It's been a while since I've written anything political here, mainly because my fire has been at a low since Hillary conceded the primary battle to Barack Obama. It has been a LONG time since I have thrown so much support behind someone, and it was the first time that I ever put any financial backing (which I probably could not afford) towards a major political candidate. So, I was invested....very invested...in my gal.
Because of my support of Hillary, I never bought into the "myth" of Barack Obama. Do I think he'll be a good president? Yes, I do. Do I think he'll be able solve all the problems we are facing right now? No, I do not. Do I think Hillary could have solved everything? No, I do not. Does that make me some sort of cynical idiot? No, it makes me a pragmatist, and I think pragmatism is STILL something missing in a lot of the Barack Obama supporters out there. This focus on "hope," while a fabulous idea and buzzword, is still nothing tangible. You cannot legislate "HOPE." If elected, the harsh reality is that Barack Obama has a very hard four years ahead of him. Is it wrong to hope he can do better? Absolutely not! However, I think it is woefully misguided to think he is going to deliver us from every evil. He will fail at something. Every President has failed in some portion of their agenda, and I fear the "hopeful" will quickly become the "hopeless" if a President Obama does not deliver early and often.
The last president to run on "hope" was Bill Clinton, and if anyone cares to recall, his first 100 days were an utter disaster. From Lani Guinier, to Zoe Baird, to gays in the military, Bill Clinton made one misstep after another. However, disregarding that and the "constitutional crisis" of his second term, I still believe Bill Clinton to be a good president, because his policies were fair and he balanced the budget, which is something no one thought a Democrat could do. If Obama has a disastrous 100 days (which, honestly, I think he is too smart to let happen...but hypothetically), how many of his supporters will shut off their burgeoning political activism? My fear is they have invested in the myth, not the details. For instance, how many of them can recite what exactly Obama is going to do to create green jobs of the future, and how many realize it will take a lot more than waving a rhetorical wand to make it happen?
Lately, even I have been swept up in the hopefulness of the prospects of an Obama presidency. However, the egoism and sore winner aspect of some of his supporters quickly knock me off from ascending the pedestal. I still have people commenting, anonymously mind you, on non-political posts or posts I made back in August and even before that, questioning my patriotism and wherewithal because I do not deem to throw my wholehearted support behind Barack Obama. I really have to wonder what the point of this is? Is their psyche so fragile that if someone dares to question them they need to continue to attack and belittle? It is these people that make me fear when the reality of politics sets in for them. As we're on the verge of what appears to be a victory, we need to start pulling back from the competition aspect of this election and start to open our eyes to the reality of what we will be facing -- together.
P.S. I have turned off Anonymous comments. My blog; my choice, and if you're going to bomb me, you're going to at least declare yourself.
6 comments:
You tell them!
Hey babe, can't say I blame you for turning of the anonymous comments. Like I've always said to you, if your girl had won the primaries, I'd have supported her. I don't understand the mentality of supporters on either side torturing the other -- aren't we in this to prevent a McCain/Palin administration? You know I drank the Obama kool-aid early on and I have never waivered. I believe that he will make a fine president for the challenges that this country is facing.
Mom> I will :-D
Athena> Well, you know these thoughts would never be directed at you. You're as pragmatic as I am (just ya know..wrong this time...j/k). I just never trust people with blind faith, and I think that is what these anonymous posters have. They scare me. I suppose it is times like these why I understand why our founding fathers favored representative democracy instead of straight democracy. AH...good times :) Margaret would be so proud!
Very well said. I have been waiting for someone in "our community" to notice that there is little pragmatic thought left regarding Sen. Obama. The fact that people who do not fall in line with the Obama train are attacked, sometimes intensely, is ridiculous. I'm not drinkin anyone's kool aid - I'm making my own decisions based on my beliefs, not on what others tell me to do. I hope lots of people read your post. Thanks!
FN: Margaret would be proud :) I cannot wait until Saturday :) :) :) :)
I applaud your nomination of HRC to be majority leader of the Senate. She'd be fabulous.
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