by Wayne Douma

Created on: August 16, 2009   Last Updated: August 20, 2009

President Obama's entire campaign for the Presidency was based on a lot of rhetoric. He said the things that needed to be said in order to get elected - just like almost every other person holding a political position has done. The problem with Obama was that he created this hype of "hope and change" and that "he would be above the partisan politics of old." That is a good way to earn votes from moderates and independent voters, but how has this promise shaped up following his January 20, 2009 Inauguration ceremony?

To be fair to President Obama, in his initial weeks in the office he did hold bi-partisan meetings with both Democrats and Republicans in the legislative body. Republicans were open in their statements that they did want to work with the President, but what happened following those initial weeks?

To start, popular conservative talk radio host Rush Limbaugh said the words, "I hope President Obama fails" and that seemed to be the end of "reaching across the aisle" for the President. The White House orchestrated a smear campaign against Rush Limbaugh, and anyone who seemed to agree with his words. White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs seemed to daily mumble through his talking points of Limbaugh being a leader of the Republican party. The Democratic White House knew this would cause turmoil in the opposing party, trying to stir debate on the true leader of the Republicans.

Following Limbaugh, it seemed like mere days later that the White House was trying to paint former Vice President Dick Cheney as this villian who speaks for all Republicans, because Cheney spoke out against some of Obama's foreign policy. Whatever happened to the Constitution of the United States, and freedom of speech? One of the great things about America is that we CAN criticize leaders in office, but it seems that only is allowed when Republicans are in control. If a Democrat is in the White House you cannot speak out against them without being labeled "out of touch" or "racist" or "homophobic" and the list goes on of Democrat name calling for voices opposing them.

President Obama also seems to have one last card in his deck every time he is running low on ideas - Blame Bush. It is fact that George W Bush was not the most beloved President in history, but at the same time when have you ever seen in Presidential history a current administration criticize former Presidents this much, if at all? The answer is that they do not do it! Barack Obama has been President of this

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