I get the history of the moment. This country has a few skeletons in its closet in terms of human rights, civil rights and moral authority, as does every country to ever exist. Whether or not old persecutions and glass ceilings still exist is another subject entirely, but it’s clear that not everyone received a fair shake in this country’s past. Such arguments become more or less moot, however, now that we have elected our first black President. It is a moment that a lot of people have been waiting for, and it has a massive impact on the future of this country in terms of expectations and opportunities. The importance of this moment in our history runs deep.
That being said, watching a reporter gush over Obama like a school girl at a New Kids on the Block concert makes one hastily look for a bucket or pan, especially considering the fact that said journalist is supposed to be an objective news source upon whom this country depends for clear and concise information. During President Obama’s campaign, he was given more free rides than Hugh Hephner. The moment a scandal surfaced, it was held under the water and drowned by those gushing fanboys. One of them, whose name rhymes with Chris Matthews, went as far as stating that he “got a thrill in his leg” while listening to Obama’s speech.
A thrill in his leg…
I’m not even going to go there. It’s simply too easy.
It is never safe for a political figure, least of all the most powerful political figure in the world, to be so admired that he or she is held beyond scrutiny. Giving free rides can be dangerous. Ever seen one of those Hitchhiker movies? Yeah, stupid idea.
I have no problem with the fact that journalists are excited about this historic event and are cashing in on the fact that most of the country agrees with them. But it is indeed a sad day when one of this country’s oldest institutions (ok, prostitution is older, but they’re closely related anyway), loses the one element that validates its existence: objectivity. Mainstream media’s sprint toward the far left over the last several years has created a myopic institution that focuses more on a specific ideal or agenda than a commitment to factual reporting.
If it’s not news, it’s entertainment – and I think we already have plenty of entertainment. Thanks anyway.
We’ll see how long this love affair lasts, though. Obama had to placate the left with rhetoric in order to get elected. Now that he’s in office and has been roughed up with the reality bat, people are going to see that he can’t actually deliver on a number of the commitments that landed him in the oval office. No president ever succeeds in fully realizing the promises made on the campaign trail, and some of Obama’s loftier words will make a big splash when they hit the toilet.
Once the masses learn that they are not, in fact, getting fist-fulls of handouts from their beloved messiah, the thrill in the country’s collective leg will transform into a dull ache. When people see that Obama’s foreign policy and anti-terror strategy eventually has to mirror Bush’s approach due to the binding chains of reality, that dull ache will turn into something that requires a tourniquet.
Obama can certainly say he kept one campaign promise, though. Guantanamo Bay is now having a going out of business sale. It seems that no one is buying, however, so I suppose we’ll have a surplus of terrorists with an incarceration deficiency. The world cried for us to do away with that prison, yet when we finally bent to their will, none of those highly vocal critics volunteered to take responsibility for the prisoners. Not even their own countries.
Just for the record, it’s “look before you leap.” Not the other way around. We’ll cover that in the remedial session.
