In Obama We Trust

Tracy Kronzak

In Obama We Trust

For me, today has been like Christmas, the Fourth of July and my birthday all rolled in to one.

I spent most of the morning at the Oakland Coliseum tearfully watching Barack Obama take the oath of office and become our 44th President. I suspect, like a great deal of people today, I’ve been caught up in Obama-mania. It’s not just the history of the moment, it’s getting rid of the worst contemporary President the United States has ever endured. For real. People are celebrating like they do in other countries when they kick out a dictator, end military coups, obtain freedom from an oppressive state, declare independence, or win the World Cup. The relief is palpable. So are the expectations.

President Obama's intelligence and charisma awe and terrify me. I am awed to finally have a President who at least proposes reasoned dialogue to solve the many problems facing America this coming year. I am terrified because this same intelligence and charisma may lull many into a false sense of security – in Obama we trust.

For those of us on the progressive Left, we too will have, as President Obama put it this morning, new challenges and new instruments. Challenges not to fall silent and simply wait for what the new administration will bring, not to fall back on our own Achilles Heel of not meeting new allies where they're at, and not to lose sight of our desire for equity when all around us the pent up frustration and anger at the past two decades is finally giving way to hope.

Posted at 1:43 PM, Jan 20, 2009 in Obama | Permalink | View Comments

Comments

You are so right Tracy. I am writing from England, where a similar euphoria swept the country when Tony Blair won his first election. Much of the left, the liberal left in particular, thought that at last we had a friend within. Look where that left us. Blair led the most anti-progressive government I have lived through in the UK and shattered what rights that had been in place. Obama's big white half is bloated by the same enlightenment messages as Blair. Play the game and you will win. Reward will come to those who work. Rationality is the source of all solutions. We must watch, otherwise discrimination and disadvantage will become the new fecklessness. Francis Fukuyama was wrong about the end of history. This sure isn't the end of race.

I'm worried that Obama's change is actually socialism. I don't share your optimism. And yes you will regret the Obama-Mania.. in Obama we trust.. you will eventually just not right away.. your feeling are caught up in the love affair.
I thank George W. Bush for the job he did. He has kept us safe for 7 years since the attacks of 9/11. Here Here.

My healthcare is fine, my job is fine, our business'are great in America, I am fine.. i look to government for nothing.
I don't want a Nanny President or a Nanny State..
I'm hoping that there are some sane Democrats left in the Senate.. but I think those days are gone..
Socialism will be hard to push back.. but then again.. Socialism always fails.. that is one good thing..
I hope socialism/marxism thru Obama fails in our country. God Bless America .. now more than ever.

@ Rhonda

I appreciate you sharing your concerns, however, you'll forgive me if I make four points:

1) My blog post is about the progressive Left pushing hard for structural change in the United States that places equity at the center of policymaking,

2) Your comments seem somewhat disingenuous given that they are word-for-word what is currently being touted on many right-wing radio stations and blogs,

3) You're fortunate that your healthcare is fine, your job is fine and your businesses are "great," however your state of being is not reflected across the United States. In fact, for many people, these things that are taken for granted by some of us simply don't exist, and,

4) The definition of socialism is state ownership of both the means of production and the distribution of goods. Ensuring equity that recognizes structural racism in policy and practice, gives healthcare to those without, provides quality education, offers new job opportunities to people without jobs, and does so making sure that the people who reap the most from a capitalist economy pay their fair share is not socialism. Because the engine of economic function in a capitalist economy is scarcity, not equity.