The hypocrisy of hope

Thinking back to the Bush years, I remember the caustic attacks against anyone who dared to criticize anything he did. I thought the tax cuts for the wealthy were dumb, the Patriot Act was an assault on personal privacy, the war in Iraq completely unjustified, and I had no problem stating those facts. For my bluntness, I was assailed as a "traitor, a "terrorist-loving liberal commie fascist" and just about anything else in the pro-Bush playbook. Having my vehicle vandalized and threats of violence for stating my opinion were par for the course.

Fast-forward to present day. The Patriot Act is still being renewed with little debate, the Bush tax cuts are still in effect and we continue to slowly lose personal freedoms. The NDAA was, and could still be interpreted to mean the indefinite detention of people who are deemed a threat. The SOPA bill also extends the ability of the government to shut down websites it also deems as threats. Threats, threats to what? A threat to national security or a threat to the industries that depend on the government to be their muscle in shutting down dissent or forcing people to buy their products and services.

So I criticize President Obama for going along with some of these things, and I get attacked again. This time it is by the "professional left", who make a point of crucifying and spinning everything the GOP does while acting like a human shield for the President. In fact, if you just changed the things they took positions on, they'd sound similar to the "brown shirts" of the Bush era.

Guess what, I voted for Obama. I have the right to criticize him when he does things that are wrong in my eyes. I voted with the hope that he'd do better by the people than Bush did, and in some ways, he's done that. The repeal of DADT, saving the auto industry, killing Osama Bin Laden and other accomplishments are deserving of praise. Yet, when he does something I see as wrong, I have no problem coming out and saying it.

I will anger some readers by saying this. Undoubtedly I will lose a few fans, so be it.