One of the reasons I hate Fox News and the "Party before everything else" nature of right wing politics these days is that they've made me into a partisan, and I really don't want to be one.

What do I mean by that? I mean that I would like to be free to assess the President and his performance, and like him for what he does well and be annoyed at him for what he doesn't do well. But the problem is that there's a better chance of successfully serving deep-fried snowflakes at your next dinner party than that this President could ever do anything which gained any significant level of approval from the right wing echo chamber.

Which means no matter WHAT he does, the loudest chorus of voices is telling us why it sucks, why it hurts America, why he's a terrible President, and how many other people are clamoring to be rid of him... in spite of the fact that it's all partisan BS. I've said it before, but I honestly believe some members on the right would say "Y'know, she wasn't really all that great" if Obama suggested naming her Mother of the Year.

So how does this make me a partisan? I no longer feel confident is disliking something the President did, because I'm never sure whether the facts are what I hear, or whether that's the echo chamber spin. It's so easy to fall into the trap of increased and unreasonable expectations.

The truth is, I see more to like than to dislike about this President, certainly more than his predecessor, and most of the things I like least about him are where he has not done enough (or anything at all) to change some of the most anti-American policies of that predecessor.

And it really is the fault of the propaganda. When all you hear is bogus complaints and outrage from people who could have been bet upon with 100% certainty before the fact to be outraged before you even knew what the President was going to do, you get to wonder A) is my outrage at this one thing even real, or have I been influenced, and  shouldn't I just give him a pass on this thing? He's got enough people giving him crap for things he doesn't deserve it for.

This is the legacy of Fox News. More damage to the soul of this nation than any terrorist attack ever could do.