Obama Report Card Follow-up

When I followed the content of the Orange County Register article, I neglected to grade President Obama on one of the most important promises that he made: CHANGE the way Washington works, by:

1. Restoring bi-partisanship -- he gets an "F" on this one because he has achieved nothing. Republicans and Democrats are as polarized, if not more so, than before he became president. In both the House and the Senate, the Democrat majority has refused to let Republicans participate in the drafting of key bills such as health care. By discarding all Republican suggestions as without merit, the Democrat majority has forced the Republicans into a 'stop the bill' mode.
2. Implement TRANSPARENCY in Government -- President Obama gets a "D" on this one. He has tried to do this in the Executive branch, but the Legislative Branch, led by his fellow Democrats continues to do all their work behind closed doors, and to force members to vote on measures they have not even had time to read.
3. Eliminate or reduce EARMARKS -- The president gets an "F" on this one, too. The budget and stimulus bills were submerged in earmarks and pork barrel spending. And the Senate bought a Nebraska vote on health care by exempting his state from a tax that other states would have to pay. The very actions that the Democrats criticized the Republican administration for have returned in greater quantities.

The promise was probably more that the President could handle. No President has come into office and immediately changed the way that Washington works, probably because it can't be done. But I believe that the President was so intent upon passing bailout and health care legislation that he did not even attempt to call the congressional leaders aside and convince them to change their ways.

It's a shame that so many of us voted for CHANGE; our disappointment was inevitable.