Apparently, I've only written a couple of posts since June. After the whirlwind that has been the past six months (subject for another post), I might have a bit more free time, so I'm going to try to write more regularly (the key word in that sentence is try, however).
This post will (hopefully) be the first and last on the subject of our President-Elect. After tomorrow, he will be my President, and I will respect him because he occupies that office. Right now, however, I think some things must be said about the utter madness surrounding him and his Inauguration.
As much as I try, it seems impossible these days to avoid the Inauguration hoopla. Having been up in D.C. this weekend, it's amazing how downright insane most people are right now. It really makes me worry about the state of (and it's not just me saying this...several people I've talked to who voted for Obama are concerned about the blind fanaticism being exhibited by much of the country right now). It's one thing to have voted for Obama for political reasons. I don't agree with those people, but I respect their choice. It's an entirely different matter to have voted for him because he's the second coming of Jesus Christ himself and will fix all the world's problems with platitudes. These people are buying fully into the cult of personality surrounding Obama, and it's truly frightening.
This brings me to another point. What, exactly, has Obama done to merit this adulation? Thus far in his career, he's been little more than a professional candidate for office. He hasn't stayed in any elected position for more than a few years, which has been just enough time to run the next campaign. What will he do now that there is no other office for which he can run? Only time will tell, I suppose, and it will be my constant prayer that he will rise to the occasion and be an effective president. However, the constant comparisons between him and other great presidents (notably, Abraham Lincoln) are completely unjustified. Unfortunately, Obama's ego has gotten involved, and he has fully embraced the comparison (by using Lincoln's Bible for the Inauguration, by traveling to D.C. along the same route that Lincoln did, etc.). I can't fathom how someone could be so arrogant, but I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. In addition to being annoyed because of his elitism, I think all of this hoopla will lead to an unintended (and potentially deadly) result: the public is putting him on such a high pedestal that there's no way he could ever live up to what everyone expects of him. I guess that's a good thing from my point of view -- it makes him easier to beat in 2012, but I just hope that he doesn't endanger the country through his actions.
Anyway, needless to say, I will stay as far away from TVs as possible tomorrow (which should prove difficult, since the Law School is throwing a big hoopla and showing it on every available television).
Lastly, I came across this video today, and it speaks volumes about the real change that so many of us hope will happen to our new President. It's definitely worth watching. Little needs to be said about Obama's positions when it comes to abortion (notably, his support for the Freedom of Choice Act, which would eliminate all possible "restrictions" on abortion, such as parental notification, and would force all hospitals to perform abortions at taxpayer expense). It has been my prayer every day since the election that Obama's positions on abortion will change and that God will protect the lives of the unborn. Obama has admirable ideas in many other areas (poverty, education, etc.), and it would be a shame to be so inconsistent in his thinking (but that's a problem that most of those on the Left have). Not to mention the fact that it would be an utter tragedy to the lives that would continue to be ended on his watch.
1 comment:
Ugh, I completely agree with everything you've said about him and his supporters (aside from the abortion topic). Barack Obama himself is the biggest Obamaniac of them all!
However, I'm not sure I agree that the high pedestal will result in broken illusions. I think it is more likely that, for at least the next two years, he will be beyond reproach. No one will question his choices, no one will bat an eye.
And something about Obama's ego I find interesting is that I think he is going to be every inch as stubborn and as unwilling to reevaluate his positions as George W. Bush was. We all made fun of Bush's declaration that he was "the decider," but I suspect Barack Obama is very much the same! Now, unlike Bush, I think Obama will inform himself fully and carefully consider his choices before making a decision, but once that decision is made, I don't see him as someone who will listen to any one but "yes" men. Just like Bush was. I guess the hope is that his "yes" men are smarter/more moral/just "better" than Bush's men were.
UCLA is having "Bagels for Obama" while they show the inauguration on TVs in the student lounge. I wonder if we would have had "Bagels for McCain". I think I know the answer...
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