President Barack Obama ©2007 Llimaorosa
Afriend of mine who believes himself to be both a patriotic American and a staunch conservative recently offered the following opinion to me:
“We’re going to see a revolution in this country. First, you have all these people who voted for Obama because they thought he was going to make their car payment for them, feed them from cradle to grave and generally ‘stick it to the man.’ As soon as they figure out that he isn’t going to take care of them, that he can’t deliver all that he promised, they’re gonna be pissed off. Now, combine that with the millions of Americans who didn’t vote for him, people like me who are increasingly fed up with his march toward a socialist state, and you have all the makings of a revolution. Maybe it’s about time for us to shake things up and start again—to renegotiate the social contract.”
I could find little patriotic, and nothing at all conservative, in his comment. It smacked more of bigotry, bias and a consuming hope that he would be able to do some violence to somebody for something. It’s a sickness that seems to have reached epidemic proportions among the “new” conservatives (neocons) a term that seems very much like New Coke. It was new, but it wasn’t Coke.
In the first place, what kind of patriot wants our new president to fail? Just as Dick Cheney seemingly “wishes that this country would be attacked again” in order to make his point about Obama’s national security shortcomings, my friend is hoping that our country will suffer an ever deepening economic crisis to prove his thesis that Obama’s policies are disastrously flawed.
He is hoping that Obama’s supporters will turn on him, and that Americans will turn on each other. He’s already turned against more than half of his fellow countrymen, and he’s just itching for the day when he’ll be joined by enough like minded neocon crazies to mount a credible offensive. He’s not alone.
In short, my otherwise normal friend, like so many other Obama-haters, is a little off plumb when it comes to our new president. He imagines that there really are people out there (and in sizable numbers) who voted for Obama because they thought he was going to make their car payment or let them nurse at the public breast indefinitely, all at my friend’s expense.
He really believes that Obama is a socialist with leanings toward totalitarianism, perhaps even communist rule. He is firm in his opinion that Obama is a racist who hates him because he is white. In short, he genuinely believes that Barack Obama is out to get him.
Well, it’s all sad really. Barack Obama is not a messiah, not even a Moses to lead us out of the economic and moral desert in which we find ourselves. But, he is smart and articulate, and he brings a measure of optimism and evenhandedness to our nation’s problems. He has attempted, through his example, to restore civility to our public discourse, and his presidential bearing is a welcome sight after eight years of his predecessor.
Ultimately, though, Obama’s success or failure will depend on the American people. Will we seize the opportunity to work together and share an optimistic vision for America, or will we stockpile weapons in our personal bunkers and prepare for a collapse we’re hoping will come?
Personally, I’ve got bills to pay. I’m hoping President Obama succeeds.
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
When Obama won the election I thought Americans were saying that they were ready to turn the page and start working together. All the rancor and gridlock of the Carter and Bush administrations hurt this country badly. It was foolish of me to think that too many people would really give up their partisan positions for the good the country.
It makes no sense to hope that the president fails. Whether you agree with him or his policies your own future depends upon his failure or success. Hoping that he fails is really just cutting off your own nose to spite your face.
People like your friend scare me. As you stated, it’s almost like they would rather see the country attacked again or the economy dip to the level of the Great Depression just to point the finger at Obama. I’d like to believe that for a good many of the folks who voted for him, did so with the idea of renewed hope and change, not some grand Messiah complex. As far as his race, I get so fed up with the “neocons” spouting their belief that he is racist. They easily forget that he is half white and left the campaign trail days before the final election to visit his dying WHITE grandmother one last time – a woman he credits with his insight and love of people.
He’s a man, not a Messiah. He’s imperfect just like the rest of us but I’d still place my bet with him over his predecessor and his cronies.
The country is full of reactionaries on both ends of the political spectrum. It sometimes sounds like this is a country full of crazy people, but that’s because the crazy people are the ones making all the noise. The majority of people are in the center on most issues. and you don’t see them on television every day.
I’d rather be rich than right! I didn’t vote for Obama, but I hope his economic policies and the stimulus package work. I’d like my 401K to be worth something again. I’d much rather have my money back than to be able to say “I told you so.”
Amen to what Patricia said. I can’t afford for President Obama’s economic policies to fail. I’m trying to rebuild my retirement account that was almost entirely lost over the past year. I don’t care whether he knows what he’s doing or just gets lucky and everything gets better on its own. I don’t care who gets the credit.