Enough with the Criticism

Over the weekend, I enjoyed a barbecue with my family to celebrate the Memorial Day holiday. During supper, my mother mentioned that she was disappointed that President Obama did not go to Arlington cemetery but sent Vice President Joe Biden. I am afraid my response was harsh and undeserved by my mother. I owe her an apology. But I stand by what I said. I am tired of everyone criticizing the president. Give the poor guy a break. Better yet, get behind him and help fix the messes in which we find ourselves.

Every day and at least twice on Sunday, there is someone on the news complaining about Obama. People who live near the Gulf were critical because they didn't feel like he truly was supportive of their plight. When he went to the Gulf to show support and see the devastation for himself, I heard someone complain that they didn't need him going down and mucking up the clean-up effort, they needed more help. He has also been criticized for healthcare, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the financial bailout. He has had to put up with Tea Party supporters judging his decisions. He has had to deal with congressmen who drag their feet on everything except what they want. It seems like no matter what he does, he will be judged harshly and come up lacking every single time.

What we fail to remember is that he inherited the majority of his problems from the previous administration. How short our collective memory is when we have engaging personalities standing on the sidelines creating noise to distract us from the truth. The wars, the financial crises, even the current Gulf Coast problem have roots in the Bush administration. Rather than lay the blame at the feet of the people who deserve it, everyone is more than happy to blame Obama.

I have a few reasons why this is so. First, as my younger daughter so astutely pointed out, many people still suffer from prejudice. To them, an African-American president can not be qualified so they will look for ways of proving and supporting their prejudice. Secondly, a whole group of people are trying to rewrite history, painting themselves in a more advantageous light by smearing others. They are so good at what they do and how much noise they make, that many of us are duped into believing what they say. Finally, we have become a nation that finds blaming others easier than taking personal responsibility for our mistakes. And there is no one easier to blame than the person sitting in the White House.

I, for one, am tired of hearing everyone accuse others. I am tired of hearing a person who has attempted to tackle so many problems being slammed for everything he does. I am frustrated with the people who think they know what to do because actions, not words, solve problems. I am disappointed to learn that I live in a country where people are still judged by the color of their skin. So Mom, I owe you an apology. You didn't deserve hearing me vent. I'm sorry. From now on, I will be more careful to direct my frustration to the people who justly deserve it. Maybe, I'll start a new trend.