Friday, November 07, 2008

How Will Obama Handle Criticism?

I wrote a piece yesterday about President Bush. I am amazed at how he has kept his composure against the hateful onslaught he has endured from the left. Not only have they insulted him morning, noon, and night for eight years; they have disrespected our country, too. Obama constantly referred to the need to change America. Change is here folks. A strong wind has blown in from the left.

Has there ever in our history been a president as villified as Bush? Has there ever been a president so relentlessly attacked by the mainstream media? The only major media outlet that shows respect to him is Fox News. Fox kills all the other cable outlets in ratings. As low as President Bush's ratings are, they are triple the ratings of the Pelosi/Reed Congress.

The constant drumbeat of negativity toward Bush by the media clearly influenced the electorate. Most Americans spend little time analyzing current events. What they learn, they catch in snippits at the top of the hour, while driving to and from work, or while waiting for sports or weather to come on during local t.v. or radio news. Many now get their news on the internet. The most vicious and widespread criticism of President Bush comes from the internet.

Obama appears to be internet-savvy. He plans to use his email organization to mobilize support for his programs during his presidency. McCain, on the other hand, was not internet savvy. From what I understand, he does not even use a computer.

Nevertheless, my hat is off to George Bush, if for no other reason than the way he has risen above the biased media and hatred spewing daily from the left. He is a man of honor, of deep Christian faith, and he practices what Jesus asked His followers to do, showing mercy and forgiveness to those who defile his name. At the same time, he has made it his mission to keep the citizens of the United States safe, and he has succeeded.

How will Obama respond to the inevitable criticisms? Will he keep his focus on what is best for our country, or will he be thin-skinned and vindictive? Handling criticism, especially unfair criticism, is not a trait many of us have. Let's pray that Obama grows in the job, and becomes a truly great president who does the right thing, even when he is being second-guessed. Unlike George Bush, Obama will have a very supportive media, so that should help him.

2 comments:

Terri Wagner said...

McCain can't use a computer because of his war injuries but he was a prescence on the web, just not enough. We on the right have to incorporate the web better. That said, though this may sound sandboxish, I intend to accord Obama the same respect he and the MSM gave to Bush.

mushroom said...

'Not very well', would be my best guess, and, unless he has grown up, Obama's Chief of Staff will be even worse. These are Chicago thugs.

I can't help but give Obama more support than the left gave Bush because he will be the C-in-C of the military. In order to support the troops, you have to support their civilian authority, at least to the extent of not saying things that will endanger those on the front lines. Our side will treat Obama better because we will not cheer for calamity or encourage our enemies to his detriment.

Aside from that, BHO and his flying monkey squad can KMA.