Superstar

I finally figured it out.
I have, for a while now, and more often in my head than out loud, refered to the relationship that FOX, Tea Partiers, et al have to President Obama as "he's the star of their show."  But the way to expound on that, if ever I should need to, had eluded me.  It came to me as I was driving to work the other night.

Who was the star of "Superman: The Movie" (1978)?

Obviously, Chrisropher Reeve, right?  Someone might say Gene Hackman.  If they give a list it would probably include Margot Kidder.

But who got top billing?

The surprising answer to that question is Marlon Brando.  Marlon Brando?  Seriously?  Was he even in that movie?  Oh,yeah; he played Superman's real father.  Yeah,that guy.  Top billing seriously?  Musta had a good agent.

Despite having top billing, no one who's seen the movie would ever think of him as the star.  Yes, he played an essential character, but no one would judge the quality of the film based on his performance.  He wasn't even part of the ensemble.

I have friends on Facebook on both the right and the left, and it's interesting to me to see how each side views Presidential power.  Those on the right see President Obama using his power for evil.  One of the things that the right gets ridiculed for is their assertion that things are all going wrong in this country because Obama.  No other explanation needed.
(Facebook is reporting that Obama is closing the Vatican Embassy.  A quick Google search revealed that the Embassy is not closing; it is moving to a place with cheaper rent, better security, and it's closer to work. A lot of people and businesses move for the same reasons.  But Google is obviously wrong because, you know, Obama.)
    Meanwhile, those on the left think he's failing to use his power for good.  The President was speaking at an immigration reform rally recently, and was heckled by a student who asked why he didn't use his executive power to change things.  The President had to remind him that he is constrained by both the Constitution and the balance of powers.  There's only so much he can actually do without the consent of Congress.  It's been pointed out before, usually in discussions about gas prices, that he's the president, not the King of the World.
    I read recently that George Bush was asked what surprised him most about being President.  His answer was, "How little power I actually have."  Of course George Bush didn't have to deal with a Congress where a substantial portion of its members had decided to block everything he wanted to do -- not because they were opposed to the policies in question, but because he was George Bush.  When he was President, the filibuster was a tool to give the minority in the Senate a strong voice.  It was not a weapon to oppose and block anything and everything the President might support like it is now, and has been only in the last five years.  As a result of such tactics, President Obama has been effectively marginalized since just after the passage of the ACA in 2010.  As President, he still gets top billing, but he's no longer the star of the show because all of the action is taking place (or not) in Congress.
    So in my opinion, all the railing against Obama for the last few years has been pretty pointless.  Maybe things will change in 2015, but that's still a year away, and anything can happen between now and then.  In the meantime, pay close attention to what's going on in Congress.  They're the real story, and that's where you'll find the real stars of the show.
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