This is a must-see video. If you are a progressive and you did not see this last night (and who but news geeks like me are watching Maddow on Friday night), watching it can transform your Saturday morning. Really. Note that Rachel does this listing of accomplishments by way of a brief introductory retrospective about Ronald Reagan. So the first list you hear belongs to the (Nineteen) Eighties, and is worth reflecting upon in light of more recent revisionism on Reagan’s conservatism. For all the terrible economic policies of Ronald Reagan, his selling weapons to Iran, and his illegal war against the Contras, he almost looks reasonable given the extremism of the George W. Bush administration. So, go ahead, please watch. And then consider this:
It is easy for we armchair/keyboard critics to find fault. And on cue we do so often. Sure, there are potent issues we hold dear and, sure, we have our reasons on occasion. We rightly persuade ourselves that this or that bill could and should be better. But we should take heart. In our consternation, particularly about the costly and dangerous protraction that is Afghanistan, for example, we may not be seeing what else constructive Obama has brought this country in a very short time. We may be losing the forest for the trees.
None of this suggests we should not persist airing our voices on various issues when we believe it important. Yet, it seems appropriate to pause and note Rachel Maddow’s enumeration last night of President Obama’s incredibly accomplished first 1.5 years of his presidency. My husband, who has been pretty discouraged politically (and not sure why I persist at all) watched the show last night and said, “Wow, he really has accomplished a lot.” So, if you haven’t watched it yet, please do.
Sign up for the Blue Virginia weekly newsletter
