Back in 2008, Canadians, Americans and the rest of the world were glued to their TV and computer screens following every morsel of news about the new political icon and hero, Barack Obama. He was admired by some, worshipped by others, and generally held up as a historic-figure-to-be who would change America and, essentially, the entire world.
It was not only the left that supported him; even conservatives outside the US, such as in Canada or Britain, told pollsters that they would wholeheartedly vote for Obama. The way in which he delivered his speeches, which earned him the title of Great Orator, and his stated commitment to post-partisanship cast a spell on many people, many of whom saw in him a Messiah-like angel of hope.
But his first year in office has opened many eyes – in bewilderment, that is. Obama has disappointed friends and foes alike, and several people, including former supporters, have now come to regard him as a bit of an arrogant simpleton. As well, what many of his opponents in the race for the White House, both among Democrats and Republicans, said during the campaign, that he was too inexperienced to be entrusted with the highest job in the country, seems to have proved an accurate prediction and assessment. Indeed, most of his policies may be fed to him by advisors and other high-ranking Democrats, while Obama himself merely serves as the “pretty face” that delivers the necessary lines with that trademark sonorous timbre of his.
Obama’s fledgling presidency has given rise to a huge movement, which could easily morph into a brand-new party – the Tea Party movement. Tea Party Americans are not necessarily Republicans; they are for the most part independent Americans who believe in small government and fiscal prudence, and they make up the majority of the American electorate today. The promises of post-partisanship have, thus, come to naught. Political polarity in the US is now at its highest, and worst, level in recent history. Only 39 per cent of Americans would re-elect Obama in an election today. That is quite the fall since his momentous election in November 2008, when he was still believed to possess the ability to walk on water.
All those “nasty” and “undemocratic” policies put in place by his predecessor, George W. Bush, which Obama vowed to fix or eliminate, are still around today, such as Guantanamo Bay, and from the looks of it, the Obama administration may well turn up the heat on terrorists and security measures even more so than was the case under Bush. This, naturally, offends most Democrats, who feel that they have been betrayed somehow. After the most recent, failed, terror attack on the US, Obama has dropped his bleeding-heart attitude and un-banned the words “terrorism” and “war”. His last speech on the subject could have rolled off the tongue of any Republican president just as easily, including Bush.
Regardless of the disappointment and outrage Obama has left across the US in his wake, there is another, wider, aspect at play as well, and not just in the US.
Remember how just over a year ago Obama was seen as the Second Coming of Christ? How he bedazzled people around the world? Many who had already given up on politics rediscovered passion for something that everyone should feel passionate about.
Now think of a drug addict who, after just experiencing the best high of his sorry existence, has crashed back down to earth hard. This is what all those Obama apostles must feel now: let-down, disappointed, betrayed, sold-out, tossed to the curb together with the garbage. No doubt thousands of people will say, “If even Obama can’t be trusted to do right by us, how can we ever believe any of the mortal and human politicians?”
This will be a big problem, indeed. No ordinary politician will garner much interest, because if the “divine Obama” can no longer turn water into wine, then what is there to expect from that chap with his sorry-looking campaign office in a shopping mall?
Great expectations tend to be thwarted in the end – and trampled on. The higher the aspirations, the more gut-wrenching the disappointment at failure will be. Disappointment, then, usually engenders indifference and, eventually, downright disgust – in this case, with all things related to politics.
Mind you, Americans will still go to the polls. After all, they have a big country to fix after all the (fiscal) destruction wrought by the current administration. But elsewhere, where people may have never felt as committed to, or passionate about, democratic ideals and politics, such as in Canada, Obama’s initial basking in the sun, with his “halo” on, will be a hard act to follow – as will be the despondency people experienced when it became clear that even a “god” walking amongst us mere mortals is hopelessly flawed.
How can a “pianist” like Stephen Harper, for example, overcome any of that? Or a dry and drab Harvard professor like Michael Ignatieff? Or, in Britain, a smooth-talking, Eton-bred David Cameron? Or a blustering, yet blundering, Gordon Brown? Canadians, in particular, who had expected a very different neighbour to the south after Obama’s election, have probably been disheartened more than most, and voter turnout at the next election is bound to hit a new record low.
The best solution, if that is what it is, to this problem is to keep one’s expectations to a reasonable and modest level. Find passion in causes and issues, rather than individuals who will make, literally, every promise imaginable to get elected, only to disappoint (as they all end up doing). Fight and stand up for what you believe to be right, and keep doing your share by voting, participating in a political party, group or organization – or by campaigning for the issues, rather than specific candidates, that you hold dear as a “citizen journalist” or activist.
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