When President Barack Obama took the oath of office, the deck was already stacked against him. The country was in turmoil; President George W. Bush had put this country in a hole so deep you could actually see China.

The voice of the Republican Party, Rush Limbaugh, stated he wanted Obama’s policies to fail. U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell, a senior Republican, vowed to make him a one-term president.

Out of nowhere comes a group calling themselves the “Tea Party” vowing to take back their country. There have been Democratic presidents before, and no group has ever vowed to take back their country.

You would think a foreign nation had invaded the United States.

I guess in the eyes of some bigots, he is a foreigner. Bigotry is fueling hatred toward this president, whether you admit it or not.

When congressional lawmakers would rather see this country on the brink of disaster than assist this man in saving it, it is asinine. The credit rating for the country decreased, not because of something the president did; it was those who hold the majority vote in Congress.

Republicans have been preaching that President Obama’s policies have failed; he can’t lead, they say. Now that the country is recovering and the economy is creeping in the right direction, the game has changed.

The Republicans must now find other ways to attack this president. If I see one Republican giving the president praise about his handling of the mess he inherited, I’m playing the lottery that night whether I’ve got the money or not.

The president signs an order bailing out Wall Street, and Wall Street sends its support to Mitt Romney. Talk about gratitude.

Some Republicans are claiming the Bush policies have a lot to do with President Obama’s foreign policy success and the revamping of the economy. Yet, not one Republican running for office has mentioned his name or policies. Most are probably saying, “If I’m campaigning, you stay as far from me as humanly possible.” Yes, Bush is toxic, and the Republicans know it.

I would like to say in closing, voters, if we don’t give President Obama a second term to continue fixing this mess George W. Bush created, we are doing this man a disservice.

Remember, extreme right-wingers wanted this country to fail, to discredit the president.

The American people who can think for themselves remember; so let’s do the right thing in November.

Dallas E. Ford

Rocky Mount