Barack Obama was elected President of the United States in 2008 and he had some pretty big shoes to fill.
Repeatedly during his presidential campaign, Obama and his followers invoked the Judeo-Christian narrative of the messiah. Under the Bush years America had fallen. Washington and Wall Street were the modern day equivalents of Sodom and Gomorrah. What was needed was someone who could offer redemption, someone who could restore hope and faith in the American dream and Obama fit the bill.
There was a fervor that gripped the land. People realized that they were participating in a historical narrative. They would be electing a black man to the highest office of a nation that once embraced slavery. Many wept tears of joy when he was declared the winner of the presidential election.
Pretty powerful stuff.
Yet, within Judaism there is also a counter narrative. On many occasions there have similar hopes that the anointed one has finally arrived only to give way to the disillusionment that the person in question alas is only human. Messianic hopes give way to bitter disappointment.
This is the narrative many Americans now find themselves living. Many are tired of defending Obama. The fervor has given way to reality. America's problems cannot be solved by any one man.
So, America. Get over it. It's time to move on. Projecting one's hopes on anyone rarely does any good.
Yeah, you got yourself a whole lot of problems. You've been lied to. You've been played for a sucker. Millions have lost jobs. Millions have lost homes. So, what are you going to do?
Are you going to go back to those who got you into this mess in the first place? Are you going to stay home and mope and feel sorry for yourself instead of going out to vote?
Yeah, the hole that you have dug for yourselves is mighty deep, but you got to go with the guy who, despite his short comings, actually cares about you. Staying home on election day will only let those who are fine and well with keeping you in that god damn hole take back the power that you ripped out of their hands.
What you need to do is to remember what it was like before Obama. Now is not the time to have a collective memory lapse.
I received this comment by email from a dear friend who asked me to post it.
ReplyDeleteHi Brian,
I normally don't comment but ...
I hope they get over it.
There are too many people/voters ( in all countries) that want a quick fix solution to any major problems.
I guess this is a natural human condition.
A free society cannot be achieved without having an educated society. It just doesn't happen.
How does education happen in 2010?
Traditional schooling, news media,Internet,interpersonal communications, Facebook, Twitter, texting etc.
A human in 2011 is literally bombarded or can be bombarded by information that can lead to a certain personal education.
A person can only make decisions based on the information that person has at their disposal.
Most of the above avenues of education can be controlled by the source of that information.
Your school/college teacher, the news editor etc.
Maybe history will record this as the golden age of spin doctoring.
On one hand you have a natural human tendency to find the quick painless solution to a problem. On the other hand you are bombarded by the most amazing army/armies of both professional and amateur communication specialists (spin doctors) ever experienced by mankind.
All this is happening while you are busy in freeway traffic texting your friend about the latest reality show you saw on the tube last night.
There are a lot of voters who voted for the second coming. Not only down south but I was totally amazed at the amount of Canadians who wanted to, and were very upset that they couldn't vote for Obama. Totally amazing!
Given this situation along with the above conditions the voters live in today. I really hope the electorate in all countries make a good educational democratic decision when voting.
Brian, thanks for doing your part in "keeping the world safe for democracy"
This was just me 2 cents.
I now have to text my wife about what we're doing for supper tonight. Wow, that semi is getting kind of close!
Just kidding. .