My wife and I were watching the Neighborhood Ball or whatever it was called, on ABC last night. My wife likes Obama but was never as excited by him as I was. She was primarily concerned about both his lack of experience and being tested, and she had a concern about the almost worship-like frenzy around him obscuring a solid challenge by the media and others to test him. Still, she saw enough to support him (though she was not happy with how much cash we sent him - truly more than we could afford.)
ANYWAY - last night, we’re watching this ball, and Obama and his wife walk out, and he addresses the crowd, and Beyonce starts singing “at last”, Obama and Michelle begin to dance together, smiling at each other, and she just starts crying. I looked, and she said “Dammit, I am just so irrationally happy! Stevie’s comments on wanting an Obama poster on his wall (the 9 year old black kid at our house last night) and the way he was so proud to have Obama as president, and watching and listening to these two who seem to be such wonderful people - not just superb politicians. It just seems so----- right. And hopeful. For the first time in a long time, I’m optimistic. DAMMIT! Have I been swept up in all the hype???”
Then she looked back at them dancing, and she looked at me, and said “No. Something is different. This isn’t just Bush sucked. I didn’t feel this way when Clinton was inaugurated. I can’t put my finger on it. But something is different.”
She never could articulate what was “different.”
But I’m hoping the whole country has this feeling, because optimism may be more powerful than all the bail-out dollars we can print.
I’m worried that there is no way he can live up to this hype. We are putting too much on one person. The President can’t fix everything. Still, you are right that optimism is what the economy most needs right now, and Obama seems to be the right guy to provide it.
Obama isn’t my favorite politician, and I’ve never been on his band wagon, nor even sent him money, but I know what you mean Jeff. He seems genuinely likable, honest, intelligent, and energetic in a way no president has been in my lifetime. A true role model in a way the other recent presidents just weren’t.
I worry about many things with Obama, his effective silence on FISA, moderately hawkish stances, neo-liberal economic leanings, etc., but feel nonetheless he has more chance to set a positive and lasting course for the future than anyone else. Still, the pessimist in me is waiting to see how the chips fall now that the time for rhetoric is past.
shudder I made the mistake of peaking briefly around the curtain during my wife’s second c-section, which was about all I could take before, I don’t know, probably passing out.
I’m sure as hell glad they knew what they were doing!
So Robin Roberts from ABC got an interview with Obama, and I heard her interviewed on the radio this afternoon. She was talking about what a normal guy he was, and she said during a break in the interview, she asked him, when did it sink in - you’re going to be the president of the United States?
She said he laughed, and said after everything was over election night, when he and Michelle finally made it to bed, he said they laid there, and they chatted quietly for a moment. He said, you’ve been campaigning for 18 hours a day 7 days a week, for months, and just no time to stop and really think or reflect on anything. He said he was laying there, and he looked over at Michelle, and she said “Oh My God! You’re the FREAKING PRESIDENT!!!” And they laughed, and said this is real??? I just won the election to be the President of the United States??? Robin said he told her, you just don’t realize the enormity of it, it doesn’t seem real. I wish that discussion had been caught on camera.
Obama has really strong leadership qualities that go beyond charisma or being the un-Bush. He’s a really good explainer. That in and of itself goes a long way. He exudes calm competence.
I think people aren’t always the most eloquent at expressing why they’re so moved by him. Stick a microphone in a random Obama fan’s face and he’ll say something vague about “change.” But I think people sense that it’s more than him being the un-Bush or the first Black president - it’s that people intuit things about his character even if they can’t quite put their finger on it.
In recent memory, I’d say Jimmy Carter, maybe Ford, (not sure about Jerry, his administration was short, and clouded by Watergate). Hell even Bush I looks okay, in retrospect. But they all had charisma issues (one-termers each).
Obama doesn’t have any charisma issues. More importantly, he is not a creature of a political party, or beholden to any particular industry for fundraising.
His personal popularity will allow him to enact his agenda without a lot of the icky compromises that (the fat cats in) Washington specializes in.
