader - or just being a leader - we're "in denial." It must miserable being a liberal if Rich is any indication.

Hello Choux:

Even though the right wing has been marginalized, they still have very big mouths. The leader of the Republican party, the limp one, has a HUGE radio audience.

You can see it at work here where the righty's are complaining that campaign mode hopeandchange, turned into presidential reality.

Right now, the Republicans have successfully renamed the recovery package into a spending package.

He'll get it back.

excon

Yeah, ain't free speech great?

Kind of like the left has turned Rush into "The leader of the Republican party."

It isn't a spending package?

Hello Steve:

Sure, but it's not about what the law DOES. It's about what you CALL it. If you want to win, people will call it what you want them to. If you lose, people will call it what you don't.

Like the Patriot Act. It wasn't about patriotism at all.

Besides, the left hasn't turned the limp dude into the pub leader. I DID - and I ain't the left.

excon

Still, no definition of "strong, positive citizen"? I'll bet there were lots of them in 1930's Germany, Italy, and Japan. And in 1960-70's North Vietnam; Mao's China; Iran, and evidently in present-day Russia. I suppose a 'weak, negative citizen' in modern China might find himself being re-educated.
Obama's toughest problem is to lead his country. "Leadership ... makes (followers) want to achieve high goals, rather than simply bossing people around." Concepts of Leadership
There is an election coming in just over 20 months; I suspect Obama has his eye on the ball; after all, political gain is the basis of his life up to this point. He knows what happened to the Clintonoids in 1994.

Check this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZNsE...axa_popt00us03

The President knows no other way but the perpetual campaign. That has been his m.o. That is why he has spent so much time on the road in his 1st month.

Sure, like Schmucky Schumer did. He called them "little, tiny...porky amendments" that "the American people really don't care about."

Oh now, that's been the liberal line since Obama mentioned Rush and even long before that. Heck, I've been reading letters to our paper from favorite local libs calling him that for years.

Hello again, Steve:

M, kay. Instead of telling me the limp dude ISN'T your leader, tell me who is.

And tom, he does pretty good in campaign mode. I don't know why he shouldn't LEAD from Air force 1 and/or Padukah, Ky? Why not?

Who says he has to stay inside the beltway and get beaten up all the time? That's change I can believe in.

excon

Honestly, I wish I could.

Conservatives are in the wilderness doing penitence.
Meanwhile: "Clinton's mockery of Obama proves true" ," "The sky will open. The lights will come down. Celestial choirs will be singing and everyone will know we should do the right thing and the world will be perfect!" Clinton bellowed." Clinton's mockery of Obama proves true - CNN.com

Conservative leaders.
One will emerge Likely candidates are Governors Bobby Jindal of Louisiana, Haley Barbour of Mississippi, Mark Sanford of South Carolina ,Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota ,Sarah Palin of Alaska .

In Congress I think Mike Pence will emerge as the leader eventually . Others are Roy Blunt. But there are others I have high hope for also .

Time to do his work, as all of a sudden everyone has their own ideas how to solve a problem that's been around for a lot longer than a year, and he has barely been President a month! A freaking month! Whatever happen to the first 100 days before we lower the boom on the newbie.

Where was the concern the last 8 years?

That's been expressed quite vociferously and relentlessly in every medium including this one.

Obviously that didn't work.

Fortunately, or unfortunately, Obama cashed-in the honeymoon with the Stimulus Porkage; there was nothing 'bi-partisan' about it; hence, the partisanship. Furthermore, from the same article cited above: "...Washington could not be more divided on Obama's initial weeks in the Oval Office and the policies he has put in place." http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/02/...far/index.html

No? Who won the election?

The American people!