Dems and Obama and likability

This morning, I worked myself into a lather about a comment by Joe Scarborough - about how Obama is popular and Americans like him, but the leadership of the Democratic party, like Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid, are so far left. Which I think is ridiculous - a majority of Americans agree with the basic positions of the Dems, like healthcare reform and immigration reform and education reform. I think Joe is engaging in wishful thinking.

On the other hand, I'm afraid that I'm suffering that odd ailment of getting what I wish for and then not being sure I really want it after all. Throughout the painful presidency of George Bush I wanted the Dems to have the likable candidate, the guy who wins because of his (or her!)winning personality. And lo and behold, that is exactly what happened. Now it's a fine thing that Obama also happens to be smart as hell and actually up for the job. But the sad reality is that his approval rating has little to do with the policies that he's proposing and almost everything to do with his personality, as has been the case since polling began. Which is frustrating to me. I'm glad the guy won and I'm glad that he's popular, but I'm still disappointed in my fellow citizens, who still vote for the likable guy instead of the guy who can get the job done (and if they get the latter, it is nothing more than a happy coincidence). I yearn for the day when Americans turn off American Idol and read the occasional newspaper article (even if it's online) and actually demonstrate some familiarity with the very important issues facing our nation.