Today was a big day for Barack Obama, and for the country. Change has indeed come, as promised — but what sort of change materializes in this new administration remains to be seen.
I really liked Obama at first, but that slowly turned to skepticism as the way-too-long campaign ground on. I liked his charisma, energy and idealism. He was an outsider, hopefully not closely tied into the “good old boys” political network. And the fact that he could be not only the first black president, but had connections to Africa and a country that’s close to my heart, was intriguing and refreshing. Those things gave me flashbacks to the ’60s, and cries of “Revolution!” and “Power to the People!”
But the more I heard, the less I liked him, which is a real shame. I wanted to trust him, to watch him recapture some of the magic of Camelot when Kennedy was president. I was really sad to realize that I couldn’t support him after all. The turning point for me was Rev. Jeremiah Wright’s tirade that was repeatedly broadcast over the airwaves and internet, and Obama’s initial refusal to denounce his remarks.
I don’t know about you, but if I heard my pastor spew that hate-filled rhetoric from the pulpit (or anywhere else, for that matter), I wouldn’t set foot in that church even one more time — and Obama went to his church for 20 years! You know what they say: “You smell like the dogs you run with.” Makes me wonder… a lot!
For Obama to maintain that he had never heard that sort of talk from Wright in all that time is completely unbelievable. People with as much passion as Wright displayed don’t just speak once on their pet topic, out of the blue. If it wasn’t in his heart, it wouldn’t have come out of his mouth, even that one time. Obama’s denial made him out to be a liar in my eyes. When he later (finally) attempted to distance himself from Wright, it reminded me of Clinton’s political expediency — Clinton would say anything that sounded good at the moment and say something completely different soon afterwards.
I felt betrayed by Obama over that episode, and it didn’t get much better throughout the remainder of the campaign. I’m normally very apolitical, but for this election I registered to vote for the first time in about seven years. It seemed to matter more this time, like there was more at stake. Our state went for McCain, and so did I. I wasn’t thrilled with McCain, but by that time I was scared of Obama.
Now that he’s officially the President, I’m hoping he does bring a fresh attitude to Washington, and that my fears are unfounded. The celebrations everywhere today are nice, but I’m afraid that joy will turn to disappointment when the reality doesn’t live up to the fantasy. I’m afraid the revelers are currently drunk with emotion, and they’ll eventually wake up with regrets for what they’ve done to the country, and to themselves. I sincerely hope that the change he promised is for the good, and that the country’s future is brighter than it has appeared in recent months. Only time will tell…
May God continue to bless the USA — we need all the blessings we can get!
Tags: politics
