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Does Obama actually want another term as president?

1 points by tonymarks ↗ HN
by Robert Reich. As I watched the debate Wednesday night I had a brief, passing thought that's probably wrong -- but I can't seem to shake it. I asked myself what if, in his heart of hearts, Obama doesn't really want another term as president? He seemed tired and listless in a way that ran deeper than being worn out from the ongoing demands of the presidency. I don't think he loves politics, certainly not the way Bill Clinton loves it. In fact, I suspect Obama puts up with much of it because he believes it's a means to accomplishing what must be done. But I've been around people who have held that job, and I have a sense of how extraordinarily taxing it can be -- particularly now, in this era of vitriol and partisan gridlock. So what if at some level, perhaps at a level he's not even fully aware of, he doesn't really want it any more?

Romney, on the other hand, strikes me as a man with boundless ambition -- ambition I've only seen in the sons of men who have been president or have sought the job, ambition of a sort that enables Romney to say or do anything and be anyone, turn himself into a chameleon if necessary, to achieve the prize. I don't think Romney loves politics, and I don't believe the energy and passion we witnessed Wednesday night emerges from any wellspring of deep conviction -- in fact, he's changed his position on almost everything. I think the energy and passion comes from his sheer determination to do what must be done, because he loves the idea of himself as president.

So the thought I can't get out of my head is we may have witnessed on the stage Wednesday night two men whose ambitions are trending in opposite directions -- a president who has had enough, and a challenger who can't get enough. I hope I'm wrong.

3 comments

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mtgx
Romney only wants power, and he's willing to do anything or say anything, even if that means saying the exact opposite of what's really on his official platform, in debates.

I'm not a fan of Obama. I'm more of a Ron Paul/Gary Johnson fan, which puts me in antithesis with a lot of stuff Obama has been doing, but Romney just makes me sick to my stomach hearing him go through his lies, thinking the people hearing him then forgot what he said a day or a month earlier, or simply thinking they don't realize that he will do what he and his masters tell him to do if he becomes president, regardless of what he says in the campaign or in debates.

I truly believe Romney would be a worse president than Bush, and as a non-American that affects me directly, because Bush has been a catastrophe internationally, and has made US become more hated abroad. Romney would embarrass and make US even more hated if he becomes president. Heck, he already started doing that in his visits abroad during the campaign, in Israel and UK.

You Americans need to fight for the right to a 3rd party or more than just 2 candidates in the debates. Obama and Romney are not real choices, and it's a classic example of choosing between "terrible" and "how-can-you-even-consider-voting-for-that-guy-terrible".

There are 43% so called "independents" right now, more than Democrats and more than Republicans, and yet 90% of them vote again and again a Republican or a Democrat. Do you even realize that if half of them decided to vote 3rd party, that candidate would actually be in debates, and might even win? Why are those people calling themselves independents if they keep voting Republican or Democrats over and over again?

ctdonath
Obama only wants power, and he's willing to do anything or say anything, even if that means saying the exact opposite of what's really on his official record, in debates.

I'm not a fan of Romney. I'm more of a Ron Paul/Gary Johnson fan, which puts me in antithesis with a lot of stuff Romney has been doing, but Obama just makes me sick to my stomach hearing him go through his lies, thinking the people hearing him then forgot what he said a day or a month earlier, or simply thinking they don't realize that he will do what he and his masters tell him to do if he remains president, regardless of what he says in the campaign or in debates.

I truly believe second-term Obama would be a worse president than first-term Obama, and as an American that affects me directly, because Obama has been a catastrophe internationally, and has made US become more hated abroad. Obama would embarrass and make US even more hated if he remains president. Heck, he already started doing that in his lack of visits abroad during the campaign, in particular Israel and UK.

ETA: Why downvote this but not parent? It's just as heartfelt and true as the parent post - and, by swapping names and minor tweaks, demonstrates the preposterous nature of the post. Shall we debate the objective points instead of offering vapid "_____ only wants power" rhetoric?

jcmoscon
It was because of the high altitude, the climate change. :)