Tag Archives: Obama

Like many of you here, no doubt, I am disappointed in Obama over the incarceration of Bradley Manning, the lack of incarceration of George W. Bush et alii, his failure to close Guantanamo, his continuation of the completely unnecessary war against marijuana,the weakass version of health

President Cool

care that finally got passed, his failure to tax the rich, his slow response to the BP oil spill and a host of other issues, but at a recent town hall meeting in rural Illinois he gave an answer to a question which was so cool it reminded me why I liked him in the first place.

Here’s the story, via Wonkette:    …a local farmer who said he grows corn and soybeans expressed his concerns to President Barack Obama about “more rules and regulations” — including those concerning dust, noise and water runoff — that he heard would negatively affect his business.

Obama said “If you hear something is happening, but it hasn’t happened, don’t always believe what you hear.”

When the room broke into soft laughter, the president added, “No — and I’m serious about that.”

Saying that “folks in Washington” like to get “all ginned up” about things that aren’t necessarily happening (“Look what’s comin’ down the pipe!”), Obama’s advice was simple: “Contact USDA.”

“Talk to them directly. Find out what it is that you’re concerned about,” Obama told the man. “My suspicion is, a lot of times, they’re going to be able to answer your questions and it will turn out that some of your fears are unfounded.”

In other words, stop listening to Republican bullshit.  Pick up the phone and find out.  It was an awesome answer.

Of course, I would still like to see Obama be a lot more of a liberal than he is.  But I am as amazed now as I was during the primaries at the man’s ability to “keep his head when all about them are losing theirs and blaming it on him,” to quote Kipling.  It’s an unusual, otherworldly level of calm, which may freak some people out but it’s way preferable to the opposite.

What explains it?  Well, a lot of ink has been spilled in analyzing Barack Obama’s upbringing but one obvious detail seems to get overlooked.  He is from Hawaii.  Hawaiians, at least according to the stereotype, are mellow folk.

I think that’s what the national discourse needs.  A bit more Hawaii, and a whole lot less Texas.