Is the Honeymoon Over?

I saw a skit on Saturday Night Live last weekend that really surprised me. Fred Arnison started the show doing his Obama impersonation, sitting in the Oval Office addressing the American people.

He begins by saying he was elected on a platform of change, but that people were saying the U.S. is starting to look like a Socialist country. He said that if we’re starting to look like a Socialist nation it couldn’t be his fault because if you check his record you’ll see that he’s hasn’t really done anything.

He then shows a list of things he was supposed to do with checkboxes next to each item under headings of “Done” and “Not Done”. The list was long, and included closing Guantanamo Bay, pulling out of Iraq, improving Afghanistan, Health Care Reform, Immigration Reform, Gays in the Military, Limits on Executive Powers, Torture Prosecution, and Global Warming. He then went through and checked every single item as “Not Done.”

To see an outlet like SNL spoof the president like this blew my mind. It gave a clear signal that the honeymoon is over, and Obama needs to start getting results or his popularity will suffer.

The one thing they left off the list was Obama’s promise that the $787 billion stimulus package would create 3.5 million jobs. The answer to that is also “Not Done,” and with the worst unemployment in over 25 years this wasn’t a promise I wanted to see unfulfilled.

To further add to Obama’s diminishing star, the Olympic Committee this week took the U.S. out of the running for hosting the 2016 Olympics in the FIRST round. Oy. The indignant shock in Chicago was palpable. They thought there was no way they could lose with Barack, Michelle AND Oprah personally going over there to make the presentation. The Olympic Committee wasn’t impressed though, and it’s a shame because I was really hoping the U.S. would get the Olympics again.

Personally I’m glad the honeymoon is coming to an end so maybe we can get real now. I hope that everyone, conservative and liberal alike will now start holding the president accountable for results. We really need some.

“God, please bless the president and his family. Help strengthen him and guide him during these difficult times in our country, and let your light shine through it all. Amen.”