Very descriptive cartoon and good questions, Pat.

Just who is this man, Obama?

He has raised the hopes of millions of people, and the skepticism of critics, yet we have to give him some time and space to see whether real changes will be made in the months ahead and how many promises he can keep. To be sure, if he makes it across the shaky bridge, the climb up the precipice will be no walk in the park, given the fact he can do little without great cooperation from the legislative branch and given the fact that many people would like to see him fail.

Reading through the comments to your cartoon, it is clear that there is no consensus about who Obama really is, the problems he has to deal with or whether there is any chance for success.

What came to mind while reading the negative and few positive comments about Obama and the problems he has to deal with was the story about the blind men and an elephant that supposedly originated in India. Probably the version most familiar in western culture is the 19th Century poem by John Godfrey Saxe:

“The Blindmen and the Elephant

It was six men of Hindustan
To learning much inclined,
Who went to see the Elephant
(Though all of them were blind)
That each by observation
Might satisfy the mind.

The first approached the Elephant
And happening to fall
Against his broad and sturdy side
At once began to bawl:
“Bless me, it seems the Elephant
Is very like a wall”.

The second, feeling of his tusk,
Cried, “Ho! What have we here
So very round and smooth and sharp?
To me ‘tis mighty clear
This wonder of an Elephant
Is very like a spear”.

The third approached the animal,
And happening to take
The squirming trunk within his hands,
Then boldly up and spake:
“I see,” quoth he, “the Elephant
Is very like a snake.”

The Fourth reached out an eager hand,
And felt about the knee.
“What most this wondrous beast is like
Is mighty plain,” quoth he;
“‘Tis clear enough the Elephant
Is very like a tree!”

The Fifth, who chanced to touch the ear,
Said: “E’en the blindest man
Can tell what this resembles most;
Deny the fact who can,
This marvel of an Elephant
Is very like a fan!”

The Sixth no sooner had begun
About the beast to grope,
Than, seizing on the swinging tail
That fell within his scope,
“I see,” quoth he, “the Elephant
Is very like a rope!”

And so these men of Hindustan
Disputed loud and long,
Each in his own opinion
Exceeding stiff and strong,
Though each was partly in the right
And all were in the wrong.

So oft in theologic wars,
The disputants, I ween,
Rail on in utter ignorance
Of what each other mean,
And prate about an Elephant
Not one of them has seen!”

Fair play, I recognise you as one of the reasonable ones on here and have said so. I no more blame Bush, Blair, Reagan, Clinton or Thatcher for everything than I give them credit for everything. I am somewhat libertarian. Let each person find their own way to heaven or hell. Which is why I am now so far removed from the US Republican Party as can be. It is not for the State to interfere in my business (which it does) or more so my bedroom activities.

Nor should a Government dictate what should be done with a womans body and then once it has, punish her for that baby.

Obama is no Socialist. He is not even left wing. Margaret Thatcher is further to the left than Obama.

I will ignore the silly person above. The banking industry got bigger than the Governments of the World combned. Parties in power benefited from that as people felt wealthier and nothing was done to tackle inflation as it was disguised (1993 in the US, 1998 in the UK). Now we face an unprecedented collapse. If it was your manufacturing firm Government would let you go. As it is a new global banking system , that is bigger than all of the economies combined and has allowed people on modest salaries to buy stupidly expensive cars, Government does not know what to do except keep feeding the banks money. How much more though?

Comment by I Want A Do Over | 2009-01-26 17:00:14

I don’t think he is pleasing the Republicans (I refuse to call my party Repugs) too much. I think we would prefer not to spend what little money we have left on abortions in Africa. I also think we would prefer not using our 401ks to make sure, as Pelosi says, “we provide a comfortable life for illegal aliens.” That’s not what we Republicans think are priorities. We also don’t think it’s a great idea to welcome terrorism in this country by closing Gitmo and housing terrorists in our backyard. Doesn’t seem real genius to us. We would have liked Obama to do SOMETHING about the economy, rather than sign a bunch of lunatic fringe insane left crap executive orders that do nothing to help us heal. But, that’s just us “Repugs.”

War criminals, fascists or bad LOSERS may be better. You prove again Rethugs to be nothing but dirty filthy liars. Nowhere did Nancy Pelosi ever say anything of the sort about illegal aliens.

Tax $s are not funding abortions in Africa, however ABSTINENCE ONLY AID PROGRAMMES HAVE NOT STOPPED AIDS. Full education and advice without gags will help. What is it with filthy Republicans anyway? Why is the life in the womb many many more times as valuable than outside?

GITMO is an affront to democracy. It says to those we go to war with you can torture without trial Allied Soldiers, it is fine America does it. You have the blood of Bigley on your hand.You are not welcoming terrorism in the US by closing GITMO, no other President had an equivalent and no other President was incompetent enough to allow not one by 3 planes to hit US targets. Bush did not keep America safe, he put it in very real danger.

Do something on the economy? Err right.. After Bush gave it all to the banks after putting America in so much debt the World can not carry it any more. In fact it was never imagined that the debt could get so high. The incompetence of Bush has done one thing. There will be at least two two term Democratic Presidents.

“Lunatic Fringe stuff”? Right. See you in 2012.

Of course you did have the problem of being threatend with gun and knife wielding kids in the public schools.

This goes hand-in-hand with turning the public school system into a nanny state. kids I worked with showed upo for free breakfast at 7, free lunch, free after school programs and free dinner. The parents were all too happy to drop the little darlings off at 7am and pick them up 12 hours later at 7pm, just in time for bed.

OTOH, most teachers i knew would rather work with the disadvantage kids than the spoiled, bullying, arrogant offspring of the upper classes. At least they didn’t have to deal with obnoxious teens staring you down and coldly informing you they had more money in their trust fund than you (the teacher) would ever see in their lifetime.

Anyway, since Obama seems keen on appeasing the Repugs, he won’t be able to change too much.

Barack Obama is recognized to be a person of acute intelligence, a legal scholar, careful with his choice of words. He deserves to be taken seriously – both what he says, and what he omits.

I guess Chomsky boils it down to this regarding Obama, use of nuance?

but the carefully framed deceit is instructive.