If there's a common theme among Republicans and anyone else who doesn't like Obama, it's that they want to "restore" something or go back to something. What exactly is it that they want to return to? Seriously, I'm asking. And "a president who isn't a black guy with a funny name" is not an answer.
Obama has been a total disappointment, to say the least. I get that. But even still, things are a whole lot better than they were eight years ago. Like, it's no contest. That he likely had nothing to do with it doesn't even matter.
I'm listening to politicians talk about this at great length, and I wonder what exactly they want. Speculating, do they want to go back to days of slavery, no Internet, hunting for food... what? If I look around, I'm looking at a world where:
- According to Zillow, the house I couldn't sell for years near Cleveland, that I sold for $10k less than I paid, is now worth $20k more than that, in less than two years.
- Similarly, the house I live in is allegedly worth $20k more than when I bought it a little over a year ago.
- My career opportunities sure have increased in the last ten years, even with the rough spot in 2008/2009.
- Gay people increasingly can be identified as a legal couple.
- That Internet makes it possible to learn about anything, even if an alarming percentage of people prefer to use it just to bury their heads and reinforce their own beliefs.
- We have technology companies leading our economy with completely new businesses, and even an auto company that isn't in Detroit, pushing renewable energy and making headway.
- We have super computers in our pocket, and now on our wrist, connected to the entire world's knowledge.
- We're landing space craft on fucking comets!
- The mix of cultures is happening at an unprecedented rate, especially in the US, and we're all clearly better off for it.
- Private companies launch rockets, for less than the feds could ever do.
- Our ability to communicate, collaborate and have real influence on our world has never been greater. Everyone has a voice.
I don't know what world people want to go back to, or what America they want to "restore," but I'm pretty happy with the one we've got. In fact, that tends to imply that politicians have very little to do with the asskickery that we have available to us these days.