Remember planning the perfect sweet 16 party or imagining what prom night was going to be like? You thought up the most amazing vision with help from classic movie scenes. There’s the perfect outfit, an almost magical dance floor with live entertainment, and the perfect date to match your outfit.
In your mind, everything was going to be perfect. Then you got there and it was nothing like you envisioned. There’s no live music and that perfect outfit looks equally as amazing on two other people.
In short, the entire night was a bit of a let down, and how could it not be? When you hype everything up to hold outstanding, unrealistic expectations, how can the real thing do anything else but disappoint? If you build something up so much, it’s going to topple over and crash every time.
Fast-forward to present day. Barack Obama, the epitome of “change” in the country, is our new president-elect. Not only is he the youngest and first black president, but he’s also taking a bold approach to the White House and many see him as the long-awaited influence that will turn the nation around.
Not three weeks after being elected, Obama and his family already have celebrity status. Of course, he had that before winning, but it elevated the second he gave his acceptance speech. The next day, people were already saying change was coming and every little thing, from the oil prices to the continuous downward spiral of the economy has been accredited to Obama. He hasn’t even taken office yet.
In Long Island, New York, a school board unanimously voted to change the name of Ludlum Elementary to Barack Obama Elementary School. Does anyone else think this is a little extreme for a man who, two years ago, nobody knew about?
The American public is turning Obama into a star, not a political figure. We are building him up so high that when he does finally take office, he’s going to crash faster than the excitement of prom night. And whose fault will that be? Well I know who people are going to blame. If Obama doesn’t immediately make some drastic, successful changes in his first six months, the people are going to turn on him.
The second he’s no longer poised on the American imaginary pedestal, the people are going to judge him as not up for the task or worse, a bald-faced liar. Obama could be a good president, but with all of this hype, if he’s anything less than extraordinary, nobody is going to credit him for all his work.
Where most presidents had time to work out plans, Obama is going to be expected to open his presidential agenda with life-changing legislation. He is expected to be amazing and all of that pressure is going to be the downfall of his approval rating. Right now supporters are in the honeymoon phase of Obama’s presidency. Hopefully it will wear off by the time he actually gets to office, and that will give him a fair shot at this job.
Now, I’m not saying Obama is going to be a bad president. I actually think he’s going to be OK at the job. But what I am saying is that there is no way he is going to be able to live up to the hype surrounding him.
No president in the history of America has ever gotten a school named after him before he even took office. This is all too much. Putting a political figure on a pedestal is the fastest way to see him fall. People need to step back two minutes and realize Obama is not a celebrity or the messiah. He’s a politician.
Don’t give the man unreasonable standards to live up to. Did people expect Roosevelt to be an amazing president when he won the election? Did people expect Lincoln to change the country? No. They were elected and then earned that fame and respect through actions.
Don’t give Obama your full support and admiration; let him earn them through his actions over the next year. Please, no more schools changing their names and no more celebrations about how the nation is going to change. You’ll save yourself a lot of grief when the reality doesn’t live up to the hype.
