A New Sign That Obama Isn't Quite As Bad As He Appears

As terrible as Obama appears from the right, there are plenty of indications that he could be much worse. The latest comes in the form of a Guardian opinion piece. When leftist Europeans are whining about being disappointed in Obama, you know he's doing something right -- or at least not quite as bad as he could be.  This made me laugh,

Europe has been increasingly critical of America's failures to live up to its global responsibilities.

Yeah, Europe knows what it can do with its opinion about our "global responsibilities." The author, Steven Hill, indulges in much whining about the U.S. not moving faster on climate change. He complains that Obama isn't giving way enough money.

Europe has announced donations of $2bn to $15bn a year for the next decade to help developing nations cope with climate warming

Just because Europe is stupid enough to give away its money to be wasted by corrupt "developing nations," supposedly to fight climate change, doesn't mean the U.S. needs to follow suit. We give away far too much money as it is.

Hill also complains about U.S. moves toward financial reform. But most obnoxious is his attack on the U.S. political system itself.

Given a vastly unrepresentative senate wielding its anti-majoritarian filibuster, it is hardly surprising that minority rule in the senate consistently undermines majority rule, whether on healthcare, financial industry reform, environmental legislation and many other policies.

Pile on to that an uncompetitive, winner-take-all electoral system, marinated in money and special interest influence, and the sclerotic US political scene is deeply troubling. None of these anti-democratic structural features are going away any time soon.

He might want to worry about his own political system. The UK isn't exactly a model of efficent government. I have no liking for Obama, but the time to really worry is if he is able to satisfy people like Hill.