I think we all realize there’s something terribly broken with our country. But I question our collective ability to really put our finger on it. We know something is wrong but we’re not quite sure what. Sure there are specific things we all have... a laundry list of our own personal pet issues. But I sometimes think we are losing sight of the big picture. In our zeal to figure out the details I think we’re missing the basics. Hence the almost cult-like draw of Barack Obama.It’s like America has cancer and this is the guy telling us everything is going to be alright. He’s selling us hope--and we’re buying. Don’t get me wrong… there’s nothing wrong with hope. Ask any cancer survivor and they’ll tell you how important it is. On the other hand, some times what you want is hope, but what you need is a really good oncologist.
There’s no doubt that something is wrong and that we, as a country have lost ground. Maybe cancer is the wrong metaphor. Maybe the best way to describe this is to imagine that the world is a massive multiplayer video game where all the countries are players. The goal is to improve everything about your country… your standing in the world, the economy, your political and military power, your influence and general well-being of your people. The game has goals that are universal to all players (improve the environment, increase peace and quality of life etc.) and one’s score is based on where they start in the game. Let’s say that eight years ago the U.S. had a score of 1,000 points. Further let’s say that another player… we’ll call him “Player 2” is running Iran and he had a starting score of maybe 200.
Do you get the feeling that maybe our score is now around 700 and Player 2 is up to about 400?
That’s the sort of thing I think we lose sight of. It’s the sort of thing I worry about with Barack Obama. There’s just this sense I get from him that he doesn’t recognize the zero-sum nature of a lot of these issues. Thinking we can just chat it up with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and we’ll suddenly have all this good will and everyone will fall in line is naïve at best and dangerous at worst. I don’t know--I like Obama. He seems smart and articulate and open to new ideas and willing to work for people of this country and the world at large. All in all, the opposite of what we have with President Bush.
But could it be that the current President is so bad that we are just instinctively looking for the opposite. Sometimes I think we are getting blinded by our panic about this cancer of an administration we have today and just desperate to find something… anything that distances us from it. Like searching for hope when what we really need is chemotherapy.
There’s no doubt that something is wrong and that we, as a country have lost ground. Maybe cancer is the wrong metaphor. Maybe the best way to describe this is to imagine that the world is a massive multiplayer video game where all the countries are players. The goal is to improve everything about your country… your standing in the world, the economy, your political and military power, your influence and general well-being of your people. The game has goals that are universal to all players (improve the environment, increase peace and quality of life etc.) and one’s score is based on where they start in the game. Let’s say that eight years ago the U.S. had a score of 1,000 points. Further let’s say that another player… we’ll call him “Player 2” is running Iran and he had a starting score of maybe 200.
Do you get the feeling that maybe our score is now around 700 and Player 2 is up to about 400?
That’s the sort of thing I think we lose sight of. It’s the sort of thing I worry about with Barack Obama. There’s just this sense I get from him that he doesn’t recognize the zero-sum nature of a lot of these issues. Thinking we can just chat it up with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and we’ll suddenly have all this good will and everyone will fall in line is naïve at best and dangerous at worst. I don’t know--I like Obama. He seems smart and articulate and open to new ideas and willing to work for people of this country and the world at large. All in all, the opposite of what we have with President Bush.
But could it be that the current President is so bad that we are just instinctively looking for the opposite. Sometimes I think we are getting blinded by our panic about this cancer of an administration we have today and just desperate to find something… anything that distances us from it. Like searching for hope when what we really need is chemotherapy.
6 comments:
Just because you find Barack Obama inspiring and articulate doesn't mean that he can't be a great president. You're just so used to thinking of your president as someone who can do little more than read things from a teleprompter that he doesn't understand (and can't pronounce) that you've become cynical. You've forgotten the definition of leadership. For myself, Obama has inspired me toward action. Clinton reminds me of how petty politics can be. McCain inspires me toward napping. Obama wins.
I think this comes down to a fundamental disagreement on the role of the Presidency in our government. I think some people think of the President as sort of the Queen of England. A ceremonial role designed to provide tradition, inspiration and leadership through speeches, public appearances and a charming wit. The real “work” is done by the cabinet or others behind the scenes. I on the other hand think of the President as the ultimate administrator responsible for making measured and decisive policy decisions on a range of very complicated and interdependent issues.
I’m not saying I am right, I just think that more than anything it’s that difference which separates the Obama supporters from the rest rather than any real difference on the issues.
There's actually a really good essay on this subject in the New Yorker
You're dead on in our desire to want the opposite of what we have. That's what got us into this mess in the first place. The country was so filled with Puritanical zeal that it wanted a president who appeared to be humble, moral and organized. Um, whoops...
I share this concern with Obama, but ultimately, I'm willing to risk it. I think Reagan was a great communicator with little behind the curtain (as his biographer found out). I think Obama is actually a complex character. And I think if he does become president, before he's shot he will actually surprise people with his smartly aggressive foreign policy.
You should trust him for one reason: He smokes.
"before he's shot.."
Classic.
Hey, the single most important choice Obama will make is his VP...
(Attention Secret Service Entourage: I am a bleeding heart liberal who caucused for Obama, and I hope he serves two terms. Your web search for "Obama" and "shot" is wasted on me.)
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