Come on Obama, we need your leadership!

Harry Reid is now saying he will not commit to passing comprehensive immigration reform this year. Climate change legislation is now predicted dead in the senate. The public health insurance option died in the health bill. All of these are attributed to the failure of Obama to take a more aggressive stance in shaping the legislation that forms the core of his agenda. Many would say this is the sign of a president who knows where to wade into the fight and when to stay at the sidelines. This is a virtue, true, but you can't only get involved in the final push.

You can spend a year completing a health-care bill, but for every day you aren't shaping its direction it will move in the wrong direction. This will undoubtedly happen with the immigration and climate change legislation the senate is currently debating. Obama can't just clap his hands and pass anything that congress gives him. It is time for some backbone.

The right wing backlash

It seems that state governments have taken it upon themselves to oppose the center-left policies of Barack Obama and the democrats out of frustration with their current powerlessness in Washington. The list is long:

1. Oklahoma law that requires women to get a trans-vaginal sonogram prior to an abortion, an incredibly invasive procedure that has no medical merit, makes it incredibly difficult to continue the abortion after seeing an image of the fetus, and allows doctors to legally withhold information about womens' options.
2. The recent Arizona law that requires all citizens to carry identification that confirms their citizenship, allows police to question the citizenship of any citizen that could be an illegal immigrant, and makes being in the state illegally a state crime.
3. The Arizona law that requires all candidates running for president to present to the government a birth certificate.

What all of these policies have in common is their lack of any good policy. The Oklahoma law restricts abortion through unnecessary procedures, which is a direct violation of the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision. The Arizona immigration bill legalizes racial profiling and damages the economy, as most of their substantial tourist industry is supported by Mexico. Finally, the Arizona law that requires candidates to prove birth in the United States is a direct swipe at Pres. Obama.

These laws are all problematic because they are completely detrimental to their constituents. They pander to the right wing base, who are unfortunately the most likely to vote in these states. As the political participation in this country declines, prepare to see more and more dangerous bills such as these.