I used to think that Barack Obama had stolen other progressives’ thunder. The plan was to create the kind of open, transformative, inspirational and hard-working presidency that Obama-the-candidate had promised.
This seems so long ago, before the Democratic Nomination. He went on to impress us, and the nation, even more over the next year; then changing the political game enough to win the presidency, having us, and all voters, at this time last year, looking forward to a new era in American leadership.
The country, even those who did not vote for Obama, was excited to see what the new president would do. He had already challenged so many previously-accepted norms about the political process, being the first non-white person elected to the White House, using the internet to organize and campaign in an unprecedented capacity and using refreshed ideas of Hope and Change to attract supporters. Obama was even-keeled, thoughtful and intelligent. In an entire block of constituents, he stirred the desire to be better and take pride in our civic rights and responsibilities. For democrats and others, it seemed the system had finally brought someone who could get people involved and make a difference in the lives of real citizens.
And for a while, it seemed his promise would hold. Within days, he had signed an executive order to close Guantanamo Bay prison camp in Cuba and to stop the tortuous treatment of those held there. He promised to get tough on the economy and to begin enacting effective policies to bring U.S. troops out of Iraq and Afghanistan. Last spring, he brought the health care conversation front-and-center. He personally worked hard to renew the United States’ respected place in the global community. His approval ratings were sky-high. The Obama administration seemed as though it had finally found the secret formula in leading the American pluralistic society down a unified and honestly well-intentioned path.
From Promise to Confusion
But something went awry. Guantanamo fell under serious national and international argument. It’s been 10 months with no productive decisions to close the camp. The war in Iraq, still unresolved, seemed to fade while Afghanistan, seemingly insoluble, began to spiral downward. The ‘Don’t Ask Don’t Tell’ military policy on gay Americans the president promised to overturn is still in place. Health care reform discussions are not where the administration had hoped they would be, and became embarrassingly low for a time. The economy, while pulled back from the “brink,” is still not recovering at a heartening pace. Energy reform and environmental concerns have not taken a priority. The partisan gap Obama pledged to bridge has grown ever wider. Obama has maintained his trademark purposefulness, but it has not translated into the much-needed sense of direction a wandering country is looking for. The issues his voters had counted on him to address when they elected him have not seen the treatment many had wished.
Leadership Requires Inspiration
As an early and avid supporter, I am still holding on to my own hope that the president can and will deliver on his promises. I will not pass final judgment on a presidency that is only one-fourth into its first term. I could take up my ‘own’ race for the presidency. I will wait impatiently for as long as the situation allows. I know the president is only human and therefore fallible, and indeed the American political system is a giant and daunting vehicle to maneuver. I know sweeping change just can’t be expected in a year. Instead, I will focus on his accomplishments, like the appointment of Justice Sonia Sotomayor, restoration of America’s reputation throughout the world and the half-management of an economy teetering on disaster. I will wait but we cannot wait forever. I worry that if the rhetoric has become stale for me, his less-enthusiastic supporters and opponents have long ago given up on Obama’s presidency. They see their investment in such a promising option and the subsequent let-down as not only a reason to discount him, but the entire political process. Obama’s transformative power rests not only in his ability to get people to vote for him, but also to get them to vote at all. He inspired an entirely new generation to care about national issues and to pay attention when important things were going on outside of their own small spheres. However, the opportunity to capture hearts and minds can be fleeting.
Informed Resolve
The blame for the decline of Obama’s popularity and ability to guide the country towards the right thing lies on both his shoulders and our own. Obama and his administration must return to the attitude of moral, reliable, revolutionary and visionary leadership of the campaign and the early days of the presidency. Americans must not get discouraged. We must continue to get involved in local and state elections and policy. We must inform ourselves. We must let the president and the Congress know our opinions. We must remember that the system is designed to move slowly and deliberately, and that all good things take time. Nevertheless, change is still needed and we have to stay resolute toward that end—not only the Obama administration in our time but future movements, involvements and improvements depend on it.
cwilson7@luc.edu
class of '13
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