BV, my issue with Obamarama is it encourages the people to continue to lean on goverment, rather than taking more individual responsibility for one's health, wealth, happiness, consumption, and debt.
On the contrary; I have only ever heard him go on and on about the whole Nation needing to stand up and get involved to fix their own problems. Work harder, take pride, and so on - don't rely on others to fix your problems.
I agree he wants to fix healthcare and education, but this is what
everyone that I talked to over there wants as well - Global warming a close third (or second even; if you are greenie zealot).
So he is only echoing what the people want. Their current system is practically unworkable; with only the upper-middle class and wealthy being able to access any sort of decent quaility level of either.
Having a better healthcare and education system is not a "free lunch' type philosophy (although personally I reckon all education and health should be free - and I'm a capitalist pig!).
I agree that the yanks need to step up and take personal responsibility for their own lifestyle and health issues. They are generally a very obese lot. We are not much better, and our welfare mentality is increasing here in Aus.
Obama may prove to not be able to keep his promises for a better health and education system, but if he achieves even a 5% improvement, that is an enormous improvement on what they have now.
On that note; he has never deluded the people either; he always makes sure he mentions that the road will be tough and hard decisions will need to be made.
He doesn't delude them by saying it will happen overnight and that it will be easy.
The fact that he even gets up on the podium and mentions these issues is a massive change; in 3 years that I was there, I NEVER heard Bush or Cheyney EVER talk about anything other than Iraq and terrorists.
Bush's mention of the economy only ever occured at his yearly Address to the Nation, and it was fleeting and very macro. All is well; our economy is robust etc. It was total BS, and everyone hated him for it.
His "children" were neglected; for 8 years.
Now, if you are Mr&Mrs Joe Thong out in the burbs, how does that make you feel when you are bleeding from every orifice and can't get your kids educated and attended to at the doctor, when all you ever here is cr@p about how safe the Country is from a terrorist, and some @rsehole CEO has just made another $50 million bonus for the year while their company went into the red by another $100 mill? THAT'S America.
Then, Obama comes along and grabs hold of the hand of the neglected child, shows them love and interest. The child becomes happy, his/her spirit rises, tries that bit harder.
If he doesn't deliver the goods after 4 years, then we might have a slight reason to lose faith, but not yet.
