Mr. Smith should go to Washington and show Obama how it's done.

When President Obama won the Oval Office, I was so charged up. I was involved with my country again after years of feeling like my vote counted for nothing. I was proud to be an American again. I was excited to see the changes that were promised come into being. Mostly, I was excited for the American people. After eight years of oppressive leadership in Washington, we finally had someone who was there for us. Or so we thought. What happened? Where did the fire go? In the movie, MR SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON, Jimmy Stuart started out a reluctant hero of the people. He found his voice and his fire as he stood in front of lawmakers to champion his cause. I thought that Obama resembled the Jimmy Stuart's Smith when he won the election. I just felt in my bones that he was the person we all had been waiting for. The man who would shake up Washington. What has happened is the opposite. Mr Obama has made some very lovely speeches, but he's absolutely been ineffectual in his role as President. Instead of moving forward into the 21st century, we are stepping back in areas we thought were somewhat settled. The Abortion issue has taken the healthcare debate hostage and pushed Senators into full retreat. Obama has labeled this so-called reform historic, but it's not historic in the way the White House is spinning it. It's historic because of the way Obama has run away from it. He keeps making speeches about how it will cover 30 million more Americans. What about the remaining 15 million who will still be uninsured. We heard a lot about the 45 million who were without coverage in the early days of the health care fight. We don't hear anything about that now. At the start we heard that the insurance companies should have competition to keep them honest and fair. We don't hear about what these companies are doing to people before the limited regulations come into play. Not from Obama and not from any of the people participating in this charade of health care reform. The fact that the Democrats let abortion hijack reform is a testament to their spineless dedication to mediocrity. There seems to be no one in the Democrat party who is willing to really fight for reform. Everyone is covering their ass. The Democrats seem ready to sell the farm to get the votes they need so that they can put health care reform in the win category. Why must we settle for less when we have a majority in both houses? The Republicans are no better. They just want Obama to fail. They don't care that reform would be good for the country. They would rather see the country spiral into the abyss than give Obama a win of any kind. The lies and marches for non-reform is so transparent, it would be laughable if it weren't for the people who will be affected. As a Black (African American) person, I really wanted to see President Obama go in and kick some ass. In the back of my mind however, I felt that because he is a Black man, he might not have the political clout of familial generations to help him move the mountains that needed to be moved. The "Old Boy Network" is long and strong. How could this Black man do anything substantial without help? The evidence is not much. The rich keep getting richer. It's been said that the banks run this country. Everyone believes that to be true including me. Why else would they be able to rape the American People even after the people gave them money to stay afloat? Bernie Madoff is small time in comparison. This bailout scam in hindsight seems to be the biggest Ponzi Scam in the history of this country. And it was perpetrated by our own government. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised by what has happened. as I said it was in the back of my mind all along, but it makes me sad. I won't be voting Democrat again. It won't matter that I hold my vote. Things just go on in Washington as they always have. The only thing that brings change is social discourse. When the people finally get so fed up, they take to the streets and demand change. Oh, wait a minute, we did that last November.