Column:

Yes we can, but when?

By Jordan Stein

Published Oct. 6, 2009

Last week's episode of Saturday Night Live showed an impersonation of President Barack Obama shrugging off the criticism that he hasn't accomplished a lot of things he promised he would, both on the campaign trail and after he was inaugurated.

The episode opened with Fred Armisen sitting in the Oval Office, laughing off several issues yet to be addressed by the legislature such as health care, gays in the military and global warming.

Although the sketch was kind of funny, it was a brutal reminder our huge Democratic victory last November isn't facilitating the national change we've been promised.

Ten months into this presidency, we are still waiting for a change in health care, still waiting for a change in policies toward the LGBTQ community, still waiting for the problems of No Child Left Behind to be ironed out. The economy has seemed to bounce back a little bit, but, as much as the fiery liberal in me hates to admit it, it could be argued the economic stabilization is due to aftershocks from policies implemented in the Bush administration.

I am glad Obama's in office. I'm still excited about the things I think he can accomplish. Even so, it's time for Obama to step up and take the actions he guaranteed his supporters.

It would be understandable if the issue was a divided legislature, but the Democrats have a majority in both houses. The myth that the majority must be filibuster-proof in order to pass any liberal legislation is just a sad excuse, in my opinion. I know we will always be battling our own political polarity, but isn't our president supposed to help us navigate this tough time?

The infuriating part about all of this is Obama has the power and the friends in legislature to get the measures he wants passed. With the makeup of the executive and legislative branches, I can't think of a situation that's very much more sympathetic to a governing party.

The Democratic leaders in the House and Senate are equally responsible for making these proposed changes both at home and abroad a reality, but having an ambiguous or hesitant political leader is not much incentive to get tough on the legislative floor.

So I guess the question is: What is Obama waiting for?

Maybe our populist president is waiting for public opinion to tide one way or another on each of these issues. If so, that's a dangerous game. Maybe he feels if he pushes through legislation on these divided issues, they'll seem less legitimate.

A lot of these issues need immediate attention. For example, Afghanistan, Iran and health care all seem to be approaching critical points. Obama got elected on his rhetoric to fix the huge problems plaguing our country. I'm ready for him to start acting like the president he promised to be.

Jordan Stein is a senior political science major. She can be reached at jesf25@mail.missouri.edu.