Today my good buddy David Sirota tweeted a link to this piece, The Obama Disconnect: What Happens When Myth Meets Reality, a very thoughtful and well-crafted analysis of the first year of the Obama Presidency in relation to the Obama Candidacy. There is a lot to Micah Sifry’s piece, and further insight in the comments.
On the surface, Sifry seems critical of the Obama administrations abandonment of the hope and change themes of the Obama campaign.
The truth is that Obama was never nearly as free of dependence on big money donors as the reporting suggested, nor was his movement as bottom-up or people-centric as his marketing implied. And this is the big story of 2009, if you ask me, the meta-story of what did, and didn’t happen, in the first year of Obama’s administration. The people who voted for him weren’t organized in any kind of new or powerful way, and the special interests–banks, energy companies, health interests, car-makers, the military-industrial complex–sat first at the table and wrote the menu. Myth met reality, and came up wanting.
To be fair, I have had my moments of despair over some of the actions President Obama has taken (or not) in this first year. But, ultimately, I believe that President Obama is on the path to better government. That path requires all of us to join him. I had hoped that the incredible support Candidate Obama received would not end once elected, but would morph into ongoing engagement in the poltiical process. In many ways it has. The Organzing for America groups brought some strength to the healtcare debate. Alas, not enough to secure the type of change many of us hoped for.
The fact is, that unlike Candidate Obama, President Obama must represent and advocate for all Americans. Even the Uber-Righty with the “NoBama” bumpersticker and the Uber-Lefty who wants a complete end to all war. Politics is truly a game of compromise. Does the left feel like we were over-compromised? Sure. But, the right does too. This is where nuance and balance become the things to search for in which to find solace.
Millions of government documents, never before revealed were released last week. For the first time, a sitting US President attended talks about global environmental impact (albiet with disappointing results). Health care reform (or whatever you want to call it) is likely to pass both chambers in the coming weeks. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is making the international rounds in an effort to re-establish our reputation on the global stage.
Has the reality met the myth? Probably not. There is still work to do. Thus begins 2010.
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