Today's the big day. Barak Obama will take office, and Washington DC is overrun with a jubilant America. I just saw a student crying as she watched him on her lap top.
As much as we need a new start in this country, we also need perspective. Some need the reminder that the fall from a high pedestal is inevitable. Many in this country have put Barak Obama in an impossible situation. He is not allowed to fail in their estimation, but that is something he will surely do at some point. Will the cries of disallusionment match their joy today?
He is clearly the darling of the media at this point. They are gushing over him like a mother over her new baby. Many are treating him as the second coming, the Messiah that will save our country. He has enormous power, energy, charisma, and ideas. He is also human.
Whether I agree with Obama politically or not, I've found myself feeling compassion for him. After the balls have ended and the pomp and circumstance is over, the real work begins. And the criticism will begin as well. He is going to have two American wars, a war in Israel/Gaza, a depressed economy and sky-high expectations to combat starting tomorrow. None of these things will be magically fixed overnight, and Americans are not patient people.
Obama campaigned on a liberal agenda, but has been moving toward the center. This has angered some. You don't have to look any further than the prayers offered at the inauguration to see that. He chose Rick Warren and angered the gay community. To appease them, he chose an openly gay Episcopal priest to offer prayers as well. I would much prefer that he stand by what he thinks is right. I'm all for "reaching across the aisle", but stand by your values.
The fact that Obama's inauguration comes on the day after Martin Luther King Day is not lost on me. I do think it's interesting, though, that African Americans identify so closely with him. Until he came to Chicago, he was at Columbia University (not exactly a multi-cultural environment), Occidental College (private, liberal arts college), Hawaii, and Indonesia. He was raised by white family members. He does not seem to have a typically African American background. Yet, partly because of his skin color, he is seen by many as a champion to the African American community as a whole. Dr. King's speech emphasized making skin color a non-issue, and that people should be judged "by the content of their character and not the color of their skin." To me, voting for anyone because of their skin color proves that we have not completely fulfilled Dr. King's dream.
I am in a "wait and see" mindset. I don't want him to fail--we can't afford that as a nation. Above all, he deserves our respect, prayer, and realistic expectations.
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